Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by Nutrition, Weight, and Wellness.

Today's discussion is about how to heal after a traumatic brain injury, which does include a concussion.

And if you've had a brain injury,

or you've supported someone who has, have you ever been told there's just not much you can do?

You just rest and you wait it out. Well, that is not the full story because the food that you're eating and your daily habits make a huge

impact in how your brain is going to heal. So we are here today to give you some guidance so you're

not feeling stuck or powerless. My name is Brittany Vincent. I'm a registered and licensed

dietitian and with me today is Brandy Burrow.

And thanks for joining me, Brandy.

Yeah, thanks for having me, Brittany.

And it's true what you eat and what you avoid eating can make a huge difference in your recovery after a brain injury.

We know that now.

And we're not just talking about the very short-term healing immediately after the incident,

but the right support can even set you up for long-term success when it comes to your brain health.

It can impact your memory. It can impact your mood. It can even impact your risk for developing a neurodegenerative disease down the line.

And I think it is an important conversation to start having

because when somebody has a brain injury, I think a lot of time the advice that they're given is

take it easy, rest, maybe limit screen time. And I know that was the case for me. When I had a

concussion, I think I think it was 17. I was just kind of told to take it easy. I don't jog for two weeks. I got out of the gym class for two weeks. But that was really it. And then, you know, I never really thought about it much until now, honestly. Yeah. Yeah. But nutrition is really important. I wish that I knew then what I know now.

We know that food matters. We know that the brain needs raw materials from food to heal. We know that

food can help reduce inflammation. It can help stabilize blood sugar. And we know that the choices that you make every single day can either support your recovery or slow it down.

So before we dive into some specific recommendations, let's talk about what actually happens in the brain after an injury.

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