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
- Leafy greens – spinach, kale, arugula, chard
- Cruciferous veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts
- Colorful fruits – blueberries, cherries, blackberries, oranges
- Herbs & spices – turmeric root, fresh ginger, garlic, parsley, cilantro
- Healthy fats – avocado, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, flaxseed
- Whole-grain starches – quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice (moderate portions)
💧 2. Hydration & Mineral Waters
Goal: Keep lymph fluid moving.
- Spring or mineral water – Gerolsteiner, San Pellegrino, or local spring water
- Coconut water – natural electrolyte source
- Green tea or rooibos tea – gentle antioxidant hydration
- Lemon water – encourages mild detox and tastes refreshing
(Avoid sodas and very salty bottled waters.)
🌿 3. Lymph-Supporting Herbs & Teas
Goal: Support drainage and reduce swelling naturally.
Buy loose herbs or quality organic tea blends.
| Herb | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Cleavers (Galium aparine) | Classic lymph-drainage tea |
| Dandelion leaf/root | Mild diuretic & liver support |
| Horse chestnut extract (standardized aescin 16–20%) | Venous tone, microcirculation |
| Butcher’s broom | Circulation & leg comfort |
| Gotu kola | Connective-tissue health |
| Turmeric + black pepper | Anti-inflammatory |
| Ginger | Circulation & digestion aid |
⚠️ 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.