Status
Checked out
Due 1 Apr 2024
Collection
Publication
Little, Brown Spark (2013), Edition: 1, 336 pages
Description
The devastating truth about the effects of wheat, sugar, and carbs on the brain, with a 30-day plan to achieve optimum health.
Media reviews
Under Perlmutter’s prism, a single study, of 13 people, with a finding of “possible association,” turns into a near certainty. Hyperbole is a good way to sell diet books and start fads, but it’s not good for dieters.
User reviews
LibraryThing member spearr
OMG, how does this earn 4*? no index, notes sporadic most 'facts' unsupported
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
I could go on and on about the obvious fallacies in this book. (Like, where is prehistoric man supposed to have gotten all that fat in his diet?) Instead I will simply point out that he compares himself to Mesmer in the epilogue. I totally agree.
LibraryThing member Micalhut
Another doctor jumps on board with convincing arguments that the majority of grains and sugar are destroying mental health. He ALSO proposes that not only can this diet heal depression, anxiety, ADHD, but also schizophrenia. He is not the first doctor I've read that offers convincing evidence of
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the sort. Though I've read most books on this subject, I liked this one. It was easy to read and something about it really hit home this time. Show Less
LibraryThing member sylliu
Based on his neurological research and practice, Dr Perlmutter upends the traditional thinking that cholesterol is bad and instead believes that it is the thing that brains need (fat) to be mentally acute, avoid mental illness & degeneration like Alzheimers. He points to research that shows that
This was a compelling & interesting book with much to mull over.
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people with higher cholesterol levels actually live longer and suffer less dementia. The main culprit for obesity, diabetes, heart disease is carbohydrates, gluten & sugars. As much as 60% of the population is gluten intolerant but it doesn't show up in gastrointestinal symptoms, but rather in mental symptoms (ADHD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, etc). So he advocates a low carb, high protein and fat diet (but not trans fats, the good fats like olive oils, omega 3s, etc). Plus exercise and sleep. This was a compelling & interesting book with much to mull over.
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LibraryThing member mvickrey
Life changing book. Too many years of mis-diagnosis resolved with a simple glutin sensitivity test.
LibraryThing member vtlucania
Yes this is the hot food topic at the moment. If you have read more than one book about gluten for the most part you have read the important aspect of gluten and its effects on the human body. This book gleans over a few areas different from the other books I have read about this topic. Should you
These books make it sound like giving up gluten is easy-not hardly. It is in almost every food most of the population consumes daily. Oh your days of eating fast food will be over. Not that giving up fast food is bad but it is going to be inconvenient. I will say if you are going to take this route, please prepare but is harder than it sounds at least for those who eat out on a regular, are fans of pasta, pastries, or any such indulgences. I should mention that gluten is in some cosmetics and shampoos so research must be done. Do I think there is validity in living this way? Yes but it is extremely difficult so let the rewiring of the brain begin!
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rad this book? Do you have an interest in this topic-then yes. If you are trying to get information about the perils in the food we ingest-yes. If you are looking for some great revelation-not so much. These books make it sound like giving up gluten is easy-not hardly. It is in almost every food most of the population consumes daily. Oh your days of eating fast food will be over. Not that giving up fast food is bad but it is going to be inconvenient. I will say if you are going to take this route, please prepare but is harder than it sounds at least for those who eat out on a regular, are fans of pasta, pastries, or any such indulgences. I should mention that gluten is in some cosmetics and shampoos so research must be done. Do I think there is validity in living this way? Yes but it is extremely difficult so let the rewiring of the brain begin!
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LibraryThing member berthashaver
I really enjoyed reading this book. Full of information, but not so technical that it is overwhelming. Very motivating to change my diet and nutrition habits to improve my health.
LibraryThing member Mariesreads
Unbelievable! If we were more careful with our diet, there could possibly be a lot less crime! Although I said, "Unbelievable", I really do believe what this doctor says about the way gluten and other elements in food affect our brain.
Besides, less crime, there would probably be much fewer cases of
It is also easy to read.
