Our Brains Are Starving for Balance

When someone comes to Like Minds for coaching, we start by asking a simple but profound question: Could there be a thread of neurodivergence—or as we prefer to call it, neurointensity—woven through your life story?

Often by the time a conversation reaches me, the person has already suspected it. Some carry diagnoses: Autism, ADHD, OCD, Dyslexia. Others simply know — deep down — that they have always experienced the world with a different flavor of intensity. They have survived, sometimes thrived, often struggled. Their lives are filled with stories of resilience but also riddled with patterns of anxiety, fatigue, addiction, or emotional exhaustion they can't quite explain.

When you finally reach that powerful moment of acceptance — the question hits you hard: “Now what?” I know, because I’ve been there. And the answer, after years of research, lived experience, and coaching others, is surprisingly simple: Start with your brain. If you are living with any form of neurodivergence, the very first and most powerful move you can make is to heal your Glutamate-GABA system through food and nutrition. It’s not complicated — and the results can be life-changing. This is the foundation. Everything else builds from here.

Food Matters!

Through years of personal healing, and relentless study of hundreds of books, scientific papers, and podcasts, one truth has revealed itself more clearly than any other: Our brains are starving for balance.

And perhaps nowhere is this imbalance more profound — or more solvable — than in the seesaw of Glutamate and GABA.

The Hidden Forces: Glutamate and GABA

Glutamate is the brain’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter. It sparks neurons into action — allowing us to think, move, learn, and remember. Without it, there would be no spark at all.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), by contrast, is the brain’s calming neurotransmitter. It gently presses the brakes, quiets the noise, and allows the system to recover.

In a healthy, balanced brain, these two forces dance gracefully together: excitation balanced by inhibition. Action met with rest. Spark followed by calm.

But in the neurodivergent mind — and in many recovering from mental health struggles or substance use disorders (SUD) — this balance often falters. Glutamate floods the system, and GABA can't keep up.

The consequences are profound: Anxiety. Hyperactivity. Insomnia. Panic. Learning challenges.

Even addiction itself, as we seek ways to manually "turn off" the chronic overstimulation.

And modern living pours fuel on the fire.

Glutamate Sensitivity: The Neurodivergent Vulnerability

A significant and growing body of research, much of it emerging from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and related institutions, connects glutamate dysregulation to Autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders.

• A 2022 review in Frontiers in Psychiatry noted that glutamatergic dysfunction is a key component of the neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), citing excess glutamate signaling as a contributor to sensory overload, social impairment, and repetitive behaviors (Horder et al., 2022).

  
  

• Similarly, an NIH-supported study in Translational Psychiatry found that alterations in the glutamate/GABA ratio were a strong predictor of symptoms in ADHD, including hyperactivity and impulse control challenges (Ende et al., 2016).

  
  

• Regarding addiction, an NIH article in Neuropsychopharmacology detailed how chronic drug and alcohol use amplifies glutamate release while diminishing GABA function, contributing to the craving cycle and relapse (Kalivas & Volkow, 2011).

  
  

In short, too much glutamate and not enough GABA appear to be a signature of the very populations Like Minds serves — and an overlooked key to recovery.

Free Glutamate: A Modern Problem

Not all glutamate is created equal.

In whole, unprocessed foods, glutamate exists bound to proteins, digesting slowly and used by the body in natural amounts. In processed foods, by contrast, free glutamate — unbound and highly absorbable — enters the bloodstream rapidly, often creating a surge that overwhelms delicate neural circuits.

Free glutamate hides under dozens of names: MSG, yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein, "natural flavors. "It is ubiquitous in processed snacks, fast food, soups, sauces, protein powders, and even supposedly "health" foods.

The NIH’s extensive database on excitotoxicity confirms that chronic excess free glutamate can damage neurons (Olney, 1994), especially in developing or sensitive brains.

Aspartame: A Silent Aggravator

One of the least understood but most dangerous compounds for the glutamate-GABA balance is aspartame — the ubiquitous artificial sweetener in diet sodas, "sugar-free" treats, and countless processed foods.

Aspartame breaks down in the body into aspartate, an excitatory amino acid much like glutamate.

A landmark NIH study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that aspartame inhibits the conversion of glutamate into GABA, creating a double jeopardy:

1. More excitation from excess aspartate.

2. Less natural calming from GABA (Humphries et al., 2008).

   
   

This finding helps explain why some individuals experience extreme anxiety, headaches, seizures, or mood swings after consuming diet products.

When coaching clients, eliminating aspartame is a non-negotiable first step for restoring balance.

Healing the Glutamate-GABA Imbalance: Food as Foundation

Healing begins by lowering excitatory overload and rebuilding the brain’s calming pathways.

The Like Minds approach to a Low-Glutamate Lifestyle focuses on:

• Removing free glutamate sources: processed foods, MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, "natural flavors."

• Eliminating aspartame and all artificial sweeteners.

• Supporting GABA production naturally: through sleep, breathwork, magnesium supplementation, gentle exercise, and whole food nutrition.

• Repairing the gut: recognizing the gut-brain axis as a primary route by which inflammation disrupts brain chemistry.

  
  

It's not magic. It’s not spiritual trickery. It’s biochemistry — applied intelligently and consistently over time.

Stories of Change

The transformations we see at Like Minds are breathtaking — not because they are miraculous, but because they are logical.

For too long, nutrition has been treated as an afterthought in neurodivergent care, mental health, and addiction recovery.

But the evidence is overwhelming. Our brains are built from the food we eat. Our neurotransmitters rise and fall based on what we allow into our bodies.

At Like Minds, we believe it's time for a new model: One that recognizes neurointensity not as a disorder, but as a difference — one that can be supported, not suppressed.

Getting your Glutamate-GABA house in order is not just another wellness trend. It is a foundational act of self-respect for your brain.

And it begins, as all great journeys do, with a single, quiet step: Choosing what you feed your beautiful, brilliant, intense mind. David Wetherelt is the founder of Like Minds Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to helping neurodivergent individuals find balance through peer coaching, nutrition, and systems innovation. He also works on Special Projects for Autism Society of San Diego. He lives and works in California alongside his two sons.

References:

• Horder, J., et al. (2022). Glutamatergic dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

• Ende, G., et al. (2016). Glutamate and GABA in ADHD. Translational Psychiatry.

• Kalivas, P.W., Volkow, N.D. (2011). The neural basis of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology.

• Humphries, P., Pretorius, E., Naude, H. (2008). Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame. Environmental Health Perspectives.

• Olney, J.W. (1994). Excitotoxicity and neuropsychiatric disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry.