Schedule
April 2022: Brain Maker: The Power of Gut Microbes to Heal and Protect Your Brain for Life, David Perlmutter, MD
Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise–from autism and ADHD in children to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before. But a medical revolution is underway revealing that your brain health is affected by the state of your microbiome–the vast population of organisms that live in your body.
Dr. Perlmutter explains the powerful relationship between intestinal microbes and the brain, describing how your microbiome develops from birth and evolves based on your lifestyle choices, how it can become “sick,” and how nurturing gut health can improve your brain’s destiny.
Why I chose this book? Gut health is a new frontier in strengthening your immune system and mental fitness and protecting your brain from diseases such as Alzheimer’s Parkinson’s and dementia. This book includes six steps to improve your gut health.
May 2022: The Healthy Mind Cookbook: Big Flavor Recipes to Enhance Brain Function, Mood, Memory and Mental Clarity by Rebecca Katz
This cookbook harnesses the latest brain research on improving cognition, emotion, memory, mood, and physical health and translates it straight to your plate, using delicious nutrient-dense foods as a tool for promoting a healthy mind from childhood through the golden years.
Why I chose this book? The power and usability of a culinary pharmacy is an effective way to boost brain function and overall health. Katz lists the benefits of key ingredients that can help lift the mental fog of everyday life and allow you to harness the power of your mind.
June: How to Not Die, Chapter 3 Brain Disease and Chapter 14 Parkinson’s Disease, by Michael Greger, MD
The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America — heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s, high blood pressure, and more — and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives. In this chat we will focus only on the 2 chapters pertaining to brain health.
Why I chose this book? Loaded with practical, actionable advice and nutritional science, Dr. Greger provides powerful guidance on foods to eat and lifestyle changes to make for better brain health to live longer, healthier lives.
June 2022: Super Immunity: The Essential Guide for Boosting Your Body’s Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger and Disease Free, by Joel Fuhrman MD
Why do some of us get sick with greater frequency than others? Is there a secret to staying healthy? Dr. Fuhrman explains the solution — to change the way we eat.
Why I chose this book? It explains nutrient-density (nutrients per calorie) and demonstrates how you can strengthen your immune system and increase your optimal health with real food.
July 2022: Put Your Heart in Your Mouth, by Natasha Campbell, MD
If you ask someone what causes heart disease, their answer will probably be: butter, meat and fat. But this Diet-Heart Hypothesis proposed in 1953 was proven wrong by scientists all over the world. In this book Dr. Campbell-McBride dispels this myth and explains that cholesterol is not the enemy but an integral and important part of your cell membranes.
Why I chose this book? Fats are so misunderstood and so important in many ways — for your cell structure, fuel for your heart and your brain. This book explains the vital necessity of essential fats for your heart health. And what is good for your heart is good for your brain.
August 2022: Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety: Nourish Your Way to Better Mental Health in 6 Weeks, by Drew Ramsey, MD
Therapy and medications are used to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, but often this is not enough. With the latest scientific advances in neuroscience, nutrition, and the mind-gut connection, we have discovered that how and what we eat greatly affects how we feel, physically, cognitively, and emotionally.
Dr. Ramsey provides a path towards greater mental health through food by explaining what you should eat to positively effect brain health and improve mental wellness.
Why I chose this book? Dr. Ramsey highlights 12 key nutrients that are essential for brain health and mental fitness. He then shows us how to get these nutrients from 6 categories of real foods in an accessible way.