Dietary Advice I Received from a Long COVID Program
As with many conditions, eating the appropriate foods can help with symptoms of chronic fatigue, brain fog and neurological strain. Interestingly, when I started the post-COVID rehabilitation program, they put me on a diet that was extremely high in lean animal protein which runs somewhat counter to the modern fads of plant-based everything. But many of their other suggestions seem similar to aspects of the Mediterranean Diet, The Harvard “Healthy Eating Plate” and other mainstream health diets.
Here are some of their suggestions to me, which were adapted from a pamphlet called “Healthy Brain, Healthy Nerves” by Doctor Jinny Tavee, a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular disorders and integrative holistic medicine.
They Asked Me to Eat:
- wild caught fish: 3-5 servings per week, prepared without much fat (e.g. avoid deep frying, butter poaching, etc.)
- brightly colored fruits and vegetables: 5-6 servings per day
- green Tea
- nuts or nut butter: 1oz per day
- dark chocolate: above 70% cacao and the higher the percentage the better
- skinless turkey or chicken daily
- flax seeds: milled or ground, 2tbsp a day
- sprouted grain bread and cereal (gluten-free)
- healthy grains like quinoa, brown rice, and products made from them (e.g. pasta and crackers)
- beans
- egg whites (loaded with protein, but minus the cholesterol in yolks)
- spices (most are loaded with antioxidants and healthful properties)
- healthy fats such as coconut oil, coconut milk, extra virgin olive oil, fresh avocado, etc.
They asked me to minimize eating:
- gluten
- refined sugars (honey and agave syrup are better when truly needed, though I personally prefer pure date syrup for its greater magnesium content)
- corn syrup and corn starch
- processed grains like white flour, white rice, instant rice, etc.
- red meats and processed meats (e.g. deli meat, sausage, hot dogs)
- caffeine, alcohol and sweetened drinks like soda
They asked me to completely avoid eating:
- artificial anything (sweeteners, fats, colorings)
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)(this is difficult as it has about 20 names and is in most commercial prepared foods such as canned/frozen/instant soups, sauces and sauce mixes, cheesy or salty chips, gravies, stuffings, seasoned boxed rices and noodles, etc.)
They also offered other advice:
- Try 100% gluten-free for 2-3 weeks and see if I felt better. If I did not notice a significant benefit, switch to gluten in moderation rather than strict avoidance. (It helped me, but not enough to warrant being 100% strict)
- Have animal protein with every meal, and potentially double the meat portion I was accustomed to, providing that it was a healthy lean meat like fish, chicken, turkey, etc. (Before this advice I tried to make meat portions small assuming that to be healthier)
- Save caffeinated coffee for when I really need the boost, and ideally, use Green Tea or Matcha for the boost. (As a grudging compromise, I changed my morning espresso to half decaf so I could keep the flavor, but reduce the caffeine.)
The goal of all of this is to boost and protect the nervous system, avoid inflammatory triggers, and provide plenty of nutritional energy to help prevent fatigue and brain fog from taking over.
Not all diets are for everyone, so if you are tempted to try this routine it is probably best to first discuss it with a medical expert. I am not perfect at following this diet, but it does seem to have positive effects and I tend to crash if I stray too far from it.
Another of my healthcare providers mentioned “The Harvard Plate” or Harvard’s “Healthy Eating Plate”, which is less strict and more focused on proportions. While it does not appear to be as specialized for my nervous system, it is not terribly different than the above.
For more information
- Dr. Jinny Tavee: Healthy Body, Healthy Nerves
https://lesturnerals.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Healthy-Brain_Jinny-Tavee_News-You-Can-Use.pdf - Mayo Clinic: 6 Tips to keep your brain healthy
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/5-tips-to-keep-your-brain-healthy - Loma Linda University Health: Six Great Plant-Based Foods to Fight Nerve Pain
https://lluh.org/services/neuropathic-therapy-center/blog/six-great-plant-based-foods-fight-nerve-pain - National Library of Medicine: Mediterranean diet, stress resilience and aging in nonhuman primates
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7739065/ - Lenco Diagnostic Laboratory: Caring for Your Nervous System
https://www.lencolab.com/publications/2020/9/caring-for-your-nervous-system.html
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