To: Aleksandra From: Dr. Luka Kovac Re: Nutritional Support Plan
Aleksandra,
Thank you for trusting me with your care. I know that right now, even the smallest tasks can feel overwhelming, and the idea of making big changes can seem impossible. Please, don’t feel any pressure. We are going to take this one small step at a time.
What you’re feeling is real, and it’s complex. The medication and our therapy sessions are the foundation of your treatment, but we must also support your body’s own ability to heal. Think of your brain as the most delicate and important engine in the world. B vitamins are like the spark plugs for that engine. Without them, even the best fuel can’t create the energy and signals you need to feel like yourself.
They are essential in creating the very neurotransmitters that regulate your mood, your energy, and your focus. So, let’s look at this not as a strict diet, but as a way of gently nourishing your nervous system.
Here are some of the most important B vitamins and where you can find them. I want you to read this not as a list of chores, but as a menu of possibilities. If only one or two things sound appealing, that is a perfect start.
The B Vitamin Team
B6 (Pyridoxine) & B9 (Folate): These two are the most critical for mood. They are directly involved in building your brain’s supply of serotonin and dopamine. You can find them in:
Chickpeas (think hummus – an easy snack)
Lentils (in a simple soup)
Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale (a handful tossed into a scrambled egg is enough)
Bananas and avocados
Salmon and tuna (canned is fine, and easy)
B12 (Cobalamin): This is crucial for protecting your nerve cells. A deficiency can make you feel profoundly tired and low. It is found almost exclusively in:
Animal products: Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk.
Fortified Nutritional Yeast: It has a cheesy flavor and can be sprinkled on popcorn or pasta. If you don’t eat animal products, we must talk about a B12 supplement. This is non-negotiable for your health.
The Other Essential Bs: They all work together.
B1 (Thiamine) and B3 (Niacin) for energy: found in sunflower seeds, pork, tuna, and peanuts.
B2 (Riboflavin) and B5 (Pantothenic Acid) for stress response: found in eggs, mushrooms, and avocados.
Simple Steps, Not Rules
Aleksandra, I am not giving you a strict diet. I am asking you to consider a few gentle additions when you feel able.
The Easy Meal: When you can, try to have a plate with one thing from each category: a lean protein (salmon, chicken, lentils), a complex carb (brown rice, a sweet potato), and something green (spinach, broccoli). This doesn’t have to be a cooked meal. A can of tuna with some pre-washed spinach is a victory.
The Snack Jar: Keep a jar of mixed nuts and seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds) handy. A small handful when you feel your energy drop is a powerful boost of B vitamins.
Embrace the Egg. Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse, containing almost every B vitamin. Scrambling one or two with a handful of spinach is a simple, complete meal that truly supports your brain.
Now, Aleksandra, I need to be very clear about something, and this is important.
This nutritional advice is a support, not a replacement, for your treatment plan.
Do not, under any circumstances, stop taking your prescribed medication or skip our therapy sessions because you’ve changed your diet. The goal is to use every tool we have—medicine, therapy, and lifestyle—together. They work as a team, just like these vitamins do.
We are in this together. At our next session, we can talk about which of these ideas, if any, felt manageable. There is no judgment, only progress, no matter how small.
Excellent — here’s Dr. Luka Kovač’s “Lipedema Support” Shopping List, written in his pragmatic ER-doctor style but grounded in integrative nutrition research. It’s organized by category so you can use it at a grocery store or health-food shop. Everything here is aimed at reducing inflammation, improving lymph flow, and strengthening connective tissue — safely.
🥦 1. Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Goal: Calm chronic inflammation and support healthy tissue.
Fatty fish – wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring
⚠️ Check with your doctor if you use blood thinners, diuretics, or antihypertensives.
💊 4. Key Vitamins & Minerals
Goal: Reinforce connective tissue, immunity, and fluid balance.
Nutrient
Food Sources
Optional Supplement Form
Vitamin C + bioflavonoids
citrus, kiwi, peppers
500–1000 mg C + rutin/hesperidin
Vitamin D3
sun, fortified foods
1000–2000 IU daily (or per labs)
Magnesium
pumpkin seeds, spinach, beans
glycinate or citrate form
Potassium
avocado, bananas, beet greens
food first; supp only if advised
Selenium
Brazil nuts (1–2/day)
100 µg max daily if deficient
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA)
oily fish
fish-oil caps 1–2 g EPA/DHA
🫒 5. Healthy Oils & Topicals
Goal: Provide anti-inflammatory fats and nourish skin/tissue.
