Foods to avoid
Seizures may be initiated be certain foods, supplements or ingredients, so it can be important to identify these and try to avoid them from your diet
Grapefruit
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice contain an enzyme which prevent the breakdown of certain antiepileptic drugs, such as carbamazepine. This can lead to the level of these drugs within the body increasing by up to 40%, which could cause serious problems.
Alcohol
If you are taking any of the various antiepileptic drugs, you should avoid alcohol, as this basically 'kills' the antiepileptic drugs inside your body leaving you totally unprotected. With no antiepileptic drugs in your body, you have no barrier against seizure occurrences.
Stimulants
Foods such as coffee, sugar, excess salt, chocolate, cola and spices change the metabolism of the body dramatically, which can lead to the occurrence of seizures in certain individuals.
E-Numbers
The following additives are thought to be associated with epileptic seizures within certain people. It may be a good idea to try to remove the E-numbers listed below from your diet to see if the change alters your seizure pattern
Blood Sugar
In some cases, low blood sugar levels, or hypoglycaemia can trigger epilepsy. A good way to avoid
this is to eat regularly, perhaps every three hours. Instead of having two/three large meals a day,
have five or six smaller ones at fairly even intervals throughout the day, to help prevent the stomach
becoming empty too often.
Stress
It is very important to take time to relax and 'wind down' as often as possible, as epilepsy can be
caused by stress, or be more likely to occur.
Good ways of relaxing are massage, meditation, yoga and Tai Chi. Another good idea is to take up a
simple hobby, such as painting, model making or something similar, to completely remove the mind from
the fast paced society that today has become.
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