Besides, less crime, there would probably be much fewer cases of
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autism, seizure disorders, Alzheimer's and the like. It is also easy to read.
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LibraryThing member dulcinea14
It worked for me before I even heard of this book!
I went on a ketogenic diet (low-carb, high-fat) last year to lose weight and next thing I know, my chronic life-long depression and anxiety disappeared, I had more focus, more energy, more positivity in general. I had NO IDEA that a ketogenic diet
Then, I discovered Dr. Perlmutter and realized that what I was experiencing was exactly what he has been trying to teach people. Reading this book was an amazing experience for me and helped solidify the "program" I need to follow for brain health (HAPPINESS). Alzheimer's runs in my family too, so if I can do anything to delay or avoid that worse-than-death sentence, I will. And it's not like it's hard to do!
I only needed to modify my supplementation some and focus on the tasks he recommends that I already knew benefit me (exercise, meditation, sunshine!, mental exercise, caloric limitation, ketogenic diet). I plan on incorporating fasting back into my life too. Beyond keto, the only somewhat positive "diet" attempt I had experienced was intermittent fasting, so I was happy to see that he recommends fasting. My mind works great while fasting, the trick is to break your carb addiction first!
It works, it's simple. Naysayers haven't tried it, so don't listen to them. Perlmutter explains the science, cites the science, but seeing (doing) is believing.
I was a skeptic when I heard about ketogenic diets, but my body and mind proved me wrong. And I'm so glad they did!
(For those who find the diet extreme, I thought I could "never give up carbs" too, but I did, and I had a very very bad carb addiction and wasn't a big "meat eater." Pinterest is a great place to find "keto" recipes that will blow your socks off with the variety and sheer yum-factor. Also search for "paleo" recipes, especially if you are dairy intolerant like I am.)
I went on a ketogenic diet (low-carb, high-fat) last year to lose weight and next thing I know, my chronic life-long depression and anxiety disappeared, I had more focus, more energy, more positivity in general. I had NO IDEA that a ketogenic diet
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would do this, but it did. I started to enjoy exercise for a change, which helped even more. My life was changed forever. (Note that I have tried so many "diets" to lose weight before keto and nothing worked for me. I ended up gaining weight every time I failed.)Then, I discovered Dr. Perlmutter and realized that what I was experiencing was exactly what he has been trying to teach people. Reading this book was an amazing experience for me and helped solidify the "program" I need to follow for brain health (HAPPINESS). Alzheimer's runs in my family too, so if I can do anything to delay or avoid that worse-than-death sentence, I will. And it's not like it's hard to do!
I only needed to modify my supplementation some and focus on the tasks he recommends that I already knew benefit me (exercise, meditation, sunshine!, mental exercise, caloric limitation, ketogenic diet). I plan on incorporating fasting back into my life too. Beyond keto, the only somewhat positive "diet" attempt I had experienced was intermittent fasting, so I was happy to see that he recommends fasting. My mind works great while fasting, the trick is to break your carb addiction first!
It works, it's simple. Naysayers haven't tried it, so don't listen to them. Perlmutter explains the science, cites the science, but seeing (doing) is believing.
I was a skeptic when I heard about ketogenic diets, but my body and mind proved me wrong. And I'm so glad they did!
(For those who find the diet extreme, I thought I could "never give up carbs" too, but I did, and I had a very very bad carb addiction and wasn't a big "meat eater." Pinterest is a great place to find "keto" recipes that will blow your socks off with the variety and sheer yum-factor. Also search for "paleo" recipes, especially if you are dairy intolerant like I am.)
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LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
Following the dietary recommendations (cutting wheat) did absolutely nothing to help my chronic migraines. It didn't do anything else for me either--I felt neither better nor worse in terms of mood or energy, etc.