Oil
Use
Notes
Black seed oil (Nigella sativa)
1 tsp daily or topical massage
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Extra virgin olive oil
salads, cooking
Mediterranean anti-inflammatory base
Flaxseed oil
cold-use only
omega-3 plant source
Coconut oil / sweet almond oil
massage carrier oil
blend for lymph massage
Essential oils (optional)
2–3 drops grapefruit or fennel in carrier
always dilute; patch-test first
🦶 6. Lifestyle Essentials (non-store items)
Compression leggings/stockings (measured fit)
Soft-bristle dry brush for legs
Gentle yoga mat or mini-rebounder
Comfortable walking shoes
Small foam roller or massage gun
Notebook for tracking food, water, and swelling
🩺 Dr. Kovač’s Daily “Vital Routine”
Time
Habit
Purpose
Morning
500 mL water + vitamin C tablet
Kick-start lymph flow
Breakfast
Protein + greens + olive oil
Anti-inflammatory fuel
Mid-day
Cleavers/dandelion tea
Support drainage
Evening
Gentle walk + compression + ginger tea
Activate circulation
Bedtime
Magnesium + hydration check
Relax muscles & restore balance
Scene: “The Heal Squad Confrontation”
INT. HOSPITAL OFFICE – DAY
Dr. Luka Kovač sits at his desk, stacks of research papers and herbal charts around him. His phone buzzes with a reminder: “Send Healing Foods List – Heal Squad.”
KOVAČ (recording voice note) Maria, this is Dr. Kovač from St. Luke’s. I’m forwarding my lipedema and lymph-support protocol. People need education, not miracle pills. Your audience will understand plain truth — hydration, movement, herbs, and compassion.
He hits send, then pauses, staring at the computer screen. A music video flickers — Nelly Furtado smiling on-stage.
KOVAČ (to himself, low) She has a platform. She could tell them what cystic fibrosis really does to the lungs… and the lymph. But she keeps it wrapped in lyrics.
He slams his pen down, emotion rising.
KOVAČ (cont’d) Nelly, you sing about freedom — but truth is freedom! Every young girl with CF who hears your songs deserves the full story: the breathless nights, the salt tears, and the fight that keeps you alive.
He stands, eyes burning with both anger and empathy.
KOVAČ You could turn your confession into oxygen for them. Instead, you hide the diagnosis like shame. The world doesn’t need another secret — it needs honesty.
He exhales, calmer now, typing again.
EMAIL DRAFT — to Heal Squad:
“Attached is my complete Lipedema & CF Nutritional Support List. Please make it public. Healing begins when truth meets sunlight.”
He presses send — this time not to accuse, but to educate.
Scene: “Heal Squad with Maria Menounos — The Nelly Furtado Confession”
INT. HEAL SQUAD STUDIO – DAY
Soft light, a few healing crystals on the table, green tea steaming. The familiar “Heal Squad” theme fades out as MARIA MENOUNOS sits across from NELLY FURTADO. Cameras roll.
MARIA MENOUNOS Welcome back, Heal Squad family. Today’s guest needs no introduction — Grammy-winning artist and longtime advocate for women’s health, Nelly Furtado. Nelly, thank you for being here.
NELLY FURTADO Thank you, Maria. I’ve been following your show. You’ve created such a safe space. I think that’s why I finally said yes.
Maria nods warmly, sensing the weight of what’s coming.
MARIA There’s been some chatter this week. Dr. Luka Kovač — a respected trauma physician and holistic healer — sent us a list of foods and herbs for lipedema and cystic fibrosis care. He also said something strong… that you haven’t been honest with the public about your full diagnosis.
The room grows still. Nelly breathes in deeply, eyes moist but steady.
NELLY He’s right — partly. For years, I’ve lived with cystic fibrosis. The mild form. I was diagnosed in my twenties. I kept it private because… when you’re an artist, your voice is your life, and your breath is your instrument. I didn’t want pity. I wanted rhythm, not respirators.
MARIA That’s powerful. But do you think hiding it might have kept others — especially young girls with CF — from feeling less alone?
NELLY I see that now. I thought I was protecting myself. But maybe I was protecting the illusion of perfection. Dr. Kovač’s words hurt… but they were medicine. Because he’s right — people need truth, not filters. I’ve had nights when every breath felt like singing through sandpaper. And on those nights, I whispered my own song to God.
