Hello again everyone. I'm getting the Atkins Diet Cookbook and will start using the recipes next week. Anyone in PCS-land who has any thoughts on diets? Stuff that is good for you is good for the brain by default am I right?

I would be concerned about whether it fits your body's metabolism. Some bodies do better with low carb, high protein, some don't. My wife is on a diet set up through the Curves organization. It is more like a South Beach diet. It specifically includes carbs, fats (the right kind) and protein.

The brain of a PCS person needs the right nutrient balance.

I would do a google search of Atkins diet and read the pros and cons.

I would check out Dr. Diane Roberts Stoler. She has a theory that anything that can be turned into alcohol (carbs, grapes, rice, etc.) is bad for an injured brain. She also theorizes that an injured brain needs lots and lots of protein. Her website has more information. Hope this helps.

I have her book and she does have some insights into brain injury.

But, I do not see any science background and notice a lack of scientific method in her approach to her theories. Unfortunately, blood sugar (glucose) can also be turned into alcohol. Lucky our bodies do not do that kind of a conversion if we are still alive.

She talks about foods that convert to sugar in the brain. Carbs are converted to sugars in the intestines.
She says to go ahead and eat all of the vegetables you want since they do not convert to sugar. Some veggies are high in carbs, ( carrots, peas, onions,) They will quickly convert to sugar, in the intestines.

I would be cautious with her recommendations.
She is big at overstating her case.

Yes Mark, I have found that out about her as well. She is very knowledgeable but tends to see the world as black or white. FYI, there was a study done on this that can be found in pub med. They found that cutting out simple sugars and refined carbohydrates benefited brain injured patients. This makes sense since simple sugars aren't good for a "healthy" brain either...

Dr. Diane is a classic example of the person who gets a lofty diploma and thinks she has all the answers. They tend to take a little bit of truth and expand it so far that there is no resemblance to the original truth. She presents herself as a neuro-psychologist but her CV shows no training nor residency in neuro-psychology. I find it interesting how she has so many trademarked commercially (profit) oriented endeavors. Most of the neuro-psychologists looking to make a buck beyond clinic oriented diagnostics and therapy, do it by doing sound research and publishing a testing or treatment protocol.

Yes, simple or refined sugars are not ideal. I doubt that they directly impact the brain, but instead, the impact is the rebound effect simple or refined sugars have on blood sugar. The body often reacts by over producing insulin then this excess insulin causes blood sugar levels to crash to very low levels causing a sugar craving and the cycle repeats itself.

These low blood sugar levels are definitely not good for a brain, much less an injured one. In most cases, the blood sugar levels do not get dangerously high like in a diabetic. It is the low blood sugar that starves the brain.

The low blood sugar levels can also stimulate epinephrine which can create an anxiety feeling among other symptoms.

I would be interested in the pub-med article you found. I search pub-med frequently. I am eager to see the articles that are to be released to the public as a result of the recent changes in the copyright protections of studies done with public moneys. The rules now state that such research results must be released to the public without cost 12 months after being published in the professional journals.