The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, and Intelligence

I'm naturally very intrigued with increasing perfomance, whether it be physical or mental. In the past, I've read numerous books and articles on improving the brain. Sure, those publications inspired me to do some things a little differently. However, what I learned in this book has inspired me to make drastic changes in my lifestyle habits. It's one thing to be inspired to improve a little here and a little there, it's quite another to see solid scientific research showing exactly how each choice we make affects our present and long-term brain potential. This book is chock full of the most interesting nutrition research on the brain I've ever come across. It also contains quite a bit of information not related to nutrition. I learned a LOT of new and interesting things that I have never considered before. I highly recommend this book! One reviewer claims that the book doesn't include footnotes with Journal title, authors, etc. That's true. However, there is an extensive listing in the back of the book that gives all that information. Also, the revised and expanded edition does have an index.

The author of the Brain Diet tells you exactly which foods to eat to greatly improve you brain health. His assertions are backed by many conclusive scientific studies that he cites in the text and gives their sources. He also describes in detail what happens to the brain when it lacks the prescribed nutrition plan and how the plan corrects those problems. This book leaves no unaswered questions. It covers the subject completly and can not fail to accurately inform and benefit the reader.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (7/06) "The Brain Diet" presents information on what role our diet plays in affecting our intelligence and mental health. We can maximize the quality of our life by eating healthy and making sure that we take in a healthy quantity of nutrients that help to support our cognitive system. In doing so, we will see an improvement in the quality of our life in areas such as thinking, reasoning, creating, being artistic and learning. A healthy brain diet can help children by increasing their intelligence and decreasing their risks of ADHD. This book covers areas in which our health is affected in regards to our brain and how we think. A lot of what is discussed we already know affects other aspects of our health, such as oxidation and inflammation leading to cancer or heart disease. In this book, we learn about how it also negatively affects our mental processes. Many of the supplements and the diet recommended also will help us with other aspects of our health. These recommendations are not something extra that you have to do just for your brain, it is important that you follow them for all aspects of your health. The supplements recommended are mainly antioxidants and healthy fats. This is also good for other areas of our health. I found this book to be well organized and easy to understand. The information presented came with explanations that explained why it is important to make the changes that we might need to make. A parent will find this information helpful in improving the quality of their children's ability to learn. As a middle aged person, I found the information to be very helpful with slowing the decline of my thought processes. There is also a section with recommendations for a variety of health conditions such as fibromyalgia and migraine headaches. People with an interest in their health and the health of their children will really enjoy this book. Plus the recipes presented in for the nutritional plan look really delicious!

This book pulls together a huge amount of medical research regarding diet and mental health. The author does an excellent job of using words that a non-physician can understand without sacrificing content. This is NOT a "FAD DIET" sort of book, nor is it quackery. It is the seminal work on how diet translates into mental health, with copious quantities of references and citations. I can personally vouch for the accuracy of the information on Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. My child has had anxiety attacks ever since she stopped eating baby food. After three years we figured out that the attacks were related to eating products the day before with oils like cottonseed and safflower. But we did not know why she reacted this way, nor did our pediatricians. So all we could do was try to avoid the problem oils, which are in many, many, many foods. Monitoring her diet was a full time job, and school made it very difficult. People thought that we were crazy and ignored our pleas about not to feed her items with those oils. Then when she had an attack 24 hours later, they thought she needed counseling. After reading this book, we understood the likely reason for her problem, as well as a possible solution. We put her on a daily Omega-3 supplement to balance her Omega 6 & Omega 3 chemistry, and her anxiety attacks are GONE. She can now eat what everyone else eats. Her demeanor is no longer high-strung and she handles stress much better. Buying this book was the best money we ever spent, and we are giving copies to everyone we know. If you know someone who suffers from mental health problems, or a mental health professional, teacher, or pediatrician, do them a favor and get them a copy of this book.

Dr Logan should be commended for putting this book together. I was surprised by the amount of research related to nutrition and the brain/behavior. Very useful, good resources and would recommend it to others. Wish there were more recipes.