Nutritional Tips to Help Recover from Brain Injuries

Besides taking pain-killers to assist you while recovering from a brain injury, being aware of nutritional values can also assist post-TBI. From simple things like changing your diet and eating healthy, to looking towards natural remedies, there are many ways to help in your recovery. Listed below are nutritional tips to help recover from brain injuries.

Eat small meals, frequently.

Eating on a routine schedule, every three to four hours, helps your brain/body signals recover after head trauma. You should try and stick to healthy foods because weight gain commonly happens after a brain injury. Eat balanced meals that combine healthy fats and oils, carbohydrates, and protein. Healthy fats and oils include avocados and nuts. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains contain healthy carbohydrates; and lean meats, fish, beans, and eggs contain healthy proteins. Besides balancing healthy meals, you should also snack in between to boost your energy throughout the day. Small, healthy, snacks such as: fruit, trail mix, cheese, and energy bars will keep you fueled and satisfied.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, smoking, and excessive sweets.

After a traumatic brain injury, it is best to stay away from substances that cause problems in concentration, memory, balance, and have been linked to increased headaches. Alcohol is known to impair cognitive abilities, and balance, which can lead to repeat injury; caffeine and nicotine have vasoactive substances that changes the size of the blood vessels in your brain, which can lead to headaches; and high-sugar foods can result in glucose abnormalities which can, also, trigger headaches. Studies show that people who consume these substances do not often recover completely, and recover at a much slower rate.

Skip the conventional drugs, and reach for natural remedies.

Effects of conventional drugs have been shown to have limited benefits in improving symptoms that result from brain injuries. Because of this, researchers have begun studying natural compounds and vitamins that have been proven to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. These substances include green tea which contains epigallocatechin-3-gallate, L-theanine, and a lesser degree caffeine. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate has been shown to have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects in brain injury studies using animals. L-theanine offers protection from excitotoxic injury immediately following a concussion; omega-3 fatty acids and DHA which have been found to improve cognitive function, increases nerve repair, reduces nerve swelling, and stabilizes cellular energy production; and vitamin E, which has been shown to improve cognitive performance and reduce nerve damage.

Stay hydrated.

Because nausea and vomiting are known to follow a traumatic brain injury, it is best to keep meals light and stay hydrated; in order to regain the electrolytes, and fluids, lost after emesis. This is why it has been advised to drink fluids high in electrolytes to nurse a hangover after excessive alcohol consumption. It has been proven that there is a high risk of fainting due to dehydration which would, also, increase the risk of repeat injury.

Fish oil.

After suffering a head injury, you should double the dosage and take up to four grams of fish oil. You should continue this for seven days, according to Dr. Steelsmith, of Steelsmith Natural Health Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. It has been reported that fish oil contains large amounts of DHA and omega-3 fatty acids EPA that assist in healing a concussion as reported in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Although staying healthy is something that should be done regularly, it has proven to also be the best way to help aid in the recovery of traumatic brain injuries. Eat right, stay hydrated, everything in moderation, and look towards natural remedies before reaching for any harsh medications. Stay healthy, folks!

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Nutritional Tips to Help Recover from Brain Injuries