The arguments in the book are largely based on anecdotal evidence rather than good
The arguments in the book are largely based on anecdotal evidence rather than good
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scientific studies. There might be truth to what he is arguing, but at this point I have to be skeptical. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carlie
Dr. Perlmutter explains the health risks for your brain by eating grains as well as the foods you should eat to improve your brain health. For example, lower cholesterol has not been shown to improve health and statin drugs actually cause brain functioning to decrease. Also, fat is good for your
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brain. He also goes into the science which made my eyes glaze over. He provides tons of anecdotes and studies to substantiate his claims. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but actually eating to his standards would be boring. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Author asserts grain and sugar are harmful to the brain. Unarguably, the solution is diet, exercise and sleep. He proposes grain/sugar free diet solutions, exercise and regular sleep to cure a plethora of ills. The focus is gluten free diet--menus are provided. However, assertions don't seem
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supported by reputable scientific evidence and the footnotes are often self writin. Easy to read, the book seems more dogmatic than educational. Nevertheless, testimonials of easy success abound. Show Less
LibraryThing member AntT
I was interested in reading this book to see if it told me anything I didn't already know. (I am allergic to gluten but do not have celiac disease.) For the most part, Perlmutter discusses scientific aspects in a fairly accessible way, but if a reader had not taken chemistry and was unfamiliar with
Show More
the areas of the brain, it might be pretty hard going in parts. I learned a few (what seemed like) new things about the brain and how its affected by various foodstuffs, and I'm going to try the author's 30-day plan to see if it makes any difference in day-to-day life. For readers who are not familiar with the research on what sugar and gluten (which is in more grains—rye, for example—than wheat) can do to brain chemistry, this book provides more than junk science. Not for everyone, Grain Brain (I hate the title but it should make the book sound accessible to a greater number of people) is a good resource for those who live on bread products, sweets, and other carbs and suspect they need a change in diet. I should think it would also be a good resource for those who are caregivers to those with some of the diseases of aging, such as dementia. (I won an ARC of this book through FirstReads.) Show Less
LibraryThing member IonaS
This is an important book, almost on a par with Uffe Ravnskov’s and Malcolm Kendrick’s books on the cholesterol myth, and Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s books, the one refuting the diet-heart hypothesis and the other on “gut and psychology syndrome”. The author is telling us that if we
We need to get rid of our bread and exchange it with butter and eggs. Saturated fats and high cholesterol are not the problem. We need to adopt a high-fat diet, including saturated fats. The author explains how our food choices can bring inflammation under control by changing the expression of our genes.
The two biggest myths are 1) a low-fat, high carb diet is good and 2) cholesterol is bad.
It turns out that many of us, though not suffering from celiac disease, are in fact gluten-sensitive. The author is of the opinion that this “represents the greatest and most under-recognized threat to humanity”. Gluten triggers “not just dementia but epilepsy, headache, depression, schizophrenia, ADHD and even decreased libido”. Gluten, and a high-carbohydrate diet, for that matter, stimulates “inflammatory pathways that reach the brain”.
Cholesterol, far from being the villain of the piece, is one of the most important players in maintaining brain health and function. “Study after study shows that high cholesterol reduces your risk for brain disease and increases longevity.” High levels of dietary fat have been proven to be the key to health and peak brain function.
As also pointed out in the afore-mentioned books, statins are death-bringing, since they reduce your cholesterol level, and cholesterol, also LDL, the fallaciously termed “bad” cholesterol, is a critical brain nutrient, essential for the function of neurons, and plays a fundamental role as a building block of the cell membrane.
Chapter 2 of the book is devoted to gluten’s role in brain inflammation. Many people with debilitating symptoms such as migraine, bipolar disorder, uncontrollable shaking, and so on, experience great relief when eliminating gluten from their diet. The author considers gluten a modern poison.
We now know that we can grow new neurons throughout our life. Something called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) plays a key role in creating new neurons and protecting existing neurons. Calorie restriction is an epigenetic factor that turns on the gene for BDNF production. Also physical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, targets the BDNF gene, reverses memory decline in the elderly and increases growth of new brain cells in the brain’s memory centre.
The consumption of ketones, found in coconut oil, gives significant improvement in cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients (see the books of Bruce Fife). Ketosis (acquiring energy from our fat cells), instead of the process whereby we acquire it from the carbohydrates and protein we eat, is a healthful condition.
