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For proper function, the body must have the correct amount of food, including glucose, vitamins, minerals, and other essential chemicals. For example, the fuel the brain uses is glucose, which is produced from eating carbohydrates or other foods that can be converted to glucose.

To grow new connections or add myelin, a fatty sheath to axons, the brain must manufacture the right proteins and fats. It does this by digesting proteins and fats in food and using the resulting amino acids and fatty acids to make the new brain proteins and fats. Without the correct amount and balance of particular building blocks, the brain will not work properly. Too little or too much of the necessary nutrient can affect the nervous system.