3 Top Foods for Trauma Recovery
Generally, healing foods for trauma recovery balance blood sugar levels, calm the nervous system, sustain energy levels, nourish and replenish the body, the kidneys and the adrenals. These foods stimulate and regulate a wellfunctioning digestion, hormone production, enhance detoxification, protect against damage from high stress levels and free radicals, strengthen the immune system and are anti-inflammatory. Moreover, healing foods for trauma recovery stimulate mental functioning and improve mood, while providing the body with building blocks for new cell formation. They also regulate the metabolism, improve cognitive and nerve function and some of them promote good sleep.
There are many beautiful foods that meet these criteria, but today I want to focus three of my favorites with you. The cool thing about incorporating nutrition as a healing tool in your healing journey from trauma back to yourself is that it is one of the most accessible ways and one of the habits that is a bit easier to tweak, because you do not necessarily begin something completely new, you can easily start by only adding one good thing to your plate. One ingredient at a time, one meal at a time, you can achieve big changes for your health and trauma recovery.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is not a grain, but actually a fruit seed from the buckwheat plant. It contains high amounts of fiber and serves as a great gluten-free alternative to grains. Buckwheat provides potassium and is high in magnesium, as well as other minerals like manganese and phosphorus. As buckwheat contains phytonutrients like the anti-inflammatory quercetin and rutin that act as antioxidants, buckwheat is a great food for restoring your health from the impacts of traumatic stress and trauma retention. It also helps maintain a balanced blood flow and is a high-quality plant source of protein, supporting a stable blood sugar. I like to eat it in the form of buckwheat flakes in my yogurt or on top of my smoothie bowl, or I make pancakes with soaked buckwheat groats. You can also use buckwheat for baking or use soaked groats instead of rice or other grains for savory dishes.
Coconut water
Nowadays a bit more readily available in most Western countries, coconut water is commonly from the tropical regions of our Earth. It’s the liquid in coconuts that is called coconut water and is made out of 95% water, protein, sugars, and minerals. This particular mix of its nutrients actually makes coconut water the perfect electrolyte, although it may require a little of added some Himalayan salt or sea salt for the ideal balance including sodium. In consequence, including coconut water in your diet is extremely healing, especially for your kidneys and adrenals that are supported by this high mineral replenishment. Instead of replacing your daily water intake purely with coconut water, you can mix the two or start your day with coconut water to hydrate for the day ahead.
Eggs
One of the foods integrated in traditional diets worldwide are eggs. It’s one of the old-kind of super foods, packed with nutrients. Eggs are a source of vitamin K, B vitamins, biotin, thiamine and vitamin B12, selenium and even vitamin D. What makes them a relevant healing food is particularly their high content of choline – a key-component for brain, nerve health and memory function providing cell membranes with flexibility and structural integrity. Choline is particularly important for the development of the memory center of the brain, the hippocampus. When you’re healing from trauma, of course this is a crucial component on the physical level that requires attention. In traditional medicine, eggs enhance kidney function and strengthen blood.
To get eggs with the highest nutrient contents available, focus on buying eggs from free range chicken, ideally organic - non-GMO-fed.
Side note: Eggs are a modest source of arginine, an amino acid necessary for replication of some viruses, incl. herpes simplex. Avoid consumption, if you have regular outbursts. Since they are a common allergen, I still want to mention to avoid consumption if you are allergic to eggs, too!