Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power

There are many books about nutrition and cognitive functions. The authors ground their nutrition protocol on what humans ate during the paleolithic era. Often these authors contradict each other. For some, we were better hunters than gatherers so we ate mostly meat. For others, we were better gatherers and ate primarily nuts, plants, fruits. Others advance our digestive system can’t tolerate grains because it was a modern invention of the first agricultural revolution (about 10,000 years ago). However, anthropology suggests that paleolithic diets were dependent of where people lived. Close to shores, they ate more fish; within the forest they ate plants; in areas with herbivores they ate more meat. Also, humans ate grains millions of years before the agricultural revolution. And, we can digest those just fine because of an enzyme earmarked to digest grains (amylase). So, paleolithic diets were as varied as they are today. Mosconi gets the anthropology right. Her foundation is based on two empirical findings. The first one is her studying of the “Blue Zones” or the five areas in the World associated with the greatest proportion of centenarians. And, her second one is her experience as a neuroscientist. She has seen thousands of brain MRIs while knowing what diet her patients ate. She uncovered a link between brain health and diet. The ones who ate a Mediterranean diet had far healthier brains (per MRIs) than the ones on an American diet. She also observed that 2 out of the 5 Blue Zones eat a Mediterranean diets. And, the three other ones have major overlapping components with a Mediterranean diet including complex carbohydrates (fresh produce) that have a lot of fiber, starches (sweet potatoes), nuts, fish, and not much meat and animal protein. By eating fish just twice a week, elderly can reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s (AD) by up to 70%. Mosconi uses a pragmatic approach to improve your diet for brain health. The book is divided in three parts. The first one provides information regarding the brain nutritional requirement. The second one teaches you how to eat better. And, the third part tests you to find out where you are in terms of feeding yourself well. This includes an 80 question test that grades you as either Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced. “Beginner” entails you have little food awareness. You eat a lot of processed food. “Advanced” entails you eat very healthily, mainly organic foods. And, “Intermediate” falls in between. Mosconi states that based on one’s result on the test, she has a good idea of what your brain looks like. She has seen a correlation between people’s diet and their brain’s MRI. Mosconi clarifies a few concepts. Other authors have advanced that the brain needs fat, including saturated fat, and cholesterol to function properly. Not so, Mosconi indicates that the fats we eat (saturated fat from animal protein) and cholesterol can’t even cross the blood-brain barrier. The brain needs a completely different type of fat: essential Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs). They include Omega-3s and Omega-6s fatty acids. Good sources of Omega-3s include fish, oils, eggs. Saturated fats are not good for the brain. They are associated with a 4 x increase in the risk of developing cognitive deterioration later in life. Also, brain cholesterol is very different from the cholesterol we eat. High cholesterol level (> 240 mg/dl) leads to 3 x the risk of cognitive issues and dementia later in life. The low-carb & high-fat diet (includes keto-diet) are not good for you because the brain needs glucose for fuel. It can burn fat. But, the brain’s preferred energy source is glucose. The key is to provide the brain with glucose without raising glucose/serum blood level. You do that by avoiding sugar and eating complex carbohydrates (fresh produce) that convert into glucose. Keto-diets have other negatives. An increase intake of saturated fat increases cholesterol levels (more than eating cholesterol directly). Also, fat-rich foods are often low in fiber, which is hard on your digestive system, and high in protein which is hard on your kidneys. A healthy diet has to include a lot of prebiotics food (good for microbiome). They include onions, asparagus, artichokes, garlic, bananas. These foods are rich in carbohydrates called oligosaccharides. The latter lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, and detoxify your body. Probiotics (foods that include live good bacteria) are also key. They include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods. Regular meats are really bad. They are loaded with antibiotics and antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. So far there is no evidence that eating grains is associated with any cognitive decline. One can verify that at PubMed. Mosconi imparts information regarding food codes (small labels with codes stuck on fresh produce). A number starting with a 4 means a produce is not organic (has fertilizers and pesticides); Starting with an 8 means GMO; and with a 9 means organic. Exercise is important too. Vigorous, frequent exercise can reduce your risk of AD by 43%. However, daily activities like walking, gardening, can reduce your risk of AD by 35%. There are three mechanisms that clean up the internal infrastructure of the brain: 1) sleep, especially during the deep sleep zone (that activates the cleaning glymphatic system); 2) aerobic exercises that boosts enzymatic activity that dissolves AD plaques in the brain; and 3) Intermittent fasting (12 hours +) that cleans up amyloid in the brain.