There is much valuable information in this book – life-saving information, if you follow Dr. Perlmutter’s advice, that is. We are told of the power of fasting, and what fasting and ketogenic diets have in common. We are advised to take DHA capsules (DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid), reservatrol, turmeric, probiotics, coconut oil, alpha-lipoic acid and Vitamin D.
The final chapters are devoted to “A new way of life, The Four-Week Plan of Action”. The focus is on food, exercise and sleep. We are provided with meal plans and recipes.
My only reservation is the author’s apparent ignorance about the dangers of microwave ovens. He also recommends that we eat canned tomatoes, whereas the illustrious Dr. Mercola (my hero) warns us to stay well clear of these, since the acidity in tomatoes can provoke leaching of the harmful BPA (biphenol-A) in the lining of the can into the food.
But, notwithstanding, to sum up, I would highly recommend that you read this well-written, highly informative, ground-breaking book. The information it contains is basic, essential and perhaps live-saving.
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continue to eat as we are doing – living on a diet of grains and carbohydrates, we will destroy our brain and develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Or we may develop diabetes (because of the carbohyrates), which in itself doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s.We need to get rid of our bread and exchange it with butter and eggs. Saturated fats and high cholesterol are not the problem. We need to adopt a high-fat diet, including saturated fats. The author explains how our food choices can bring inflammation under control by changing the expression of our genes.
The two biggest myths are 1) a low-fat, high carb diet is good and 2) cholesterol is bad.
It turns out that many of us, though not suffering from celiac disease, are in fact gluten-sensitive. The author is of the opinion that this “represents the greatest and most under-recognized threat to humanity”. Gluten triggers “not just dementia but epilepsy, headache, depression, schizophrenia, ADHD and even decreased libido”. Gluten, and a high-carbohydrate diet, for that matter, stimulates “inflammatory pathways that reach the brain”.
Cholesterol, far from being the villain of the piece, is one of the most important players in maintaining brain health and function. “Study after study shows that high cholesterol reduces your risk for brain disease and increases longevity.” High levels of dietary fat have been proven to be the key to health and peak brain function.
As also pointed out in the afore-mentioned books, statins are death-bringing, since they reduce your cholesterol level, and cholesterol, also LDL, the fallaciously termed “bad” cholesterol, is a critical brain nutrient, essential for the function of neurons, and plays a fundamental role as a building block of the cell membrane.
Chapter 2 of the book is devoted to gluten’s role in brain inflammation. Many people with debilitating symptoms such as migraine, bipolar disorder, uncontrollable shaking, and so on, experience great relief when eliminating gluten from their diet. The author considers gluten a modern poison.
We now know that we can grow new neurons throughout our life. Something called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) plays a key role in creating new neurons and protecting existing neurons. Calorie restriction is an epigenetic factor that turns on the gene for BDNF production. Also physical exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, targets the BDNF gene, reverses memory decline in the elderly and increases growth of new brain cells in the brain’s memory centre.
The consumption of ketones, found in coconut oil, gives significant improvement in cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients (see the books of Bruce Fife). Ketosis (acquiring energy from our fat cells), instead of the process whereby we acquire it from the carbohydrates and protein we eat, is a healthful condition.
There is much valuable information in this book – life-saving information, if you follow Dr. Perlmutter’s advice, that is. We are told of the power of fasting, and what fasting and ketogenic diets have in common. We are advised to take DHA capsules (DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid), reservatrol, turmeric, probiotics, coconut oil, alpha-lipoic acid and Vitamin D.
The final chapters are devoted to “A new way of life, The Four-Week Plan of Action”. The focus is on food, exercise and sleep. We are provided with meal plans and recipes.
My only reservation is the author’s apparent ignorance about the dangers of microwave ovens. He also recommends that we eat canned tomatoes, whereas the illustrious Dr. Mercola (my hero) warns us to stay well clear of these, since the acidity in tomatoes can provoke leaching of the harmful BPA (biphenol-A) in the lining of the can into the food.
