Brain Injury: What to Eat for a Healthy Gut

Properly feeding and caring for the microorganism communities in our gut can impact our anxiety levels, memory function, and overall emotional health – as well as sleep quality, weight control, skin condition, and our immune system.  Understanding how to cultivate a healthy microbiome is important whether or not you have had a brain injury.

It’s important to know that restoration of your internal microorganism communities, even after a lifetime of poor eating habits, can begin within the first 24 hours after eating the right foods.  One of the foundations of good eating is including foods containing fiber. 

Fiber 101

There are two primary types of fiber most of us have heard of – insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water or gastrointestinal fluids; passing through the digestive system unchanged, this fiber adds bulk to the stool and facilitates a quicker passage of the stool through the intestines.  Soluble fiber is transformed into a gel-like substance, which ferments and is then digested by bacteria in the large intestine.  There is a third type of fiber called resistant starch; this type of starch isn’t digested in the small intestine.  When it reaches the large intestine, it is fermented by intestinal bacteria and like soluble fiber, it feeds your microbiota.

There are many foods containing each type of fiber, this list shows some of the most commonly available sources of this essential part of our diet.

Insoluble Fiber

This type of fiber helps to prevent constipation, helps you feel more satisfied from a meal, and may lower your risk of some diseases including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and others.

• Whole wheat flour
• Wheat bran
• Nuts
• Beans
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Potatoes

Soluble Fiber

Besides feeding our microbiome, soluble fiber slows digestion and helps you feel full for longer after a meal, lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar levels, and benefits your cardio vascular system.  Feeding your microbiome means that it facilitates the reduction of stress and anxiety, improves memory, and benefits overall brain health.

• Avocado (my favorite, that’s why it tops the list…)
• Brussels sprouts
• Lima beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• Turnips
• Pears

Resistant Starch

This offers similar benefits to soluble fiber.  Depending on how foods are prepared, the amount of resistant starch changes.  For example, allowing a banana to ripen (turn yellow) will degrade the resistant starches and turn them into regular starches.  Heat can make resistant starches more digestible, some types of starches (such as in potatoes and rice) return to a resistant state as they cool.

• Oats
• Puffed-wheat cereal
• Pumpernickel bread
• Toasted Italian bread
• Corn tortillas
• Cooked white beans
• Bananas
• Cooked Plantains

There are many foods in each of these categories. Find the ones that best fit your lifestyle and dietary needs.  There are also supplements, but foods are usually your very best choice.  Remember to always check with your trusted medical professional before making any major changes to your lifestyle or diet.