The brain is the “competence” of the human body, and brain damage has a serious impact on the functioning and quality of life of the body. In addition to medical treatment, proper nutritional supplementation plays a key role in the rehabilitation of persons with brain damage. It provides the necessary material base for brain repair, promotes the recovery of neurological function, mitigates complications and improves the self-care capacity and overall rehabilitation of patients.
The body of a brain-damaged patient is in a state of high metabolic, high decomposition and energy consumption has increased significantly. Therefore, it is first necessary to ensure an adequate caloric supply. Carbohydrates should be the main source of energy, and staples such as rice and pasta can provide stable energy. Care must, however, be taken to select whole grains rich in food fibres, such as rough rice, wheat bread, etc., and to avoid excessive refined grains leading to blood sugar fluctuations. In general, patients with brain damage need to consume approximately 30 – 40 kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day. For example, a 60-kilogram patient requires approximately 1800 – 2,400 kilocalories per day.
Protein is particularly important for people with brain damage and is a key ingredient for repairing damaged nervous tissue. Quality protein sources include skinny meat, fish, eggs, beans and dairy products. Fish is rich in unsaturated fatty acid and high-quality proteins, such as salmon, and its rich DHA is beneficial to brain neurons. Sufficient proteins should be consumed per day, about 15 – 20 per cent of the total calorie, or 1.2 – 2.0 grams per kilogram. In the case of 60 kg of patients, 72 – 120 g of protein per day.
Ingestion of fat is qualitative. Unsaturated fatty acids, in particular Omega-3 fatty acids, help to mitigate inflammation reactions and protect the neurocytal membranes. Olive oil, fish oil, nuts, etc. are good sources. These foods can be appropriately increased in the daily diet, but it is also appropriate to control the total amount of fat, which is 20 – 30 per cent of total calories.
Vitamins and minerals are also essential for the rehabilitation of persons with brain damage. Vitamin B (e.g. B1, B6, B12) is involved in the synthesis and metabolism of neurotransmitters, which can be obtained from wheat food, meat, eggs. Vitamin C and E are resistant to oxidation and are able to counter the brain damage of the free radical, which is a rich source of fresh fruit and vegetables. Minerals, such as zinc, iron and magnesium, also have important neurofunctional effects. Zinc can be obtained from thin meat, seafood; iron has higher levels in animal livers and beans; magnesium is found in green leaf vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
People with brain damage may suffer from problems such as ingestion difficulties, where food can be made of paste or mud and can be easily swallowed. If the patient is unable to feed at mouth, nutritional support such as nasal feed may be needed to ensure the provision of nutrition.
Family members and caregivers are carefully planned in their dietary arrangements, with emphasis on food diversity and nutritional balance, taking into account the special circumstances of patients, such as food allergies, diabetes, etc., and timely adjustment of diet programmes. In the process of rehabilitation, patients with brain damage themselves must actively cooperate in nutritional treatment, develop good eating habits, provide strong nutritional security for brain repair and physical rehabilitation and move towards a healthy life.
In sum, a reasonable diet helps to accelerate the recovery of the disease by ingestion of the body ‘ s missing elements and essential proteins from the food, thus providing a better recovery result for the repair of the brain damage to the person, which can be integrated earlier into life and continue to produce value for the family and society.