But, notwithstanding, to sum up, I would highly recommend that you read this well-written, highly informative, ground-breaking book. The information it contains is basic, essential and perhaps live-saving.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MathMaverick
Excellent book! Every parent, teacher, coach and human should read this book.
LibraryThing member AntT
I was interested in reading this book to see if it told me anything I didn't already know. (I am allergic to gluten but do not have celiac disease.) For the most part, Perlmutter discusses scientific aspects in a fairly accessible way, but if a reader had not taken chemistry and was unfamiliar with
Show More
the areas of the brain, it might be pretty hard going in parts. I learned a few (what seemed like) new things about the brain and how its affected by various foodstuffs, and I'm going to try the author's 30-day plan to see if it makes any difference in day-to-day life. For readers who are not familiar with the research on what sugar and gluten (which is in more grains—rye, for example—than wheat) can do to brain chemistry, this book provides more than junk science. Not for everyone, Grain Brain (I hate the title but it should make the book sound accessible to a greater number of people) is a good resource for those who live on bread products, sweets, and other carbs and suspect they need a change in diet. I should think it would also be a good resource for those who are caregivers to those with some of the diseases of aging, such as dementia. (I won an ARC of this book through FirstReads.) Show Less
LibraryThing member jhawn
The surprising truth about wheat, carbs, and sugar... Your brain's silent killers.
LibraryThing member GlennBell
The author has an interesting combination of expertise in that he is a neurologist at a nutrition expert. He has some information that is counter to the mainstream thinking on diet. I plan to significantly decrease my gluten intake and increase my healthy fat intake. The book is well written and
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understandable. I think that in some points the recommendations are rather extreme. I strongly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member cindiann
Abandoned it because my library only allows 7 day ebook checkouts, and I'm slower than that. :-",,,1,,,0,,,,,
91980,The Mountains of California,John Muir,Muir
91980,The Mountains of California,John Muir,Muir
LibraryThing member amyghilton
This will change everything you know or don't know about the effects of carbs and sugar on your brain. Cholesterol is your friend!!
LibraryThing member ASKelmore
I probably have a higher-than-average understanding of scientific research. I have a couple of graduate degrees, and while that certainly doesn’t guarantee anything, they both required statics, conducting my own research studies, and spending a whole lot of time seriously analyzing the
Okay, not totally baffled. I know that movement is good. There doesn’t seem to be any credible research suggesting it’s better to NOT exercise at all. Cool. Got that. And, as of late, I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that sugar is probably super bad for me. Also not surprising. A bummer, but not surprising.
After that, though, I’m kind of out. Should I be a vegetarian (both for animal rights purposes, and also for my health)? Vegan? But (somehow, magically) low carbohydrate? Should I eat all the eggs but no dairy? What about carbohydrates? Only in veggie form? Whole grain? Or not at all? I thought my brain needed a minimum of 130 g carbohydrates to function – and this guy wants me to limit it to 30?
After reading this book, I really don’t know what to do. I felt kind of gross reading it, as though I were experiencing the print version of one of those olde tyme snake oil salesmen. There were so many ‘guarantees,’ and a lot of anecdotes about his patients. Plus, Dr. Perlmutter has his own website where he offers up his ‘preferred’ supplements, which reads a little skeevy to me. And while he cites a lot of research, I don’t have the time to read all of the studies, so that junk I posted at the beginning of this review isn’t really applicable. Plus, when I googled “Debunking Grain Brain” I got a whole lot of hits.
But on the other hand – the man is a neurologist and a nutritionist. That gives gives him some credibility, right? And I read Good Calories, Bad Calories last year, and Sugar Nation just a few weeks ago, which made some of the same arguments. And we know that nutritionists have gotten it so wrong in the past ** cough ** margarine ** cough **. Is it possible they are still getting it wrong? And of course, when I googled “Debunking [group that debunked this book]", I also got hits.
