Submitted by Alanna DeSalvo, NC, RWP, BCHN® – With Thyme Nutrition
As you know, living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) will change your life in so many ways, but when it comes to nutrition, the most common advice we receive post-injury is to eat less. As a Functional Nutritionist and C5/6 quadriplegic, I don’t find this advice helpful or practical.
Over the past seven-plus years as a Nutritionist with a spinal cord injury (SCI), I have found that there are three things you should do if you want to take care of your health post-injury to help manage your weight, feel energized, decrease pain, and keep digestion regular while enjoying food without feeling limited.
Here are my top three tips I wish I had known 17 years ago.
1. Balance your blood sugar
Balancing blood sugar is crucial for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) for several reasons. Blood sugar is a crucial mechanism in the body that helps manage metabolism, energy, hormone balance, inflammation, cardiovascular health, and weight management, and can even impact nerve pains.
When blood sugar struggles to stay balanced, it can lead to fatigue, uncontrollable cravings, anxiety, weight gain, and other inflammatory symptoms. These imbalances can be due to many factors, including lack of movement, high sugar and processed foods, low-fat and protein diets, and stress.
This fluctuation can be especially difficult for those with limited mobility, as it can decrease your overall activity levels and muscle mass. This can decrease muscle density and can cause more imbalance in blood sugar levels.
When imbalanced blood sugar persists, it can lead to pre-diabetes and diabetes. For these reasons, after injury, individuals can be more susceptible to diabetes.
Nutrition is the Number One tool to keep blood sugar balanced.
Tips to support blood sugar balance:
- Eat balanced meals with 20-30 grams of protein, healthy fats and vegetables.
- Start your day with a balanced breakfast.
- Be mindful of added sugars and processed foods
- Stay hydrated, drink 60-80 oz of water a day
- Get my meal plan for more guidance on blood sugar and hormone balance, including my c.r.a.v.e. plate method and 45+ recipes to get started. Get the Energy Revival meal plan and cookbook here.
2. Support your digestion and gut health
The gut, as a whole, is essential for digesting and absorbing food. It’s also crucial for vitamin nutrient synthesis, hormone production, immune function, detoxification, heart and brain health, and much more. When the gut and digestive system are hindered in any way, as they generally are after SCI due to neurogenic bowels, higher exposure to antibiotics, and medication use, it can disrupt these other functions and cause imbalance and discomfort throughout the system.
Gut imbalances can cause digestive upsets like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, food sensitivities, heartburn, and indigestion and even contribute to UTI frequency. These symptoms can be painful and disruptive to daily life. Adding laxatives and stool softeners isn’t the only solution, and sometimes, it is not appropriate, as it can cause irregular bowel movements and accidents.
I struggled with bloating, indigestion, heartburn, and constipation, which really weighed on my wellbeing. But the bloating, heartburn, and indigestion disappeared when I could identify imbalances in my gut health and personal food sensitivities. Bowel movements became more regular and reliable, plus swelling in my legs decreased!
Yes, digestive motility is often slower due to the injury and medications, but there are many tools you have control of that can support digestion with food and nutrition. If you struggle with these symptoms try these tips to support digestion.
Tips to support digestion and gut health:
- Eat slowly and chew food well
- Drink the majority of water between meals, not during a meal
- Eat fermented foods, if tolerated
- Eat vegetables with every meal
- Aim for at least one daily bowel movement for optimal detox and motility
- If you experience constipation (less than one bm a day), diarrhea, bloating, heartburn, and indigestion get to the root cause with help from a practitioner
3. Manage your stress
Stress and trauma create hormonal responses in the body to protect your body. This sympathetic response, known as the fight-or-flight response, is essential for survival in short exposures. But when the body is stuck in this mode for a long time, because of constant stress and/or unresolved traumas, it can add to inflammation in the body and contribute to blood sugar imbalances, digestive issues, weight gain, pain, depression, and even spasms, and nerve pain.
It’s important to decrease stress and regulate the nervous system to switch into the parasympathetic state, or rest-and-digest mode, for your body to recognize it’s safe and doesn’t have to defend against stress and perceived threats. It is deeply nourishing and restorative to be in the state. It can allow for better sleep, digestion, energy, mood, less pain and spasms and so much more
Stress impacts all areas of health, but it’s important to remember that the nervous system responds to daily stressors and can add up over time. These stressors can further contribute to blood sugar and digestive imbalances.
To take care of your nervous system, try these tips:
- Use kind self-talk and prioritize mental health. Seek help for support
- Meditation and deep breathing exercises
- Ground yourself and spend time in nature
- Incorporate some movement routine, as appropriate with your abilities. Check out zebrafish!
- Get sun exposure, especially in am to regulate your circadian rhythm
- Get personalized insight to get to the root cause of inflammatory factors
As you know, every injury is different. But regardless of physical ability, your body is hard-wired to strive for balance. Nutrition has been an amazing tool for my own life and rehab journey to help me feel connected to my body again.
I hope these tips can help you find the same balance in your life, decrease pain, and feel energized without feeling limited by food or overly reliant on medications.
If you’re looking for 1:1 support and insight to what nutrients your body needs, I’d love to invite you to schedule a complimentary Nutrition Strategy Session and we can talk about how you can use nutrition to address your symptoms and feel balanced in your body.
Visit my website to learn more.
*Disclaimer: The information provided in or through this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. This is not providing health care, medical or nutritional therapy services, or attempting to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any physical, mental or emotional issue, disease or condition through this Website. The information provided in or through this Website pertaining to your own health or wellness, exercise, relationships, business/career choices, finances, or any other aspect of your life is not intended to be a substitute for the professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by your own Medical Practitioner or Mental Health Practitioner.
About the author:
Alanna DeSalvo, NC, RWP, BCHN®
Functional Nutrition Practitioner
Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®
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