Diet - foods for curing Traumatic Brain Injury

DIET -- FOODS


BEANS – the true brain food

It is often said that fish is ‘brain food’. Perhaps the fish I consumed in my youth could be considered thus, however the fish I today find available is loaded with mercury and other poisons. Since acquiring a brain injury, I don’t experience any benefit to my brain after eating fish; in fact, I find my now-sensitive brain reacts rather poorly to fish and seafood, so I avoid them.


Beans, on the other hand, are beautiful music to the brain. Beans and bean sprouts are packed with nitrogen, which fuels new cell growth and cell repair. Garden fertilisers contain nitrogen because it makes things grow big and strong.


(A tip: I tried this many years ago, after being told by a keen gardener: Plant beans, of any kind, around the base of another plant, and chop them off once they reach a height of 5-10 cm. The central plant will grow more quickly and robustly. The beans will release nitrogen into the soil and the nitrogen will power any plants planted near the beans. Such is the power of nitrogen in the growing beans that they enrich the soil around them.)

BEAN SPROUTS of all kinds ie.alfalfa, mung sprouts et al. are not only rich in nitrogen but also very rich in Vitamin C, which repairs cells, is needed for the growth of new cells, flushes toxins and prevents illness.


BROAD BEANS

All beans are beneficial to the brain, and broad beans seem to be particularly good.

I have found broad beans, either fresh or frozen, seem to give a pronounced boost to my brain function, within a few days of consumption. I mix cooked broad beans with seeds, and/or nuts, cashew spread, hummus, tahini, cooked vegetables, grated cheese, tomato, or anything I can think of, to enhance the rather bland (some would say unpalatable) taste. I also add them to soups and stews.

NUTS

CASHEWS

I don’t know why cashew nuts are effective in helping my injured brain. I understand they are rich in Vitamin E, which assists in healing/repair, and also rich in natural fats and oils that are necessary for good brain function.

I regularly purchase cashew spread, and aim to consume 1-2 tablespoons daily, either on toast or straight from the jar. I find a spoonful of cashew spread is a good pick-me-up, between meals, when I’m tired but haven’t time to rest.

WALNUTS

Walnuts don’t seem to be quite as effective as cashews, but still give a noticeable benefit. Someone told me, upon learning of my brain injury, that walnuts, which are shaped like the brain, are a good ‘brain food’.

I find they are best eaten from the shell, so as to eat the whole walnut. Half a dozen organic walnuts, eaten from the shell, several days in a row, seems to give my brain a definite boost for days afterwards.

ALL NUTS

I keep hearing good things about all kinds of nuts, so I try to eat a variety. Macadamia nuts, in particular, are supposed to be a total food, containing just about everything the body needs – but only if they’re grown organically.

AVOCADO

Avocadoes provide Vitamin E (one of the two ‘healing vitamins’, Vitamins A and E, recommended to a friend of mine by a pharmacist, and prescribed to heal cuts and abrasions without scarring) and natural fats that are essential to the health of cells in the body. These natural fats are absolutely essential for healthy brain function. Eat as many avocadoes as you can!


FRESH, ORGANIC FRUIT (AND VEGETABLES)

I’m recently trying more and more organic fresh foods. The cost can be prohibitive. The difference, however, to my brain, is marked. Not only is there much more flavour, but also I can literally feel my body’s gratitude upon consumption of organic goods.

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