5 Foods That Can Help Fight Epilepsy

There are so many aspects of treating epilepsy but one of the most important ones, aside from medication, is diet. And diet is something that has so many variables to take into consideration that it can be a tough thing to research. I know from experience!

So although I’m not a doctor, and you can’t take this as official medical advice, I’ve made a list of five foods that are good for people with epilepsy to consume according to my research. 

I’m excited to share this list with you, and rest assured that I’ve made it as diverse as possible because I know that preferences, allergies, and other factors can sometimes make it hard to eat certain foods even if they’re good for you.

But first…

Why Does Food Play Such A Large Role In Epilepsy Treatment?

Nutrition is at the basis of everyone’s health but when you have a medical condition, like epilepsy, it becomes even more important to give your body what it needs. And there are several reasons for this.

Sometimes the condition itself (or some of the symptoms that are present along with it) are partly the result of some sort of nutritional deficiency. Even if it’s not the whole reason.

Then you have to take into account that if you’re treating the condition with medication, then those typically come with side effects as well. And at times, medication can actually cause various deficiencies themselves. In these cases, the right nutrition can reverse some of the negative effects the medicine brings.

And with that, let’s get into the first food I’d like to suggest!

Chicken, and other types of poultry, tend to be recognized as healthy because it’s a form of lean meat. And that fact is true, chicken can benefit your health in many ways!

The first benefit of chicken that’s particularly helpful for people with epilepsy is the fact it contains a lot of different amino acids. These amino acids serve a variety of purposes. One type, tryptophan, is thought to help boost serotonin levels in the body which could reduce depression symptoms that are common among people with chronic illnesses.

And chicken is also a big source of protein, which is known to help with bone health. That’s very important for people with epilepsy because a lot of anti-seizure drugs actually cause a decline in bone health. 

Furthermore, eating protein rich foods can help with weight loss by helping us feel fuller. That could help combat the weight gain that certain anti-seizure medications are known to cause.

Plus, chicken is a source of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. These vitamins respectively carry on functions within the body that are vital to a person with a neurological condition. Such as preventing nerve damage and boosting the metabolizing process of various neurotransmitters.

Almost all of us have been told at some point in our lives to eat our veggies, and studies into the benefits of diligently eating greens has confirmed this is a good idea. But before I list the potential benefits of eating your greens, let me just clarify what I mean by “leafy greens” with the following list.

Spinach

Kale

Collards

Broccoli

These sorts of greens tend to be very high in fiber, which you may only associate with gut health, but actually can play a role in reducing inflammation in the brain! A healthy amount of fiber is also linked to neurotransmitter production, and one neurotransmitter it can affect the production of is serotonin!

Leafy greens are also great sources of vitamins, ranging from vitamin K to vitamin C.

But the vitamin they contain that I want to focus on is vitamin B9. This vitamin is also known as folate, and has a synthetic version called folic acid. It performs many different functions but the one most relevant to today’s topic is its ability to support neurotransmitter functions.

Eggs contain a lot of nutrients that are necessary for brain health. For one, they’re a source of several B vitamins. Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 to be exact. And as you know from earlier in the article, B vitamins are very important to include in your diet if you have a neurological condition.

But one thing eggs contain that not many other foods do is choline. Many people are deficient in choline, but the egg yolk has enough to replenish the choline in your body if you eat eggs regularly enough.

Choline is a micronutrient that your body uses to create acetylcholine. And acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that plays important roles in the brain such as regulating mood and improving memory. 

This is extremely important for people with epilepsy because as I’ve mentioned, they tend to struggle with depression brought on by the condition itself as well as the medication in some cases. And memory issues have also been reported in people with epilepsy.

Nuts are a food that Rach hasn’t been able to take advantage of because of her nut allergy, and that’s been really unfortunate because nuts are a great food for people with epilepsy to consume!

Nuts are a big source of manganese, which is something that many epileptic people are deficient in. And multiple studies have concluded that there is some kind of correlation between low manganese and convulsions. Meaning that higher levels of manganese could actually play a part in seizure control.

Additionally, nuts contain other helpful nutrients like vitamin B3, vitamin B6, and zinc.

Salmon, or other types of fatty fish, is the final food we’ll be talking about today. These types of fish contain fish oil and fish oil contains two omega 3 fatty acids that contribute to brain health! These two omega 3 fatty acids are EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA are two things that many people are deficient in, because they’re really only present in fish. And fish isn’t an active part of many people’s diets. But they’re important for a lot of reasons. Aside from brain health, they’re helpful in improving heart health as well.

Back to the brain talk though, omega 3 fatty acids do most of their work in the brain at the cellular level. They help the cell membrane to stay healthy, and contribute to the communication between cells.

This isn’t exclusive to babies with epilepsy, but omega 3 fatty acids are especially important for young kids to consume because they actually help baby’s brains to develop. Along that same vein, pregnant women may be able to pass on some early brain development benefits to their babies if they consume more fish during pregnancy.

Thank You For Reading!

I hope you’ve found this list helpful, but of course there are many other types of foods that could improve seizure control and cut down on side effects of anti-seizure medications. I’ll probably dive deeper into the future since nutrition has been so important to Rach and I.

One last thing that I’d like to mention is that not much research has been done in terms of the connections between certain foods and epilepsy, but I hope that in time more research will be done and it might lead to more dietary breakthroughs for people with epilepsy. Because I believe nutrition plays a big part in this disorder.