When we talk about recovering from nervous system disorders like ME/CFS, FND, and fibromyalgia, diet may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Some people might ask, “What does diet have to do with it?” But once your nervous system becomes hypersensitive, it’s not just your mind and muscles that suffer – your gut feels it too.
Take a moment to consider: maybe you never had issues with certain foods before, but now, much like how light seems too bright or sounds are too loud, your digestive system is reacting to foods that once felt harmless. So why is that? And more importantly, how can we use diet as a tool to support the healing of our nervous system?
Understanding the Hypersensitive Nervous System
When your nervous system is functioning normally, it filters sensory inputs and stressors effectively, keeping you in balance. However, with conditions like ME/CFS, FND, and fibromyalgia, the nervous system can become over-sensitive. This means it’s over-responding to stimuli – not just light, noise, and physical exertion but also foods that your body once tolerated without issue.
This hypersensitivity is often the root of symptoms like post-exertional malaise (PEM) – where even minor physical activity can leave you wiped out – and can extend to digestion as well. The same way your muscles feel strained after doing simple tasks, your gut may become overwhelmed by certain foods. Suddenly, things you once ate without a second thought might leave you feeling bloated, sluggish, or even triggering a flare-up of symptoms.
The Gut-Brain Connection: Why Diet Matters
The key to understanding this relationship lies in the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication system that links your central nervous system to your digestive system. This connection is largely mediated by the vagus nerve, which is responsible for sending signals between the brain and the gut. It plays a major role in regulating digestion, but it also influences mood, immune function, and the body’s stress responses.
When your nervous system is hypersensitive, it can throw off the balance between the brain and gut, leading to symptoms like food intolerances, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or even worsened fatigue. That’s why adjusting your diet is crucial – the foods you consume directly impact how your gut, and by extension your nervous system, function.
Finding the Right Diet: Listening to Your Body
Finding the right diet to support nervous system recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Since everyone’s symptoms and sensitivities differ, a helpful first step is keeping a food diary. Tracking what you eat and how you feel afterward can help you identify any patterns and uncover foods that may be triggering your symptoms.
Some general tips include:
Reducing inflammation: Focus on anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts, seeds and and berries while minimizing processed foods, sugar, and refined grains
Gut-friendly choices: Incorporating probiotics (like yogurt or fermented foods) and prebiotics (fibre-rich foods like chicory root and asparagus) can help support a healthy gut microbiome, which is essential for a strong gut-brain connection .
Avoiding irritants: Common irritants like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can overstimulate both your gut and nervous system, so it’s often best to limit these .
Eating mindfully: Slowing down, chewing your food thoroughly, and eating in a relaxed state can help activate your vagus nerve and support digestion.
The Role of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets in Nervous System Healing
In recent years, low-carb and ketogenic (keto) diets have gained attention not just for weight loss but for their potential neurological benefits. These diets, which are low in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats, may provide therapeutic advantages for people with nervous system disorders like ME/CFS, FND, and fibromyalgia.
How the Ketogenic Diet Works
The ketogenic diet involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fats. This shift puts the body into a state called ketosis, where it starts burning fat for fuel instead of glucose. When your body breaks down fat, it produces ketones, which are an alternative energy source for your brain.
The brain typically relies on glucose for energy, but ketones provide a more stable and efficient fuel source. This metabolic shift can help reduce inflammation, protect against oxidative stress, and improve mitochondrial function—essential for cells to produce energy. These benefits make keto a promising diet for managing neurological and nervous system disorders.
Neurological Benefits of Low-Carb and Keto Diets
Reducing inflammation: Studies show that the ketogenic diet can lower levels of inflammatory markers in the body, which is crucial when dealing with a hypersensitive nervous system. Chronic inflammation is often a key factor in exacerbating symptoms like fatigue, pain, and brain fog .
Improving brain energy metabolism: Many nervous system disorders are linked to energy deficits in brain cells. Ketones provide a more stable energy source, potentially improving cognitive function, memory, and overall brain health .
Neuroprotective effects: Ketogenic diets have been shown to have neuroprotective properties, potentially helping to prevent further damage to neurons. This could be beneficial in conditions like ME/CFS, where neural hypersensitivity plays a major role .
Reducing oxidative stress: Oxidative stress is a condition in which harmful free radicals damage cells, leading to inflammation and other issues. Ketones have been shown to reduce oxidative stress, which may help protect the nervous system from further damage.
Balancing Keto with Gut Health
Although keto can offer neurological benefits, it’s important to balance this diet with gut-friendly choices. Since low-carb diets often reduce the intake of fibre-rich fruits and vegetables, which are vital for gut health, incorporating prebiotic foods and low-sugar, fibre-rich options like leafy greens and seeds can help support your gut microbiome while staying in ketosis.
Individualizing Your Approach
Not everyone may need to adopt a strict keto diet to experience neurological benefits, but reducing carbohydrate intake—especially refined sugars—may still help calm your nervous system and stabilize energy levels. Some people may find that a low-carb diet without going into full ketosis provides enough relief from symptoms like fatigue and brain fog.
The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Recovery
A calm nervous system is key to recovery, and that’s where the vagus nerve steps in. Activating the vagus nerve can help shift the body into a parasympathetic state – the “rest and digest” mode, which promotes healing and reduces stress.
Certain foods (like those rich in omega-3s or magnesium) can help regulate vagal tone , but equally important are mind-body practices that stimulate the vagus nerve. Techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, and even humming or gargling have all been shown to activate this nerve, reducing inflammation and calming an overactive nervous system.
Diet as Part of the Bigger Picture
Diet is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s a powerful one. When your nervous system is hypersensitive, everything feels heightened—lights seem too bright, sounds are too loud, and even your digestion feels out of whack. By adjusting your diet to support both gut health and nervous system recovery, you can begin healing from the inside out.
References
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