Changing Your Diet to Promote Brain Function

Changing Your Diet

I thought I would write about dietary changes first because changing my diet has helped my improve faster and has helped me feel much, much better overall. It is also the most daunting and difficult of all the ways to help heal brain injuries. When you start eating clean and eliminating chemicals, you will see positive results very quickly.

1. Ditch the caffeine, immediately. My crippling 24/7 migraines were cut in half (probably more) as soon as I gave up drinking my daily dose of caffeinated coffee. If you're experiencing any head pain, getting rid of caffeine in your diet may get rid of some of your headaches (after the 2-3 day caffeine withdrawal headache, of course). If you've never gone through caffeine withdrawal before, you might be very irritable and you will probably get a pretty bad headache for a few days, but it will help your brain overall in the end. I drank hot decaffeinated tea in the morning to curb my hunger for a yummy, hot cup of something in the AM.

2. Start adding Omega-3s and healthy fats to your diet. Omega-3s are necessary for brain function - try eating some wild caught fish (none of that farmed stuff full of chemicals and pollutants), flax seed and walnuts. Some healthy fats to include are olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and nuts. I take a vegetarian Omega-3 supplement everyday and I eat a lot of olive oil and nuts everyday. Olive oil is particularly good for the brain because it reduces inflammation. Don't eat too much of these fatty oils though because you will gain a lot of weight without realizing it (something I learned the hard way).

3. Get rid of ALL of the junk food in your diet. All of it. I know it seems impossible, but it is necessary to heal. My headaches have been a curse and a blessing because I immediately know when my body, and brain, do not like something I have ingested. I feel decently energetic and well when I eat only vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. However, if I eat junk food, my brain feels foggy, confused and the beloved migraines come back. Junk food isn't even food, it's food-like. Do your brain a favor and stop feeding it junk food that is filled with harmful chemicals. Your brain is in need of REAL food as it is healing, and feeding it MSG and high-fructose corn syrup is not helping. If you can't cut all of it out, try cutting it out of your diet little by little, but the faster it's gone, the faster you will heal. 

When I came home from school because of my TBI, I was eating whatever I wanted and I felt horrible all the time - tired, cranky and just awful. As soon as I started eating healthy, my recovery seemed to speed up and I am getting better and better everyday.

4. Start adding in as MANY VEGETABLES & FRUITS AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

If you hate them, you will simply have to learn to love them. Vegetables and fruits do marvelous wonders for your brain. Blueberries are nicknamed "brain berries" because they help memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is excellent for your brain (carrots also reduce brain inflammation, and so does celery and bell peppers_=). If I don't eat plenty of vegetables and fruits one day, I pay for it. My brain just doesn't work as quickly and I feel fatigued and groggy. Learn to love them, and just about every kind is good for the brain, and body, in some way. 

5. Say goodbye to sugar. Sugar just sucks. There is nothing good about sugar, unless it is from fruit. If you're eating sugary things, you're probably eating junk food. Researchers say sugar is as toxic as cocaine and tobacco, because not only does it make us fat, it wreaks havoc on our metabolisms, liver and (aha!) our brains. There are healthy ways to get rid of a sugar craving, like fruit and natural coconut.

If you take these 5 steps seriously, you will most definitely see improvement quickly, maybe not at first, but I promise you will. You can't put water into a gas tank, just like you can't put nothing but junk food into your diet without your body malfunctioning. Since you (or a loved one) is already suffering from a TBI, putting unhealthy foods into your system is a plan that is already set to fail. Give your body the nutrient-dense food it craves, and it will repay you.

Some more tips:

-Drink A LOT of water. Your brain especially needs water during this hard time. I personally don't think 8 cups of water is enough. I usually shoot for about 15 cups of water a day. Also, ditch pretty much any drink that isn't purified water. Juice really isn't that great for you unless you have your own juicer.

-Remember that you get what you pay for. Organic fruits & veggies are always better for you and your brain because they are chemical-free.

-Whole grains are a great way to stay full and have consistent energy throughout the day. Brown rice, quinoa and couscous are my favorites.

I've made some tasty clean recipes since I've had my TBI, so I'll post some delicious recipes that you don't have to feel guilty about eating.