This book was not really helpful. But I still might try some of the suggestions, mostly because if I clean everything out of my diet, I can figure out what my body likes. I’m sure there’s some dairy I can’t process, but I eat so much of it I haven’t figured out which it is. And there are probably some other foods that I have more energy after consuming, and some that make me not feel great. Perhaps that can be a good take-away from books like this (and It Starts with Food, which is up next): nutrition is complicated, and we just have to figure out what works best for us.
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conclusions of other research studies. And yet when it comes to health-related items, I’m kind of baffled.Okay, not totally baffled. I know that movement is good. There doesn’t seem to be any credible research suggesting it’s better to NOT exercise at all. Cool. Got that. And, as of late, I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that sugar is probably super bad for me. Also not surprising. A bummer, but not surprising.
After that, though, I’m kind of out. Should I be a vegetarian (both for animal rights purposes, and also for my health)? Vegan? But (somehow, magically) low carbohydrate? Should I eat all the eggs but no dairy? What about carbohydrates? Only in veggie form? Whole grain? Or not at all? I thought my brain needed a minimum of 130 g carbohydrates to function – and this guy wants me to limit it to 30?
After reading this book, I really don’t know what to do. I felt kind of gross reading it, as though I were experiencing the print version of one of those olde tyme snake oil salesmen. There were so many ‘guarantees,’ and a lot of anecdotes about his patients. Plus, Dr. Perlmutter has his own website where he offers up his ‘preferred’ supplements, which reads a little skeevy to me. And while he cites a lot of research, I don’t have the time to read all of the studies, so that junk I posted at the beginning of this review isn’t really applicable. Plus, when I googled “Debunking Grain Brain” I got a whole lot of hits.
But on the other hand – the man is a neurologist and a nutritionist. That gives gives him some credibility, right? And I read Good Calories, Bad Calories last year, and Sugar Nation just a few weeks ago, which made some of the same arguments. And we know that nutritionists have gotten it so wrong in the past ** cough ** margarine ** cough **. Is it possible they are still getting it wrong? And of course, when I googled “Debunking [group that debunked this book]", I also got hits.
This book was not really helpful. But I still might try some of the suggestions, mostly because if I clean everything out of my diet, I can figure out what my body likes. I’m sure there’s some dairy I can’t process, but I eat so much of it I haven’t figured out which it is. And there are probably some other foods that I have more energy after consuming, and some that make me not feel great. Perhaps that can be a good take-away from books like this (and It Starts with Food, which is up next): nutrition is complicated, and we just have to figure out what works best for us.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Katyefk
I really learned a lot by reading this book. It was highly recommended by my MD and several friends. I have changed my diet and exercise programs to reflect this new knowledge and I feel a lot better.
LibraryThing member VhartPowers
pg.41 growing more brain cells is under your control
LDL is not a cholesterol molecule, nor is it good or bad. (Low Density Lipoprotein)
pg.126 We are designed to be smart people our entire lives.
Cognitive decay is not a part of aging.
pg.132 BDNF is your brain's growth hormone. Exercise.
133 Caloric restriction increases BDNF
141 have a kid with behavioral problems? have their DHA tested. ADHD can be "cured"
148 Sugars & gluten filled carbs do trigger changes in behavior, control of focus and concentration, mood conditions like depression. Inflammatory carbs and being low in healthy fats messes with your mind: ADHD, anxiety disorder, Tourettes Syndrome, mental illness, migraines, and even autism.
152 In the U.S. as of 3/2013 6.4 million children ages 4-17 are diagnosed with ADHD and put on powerful mind-altering drugs and the long-term consequences have never been tested!
let that sink in
184 Brain enhancing genetic pathways activated by caloric restrictionn are also engaged by fasting. Fasting produces BDNF, but also powers up Nrf2. (worth looking up) Fasting causes the brain to switch from glucose to ketones as fuel, and mitochonrial genses are turned on. Energy and better brain funcion as well as clarity are obtained.
188 gives supplements for healthy brains. pgs 223-224 gives more detail
194 Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. John Adams
The best way to make you smarter is not by doing a puzzle, but by taking a walk; exercise.
Aerobic exercise has been shown to reverse memory decline and increase growth of new brain cells in the brain's memory center.
