Brain-friendly nutrition thread
 

I know that people have previously posted about this, but I thought I would put together a summary of TBI or brain-friendly nutritional advice I have come across (see draft list below). I would be interested in any comments or suggestions that people might have. Eventually, I would like to put together a concise but fairly thorough list that I can use as a quick reference when shopping, cooking, etc.

Note that this is just a starting point (also, I know that some people have specific needs/limitations that may restrict what they can consume).

DO EAT

- Fruits (including juices + nectars): berries (eg, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries), apples, bananas, avocado, kiwi, citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, lemons), red grapes, peaches, prunes, raisins, melons (honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon), papaya, apricots, mango, pomegranate, figs, nectarines, pears, cherries, plums

- Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, greens (eg, bok choy, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, spinach), lettuce/mixed greens (eg, romaine, red and green leaf, endive, spinach, arugula, watercress), green beans, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, squash, tomatoes, corn, beets, eggplant, bell peppers, garlic, onions, chives, leeks, celery, cucumber, artichokes, asparagus, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, cabbage, okra, radishes, salsa, snow peas, water chestnuts, zucchini

- Oils: olive oil, flaxseed oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, Ghee (clarified butter)

- Whole grains/fibre, including whole-wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal, brown or wild rice, quinoa, spelt, amarinth

- Fish (especially fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, lake trout, whitefish, tuna, anchovies)

- Nuts and seeds (eg, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, peanut butter; sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds)

- Meat: lean beef, pork, veal, chicken, turkey, eggs

- Legumes: lentils, beans, split peas, chick peas/hummus, bean soups

- Herbs and spices: garlic, thyme, parsley, ginger, turmeric, rosemary

- Dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa - 1 or 2 squares per day)

- Dairy: yogurt, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta

- Green tea, white tea, black tea (decaf may be best to start)

DON'T EAT (or minimize)

- Alcohol

- Sugar (especially refined sugar)

- Soy products (* I realize not everyone agrees about this)

- Caffeine

- MSG

- Junk food generally

USEFUL SUPPLEMENTS

- High-quality purified omega-3 fish oil

- Vitamin D3

- Good-quality multivitamin with good B vitamin content

- Possibly curcumin

I would modify the list with this:

<Good-quality multivitamin with good B vitamin content>

Multi-vitamin such as GNC Mega Men or other with equivalent vitamin content.
Good quality may lead people to buy Centrum or One a Day as similar branded multis with minimum RDA levels.

500 to 1000 mcgs of B-12

A B-50 complex

magnesium citrate

calcium citrate

moderate sugars and refined sugars by combining them with proteins or other slow to digest foods (maybe dairy) to slow the uptake of the sugars. Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cups sound yummy. ??

I've had a sweet tooth lately and have been endulging in Apple Pies, different flavors of ice cream, candy bars and more. Just yesterday I ate a caramel sundae from McDonalds and it had a negative effect on my cognitive symptoms...

...but it tastes so good!!! :(

My Dr. asked me to cut down on carbs the last time I saw her. I tend to have a sweet tooth, but I've been pretty careful with it after I had the spinal tap. She suggested that I cut down on rice, potatoes and stuff like that. I was diagnosed to be allergic to wheat after the injury too - which I never had a problem with before the accident. So I don't eat flour products anymore either. (I miss it, but allergies can really wreak havoc on the brain, so I avoid it like the plague.)

Good thread.

Could someone explain the soy products or direct me to the evidence for it please? I was vegan before my injury and now have to explain to everyone who wants to make me tofu that I can't eat it any more, but I sound a bit crazy cos I don't have a proper reason. Thankyou!

Vegetarian/Vegan-Specific

- We can use Algal DHA/EPA instead of fish oil (900-1000 mg daily). It contains the same beneficial things as fish oil but is derived from algae (which is where the fish get it from).

- Acetyl-L-Carnitine (500 mg daily) may be useful for everyone but especially for vegetarians as we don't get it from diet at all. It is one of the amino acids that both increases BDNF and decreases factor P (or the other way around -- I can't keep straight which is good and which is bad).

- Tofu and other processed soy products contain glutamate which is an excitotoxin (I think) but I do still eat it. I am pretty careful about avoiding all other excitotoxins, though, including caffeine and alcohol.

- Protein is important for healing. Nuts are a good non-soy and non-dairy source of protein and may also contain bonus omegas. Legumes and high-protein grains like quinoa are also great ways to add protein.

- Vegetarians (especially vegans) may also benefit from additional B-12 supplementation. In addition to my B-complex 100, I take another supplement containing an additional 30 mcg of B-12.

- Vegetarians (especially vegans and those living in northern climates) may benefit from additional Vitamin D3 supplementation. I take 2000 IU daily. PCS or not, vitamin D deficiency can cause considerable fatigue.

- Vegetarian women in particular may need additional iron supplementation. Again, even without PCS, iron deficiency can cause considerable fatigue. I take 26 mg of iron daily combined with 15 mg of vitamin C which helps increase absorption into the bloodstream.

Summary of my daily supplement regimen:
- Algal DHA/EPA (1000 mg)
- Acetyl-L-carnitine (500 mg)
- B-complex 100
- Vitamin D3 (2000 IU)
- MegaFoods Blood Builder: (Vitamin c 15mg, folate 400mcg, vitamin b12 30mcg, iron 26mg, and organic beet root 125mg)

I've been wondering about algal DHA/EPA as an alternative to fish oil (I'm not crazy about the low levels of toxic substances like mercury, dioxin, PCBs, etc. that can accumulate in fish oil, even in highly purified products). However, my naturopath recommended that I stick to fish oil because there is (as yet) insufficient evidence to support algal or vegetarian/vegan derivatives as an equally effective option.

I would add aspartame to the "Don't" list.
 

Yes, aspartame is a serious excito-toxin. Sucralose/Splenda is an organo-chlorine. It is the deadly part of pesticides.

Stevia is the only safe non-sweetener.

This sounds like a very helpful topic for a sticky!

I've been adding "Brain Vitale" ( http://www.amenclinics.com/docs/Brai...e-onesheet.pdf )
to our protein / amino drink ( Mus-L-Blast http://www.a1supplements.com/Mus-L-B...s.-p-2345.html , 1 scoop not 4 ) for a few days now, and my son seems to be notably less zombie like.
I compared a few GNC multi-vits and decided on ... oh heck he's asleep and the bottle is in his room... but it looked better than Mega-Man to me. I'll post the name of it tomorrow.
Now I just gotta gently convince him to buy and eat less processed junk and more healthy natural foods. Think I'll print out some of these posts. THANKS GREENFROG ET AL!