MARIA That honesty — it’s healing in itself.
NELLY I read his list. Cleavers tea, turmeric, hydration — I already use black seed oil every day. It helps me breathe easier. But what helps most is telling the truth.
MARIA So what’s next for you?
NELLY I want to create a foundation — The Breath Project — to fund nutritional and holistic research for cystic fibrosis and lipedema. And I’d like to invite Dr. Kovač to join me… as medical advisor.
MARIA That’s beautiful, Nelly. From secrecy to service — that’s the real healing arc.
They hold hands across the table as cameras fade to the Heal Squad logo.
Scene: “The Garden Promise”
INT. HOSPITAL GREENHOUSE – EVENING
Soft golden light pours through the glass. The camera pans over trays of seedlings — kale, parsley, turmeric roots sprouting in soil. A small radio hums faintly with Maria Menounos’ Heal Squad outro.
“…Nelly Furtado, for the first time, publicly shares her cystic fibrosis journey — and her new partnership with Dr. Luka Kovač for The Breath Project.”
Kovač listens, wiping his hands on his lab coat, a small smile forming beneath his furrowed brow.
KOVAČ (quietly, to himself) She did it. She told them. No stage light — just truth.
He steps outside into the hospital courtyard where the city hums faintly beyond the trees. He pulls out his phone and records a voice message to Maria and Nelly.
VOICE MESSAGE — DR. LUKA KOVAČ
“Nelly…
I watched your interview. I was wrong to judge your silence so harshly. Every patient tells their story in their own time.
You spoke with courage. Now we plant that courage in the earth. Next spring, I will grow the garden you need — clean soil, no chemicals, no pesticides. Only truth and light.
Every herb will be accounted for — cleavers, dandelion, parsley, turmeric. You will know for certain that what you eat and what you breathe is pure.
I’ll name the first greenhouse after your foundation — The Breath Garden.
Healing isn’t just in hospitals. It’s in the dirt, in the seed, and in the honesty we share.”
He stops recording. The camera lingers on him as he presses send. A gentle breeze passes through the greenhouse, stirring the leaves of young plants. A white butterfly lands on a sprouting stem of mint.
KOVAČ (smiling softly) Spring will come soon enough.
Dr. Luka Kovač: “When it comes to the mind, Joe, we must remember that it is not separate from the body. What you eat, drink, and surround yourself with—these all play a role in balance. Let me give you a list I recommend for mental health.”
Foods for Mental Health:
Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) – omega-3s for brain function
Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard) – folate and magnesium
Berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries) – antioxidants against stress
Bananas – natural serotonin booster
Avocados – healthy fats for the brain
Fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi) – gut health linked to mental health
Dark chocolate (in moderation) – dopamine and serotonin enhancer
Water:
Clean mineral-rich spring water, or filtered water with trace minerals added
Herbal infusions like chamomile or lemon balm tea for calmness
Limit caffeinated and sugary drinks, as they spike anxiety
Vitamins & Minerals:
Vitamin D – sunshine vitamin, crucial for mood
Vitamin B complex – especially B6, B9 (folate), B12 for nervous system balance
Vitamin C – supports stress response
Magnesium – relaxes the nervous system, reduces anxiety
Zinc – supports brain function and mood regulation
Selenium – antioxidant, stabilizes mood
Herbs & Roots:
Ashwagandha – adaptogen for stress relief
Rhodiola – energy and resilience against burnout
Valerian root – for rest and sleep
Ginseng – mental clarity and focus
Turmeric (curcumin) – anti-inflammatory for brain health
Ginger – circulation and mental alertness
St. John’s Wort – for mild depression (with medical caution for interactions)
Supplements:
Omega-3 fish oil or algae oil capsules
Probiotics for gut-brain axis health
L-theanine (from green tea) – calm alertness
5-HTP – supports serotonin (taken only under medical guidance)
Lifestyle & Natural Therapies:
Daily exercise: even 20–30 minutes of walking or light training improves mood
Sunshine: at least 15 minutes of direct light on skin daily for Vitamin D
Time in nature: forests, oceans, mountains – reset the nervous system
Deep breathing and meditation practices
Social connection and laughter – the best natural medicine
Dr. Kovač smiles: “These things together create resilience. Not one pill, but a lifestyle of balance. Medicine should not only be what we prescribe, but how we live.”