202 Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. It helps manage blood sugar balance and reduce the glycation of proteins. Exercise decreases hemoglobin A1C and this rivals the diabetes medications.
chapter 11 gives meal plans and recipes
The reason I didn't give it five stars: on page 240 he gives a schedule example and the eating times are too many and too close together with only 3 hours of digestion between. What happened to all of the fasting he talked about in the book? It does however, give four times throughout the day of exercising. So again, 4 stars and I highly recommend reading the book and eating healthier.
LDL is not a cholesterol molecule, nor is it good or bad. (Low Density Lipoprotein)
pg.126 We are designed to be smart people our entire lives.
Cognitive decay is not a part of aging.
pg.132 BDNF is your brain's growth hormone. Exercise.
Show More
(Brain-derived neurotrophic factor)133 Caloric restriction increases BDNF
141 have a kid with behavioral problems? have their DHA tested. ADHD can be "cured"
148 Sugars & gluten filled carbs do trigger changes in behavior, control of focus and concentration, mood conditions like depression. Inflammatory carbs and being low in healthy fats messes with your mind: ADHD, anxiety disorder, Tourettes Syndrome, mental illness, migraines, and even autism.
152 In the U.S. as of 3/2013 6.4 million children ages 4-17 are diagnosed with ADHD and put on powerful mind-altering drugs and the long-term consequences have never been tested!
let that sink in
184 Brain enhancing genetic pathways activated by caloric restrictionn are also engaged by fasting. Fasting produces BDNF, but also powers up Nrf2. (worth looking up) Fasting causes the brain to switch from glucose to ketones as fuel, and mitochonrial genses are turned on. Energy and better brain funcion as well as clarity are obtained.
188 gives supplements for healthy brains. pgs 223-224 gives more detail
194 Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order. John Adams
The best way to make you smarter is not by doing a puzzle, but by taking a walk; exercise.
Aerobic exercise has been shown to reverse memory decline and increase growth of new brain cells in the brain's memory center.
202 Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. It helps manage blood sugar balance and reduce the glycation of proteins. Exercise decreases hemoglobin A1C and this rivals the diabetes medications.
chapter 11 gives meal plans and recipes
The reason I didn't give it five stars: on page 240 he gives a schedule example and the eating times are too many and too close together with only 3 hours of digestion between. What happened to all of the fasting he talked about in the book? It does however, give four times throughout the day of exercising. So again, 4 stars and I highly recommend reading the book and eating healthier.
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LibraryThing member crazybatcow
There is a quite a bit of "marketing" of the author's "diet plan" spread throughout the book.
The author seemed loathe to actually call his eating plan what it is: Keto. Though, he does permit legumes/beans, so maybe it is a Keto-Paleo hybrid. But he is extremely anti-gluten and, to a much lesser
I liked hearing about another take on the low carb lifestyle; I did not like his upselling of his own stuff (since I already bought this book, he got enough of my money). I listened to this in audio format, but might have preferred this in print, so I could look back at the info in select chapters of interest to me. If you already follow a gluten free and/or a keto diet, there is nothing new in this book.
The author seemed loathe to actually call his eating plan what it is: Keto. Though, he does permit legumes/beans, so maybe it is a Keto-Paleo hybrid. But he is extremely anti-gluten and, to a much lesser
Show More
extent, anti-sugar.I liked hearing about another take on the low carb lifestyle; I did not like his upselling of his own stuff (since I already bought this book, he got enough of my money). I listened to this in audio format, but might have preferred this in print, so I could look back at the info in select chapters of interest to me. If you already follow a gluten free and/or a keto diet, there is nothing new in this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jerry.Yoakum
A lot of reviewers complain that this title is very repetitive. It is but for the audiobook that is alright. It is very easy for much of what the author wrote to slip right by especially if I'm doing other stuff while listening. I'm not convinced that this diet is for everyone, but I am convinced
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that for the people who need this diet that it is life changing. I'll change my food choices some based on this book and definitely watch for future news on this topic. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
9.75 inches
ISBN
9780316234801
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