When healing from a brain injury recovery and learning to live with post concussion syndrome, what we eat is essential. We are what we eat is true! Eating a clean diet with organic fruit, vegetables, and lean protein, helps keep the inflammation down. Also, our bodies are often pumped with a lot of medications when we sustain a TBI so it is imperative to detox our livers. The goal is to heal our bodies, not just our brains. The gut is often called our “second brain.” The idea is to treat the body as a whole.

Throughout my 25+ years of living with PCS, I have tried just about every diet for my migraines, anxiety, sleep, memory, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, overstimulation, etc. My goal has been to improve my health, reduce inflammation in my brain and throughout my body, and reduce (and hopefully one day, eliminate my gut issues). Since I have started a low inflammation diet, my symptoms have improved. I am not a nutritionist but I have spent a small fortune on several and this is what I found that works for me.

I recommend that you use only organic for smoothies. If you use non-organic fruits and vegetables, you will get high doses of herbicides and pesticides which are harmful to your body!

Weekly Grocery Lists

1. Proteins

• Grass-Fed Beef
• Free Range Chicken
• Wild Caught Fish
• Free Range Eggs (I eat several each day)
• Grass-Fed Lamb
• Organic Bone Broth (best if made at home)

2. Green Leaf and Cruciferous Vegetables (organic only)

• Celery (great source of fiber)
• Avocados
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Mushrooms
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Brussel Sprouts
• Kale
• Watercress
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Cabbage
• Rutabaga
• Kohlrabi

3. Fruit - Organic only

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries

- No high sugar fruits
- No Fructose
- No sugar or sugar substitutes (sugar increases inflammation in the brain)
- No refined foods
- No alcohol
- 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. (I started with 50 grams of carbohydrates and decreased by 10 grams per week until I reached 20 grams per day.)

4. Nuts

• Walnuts
• Pistachios
• Macadamia
• Brazil nuts

5. Supplements

• Cod Liver Oil
• Glutathione
• PC (Liposomal Phosphoholipid Choline)
• CoQ10 with PQQ
• Magnesium
• D3 with K2
• Coconut Oil
• MCT Oil

6. Other

• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
• Coconut Water (no sugar added)

Please Note: For many that have sustained a TBI and are living with PCS, it is important that our hormones and thyroid are optimized. I would suggest getting hormones and thyroid checked to see if they are in balance. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has made a HUGE impact on my recovery. Also, having my MSH checked quarterly has been extremely beneficial.