A MUST READ IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUTH HEALTH AND BRAIN. Dr. Mosconi’s book is keystone book for advancing the dialogue and practice of integrative brain health. This is the book I’ve been waiting for. As someone who is obsessed with nutrition, it’s very hard to find REAL research and sound logic. There’s a lot of people who proclaim to be health experts, but few people who can say they are trained in both scientific and holistic approaches. Dr. Mosconi’s book FINALLY gets to the bottom of what we all need to know to take care of our brains. Several things I love about the book: *She incorporates her own research from her experiences of running some of the most cutting edge Alzemeihr’s research programs in the world. *She is also a certified integrative nutritionist, so she gives practical executional advice on how to eat better - so it’s not just “here’s all this research,” but she’s all saying “here’s what to buy and book.” She is very clear in her thesis that is preventable and/or is possible to halt/slow-down through nutrition and lifestyle changes. *She actually tackles the heart of the paleo-gluten debates with logic - it can be a nasty, confusing field but Dr. Mosconi doesn’t shy away from sorting through the hype to give us practical advice. *And she also includes a quiz for you to self-assess where you are on the brain health spectrum. PS - And if you are already a fan of integrative health experts such as Dr. Terry Wahls, Dr. Sarah Ballentyne, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Colin T. Campbell, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Dean Sherzai and Dr. Ayesha Sherzai - then this is a beyond worthy book to add to your collection.

Although it is repetitive sometimes, this book provides solid scientific evidence -those who say the author doesnt have a vested interest in promoting other diets. However, some of her food suggestions are so expensive that very few people can afford them. I wish she would add affordable substitutes.

I really like this book, very interesting. I have read it twice and each time I come away with more useable information. As with any program you have to be willing to give it a try.

This is absolutely fantastic work - Dr. Mosconi's clear, concise prose readily breaks down the science of how we can protect our beloved brains from the horrors of dementia and keep our minds humming beautifully for years. Her mastery of the various key subjects - neurobiology, nutrition, biochemistry - is incredible and her ability to decode complex scientific findings into digestible, easy-to-use advice for the layperson is second to none. This is easily one of the best popular science books I've ever come across and by far the best read on nutrition I know of. I could not recommend this book more strongly - if you're smart enough to want to help that brain of yours, be smart enough to buy this book!

Easy to read and full of useful information about the food we need for brain health. Dr. Mosconi writes in a way that displays her knowledge of the subject and at the same time it is understandable for those that may not be scientifically minded. A must read!

I read 2 of this authors books and they pretty much say the same thing. Most of it I was familiar with and some information was outdated and incorrect. I was disappointed, but if you don't know much about health, you may find some good information here. Very mainstream, no real insights or gems for me.

I really like this book. I think keeping our brains healthy is so important. I had never thought of glucose being important before. I eat a low calorie diet and mainly Keto but I incorporate the books ideas now. She recommends a large variety of nuts and beets and honey. A lot of her ingredients I already had from using the Oh She Glows cookbook. I have made the Brain Food trail mix which comes to about 300 calories for a quarter cup, which is a nice treat. The book says eggs are great but does not think you should eat them every day, which I do. I think this is an important book to protect your brain. It inspired me to get back on my treadmill.

Un libro de cabecera. Muy importante saber de ese tema para gente mayo

Brain Food è un libro che esplora il legame tra alimentazione e salute cerebrale, offrendo una prospettiva scientifica e accessibile su come il cibo può influenzare la nostra mente. Scritto dalla neuroscienziata Lisa Mosconi, il libro fornisce una panoramica completa delle ultime ricerche nel campo della nutrizione e del cervello. Una delle cose che ho apprezzato di più di questo libro è la sua approccio basato sulla scienza. Mosconi si basa su studi e ricerche scientifiche per supportare le sue affermazioni, rendendo il libro affidabile e ben documentato. Non si tratta di una semplice raccolta di consigli dietetici, ma di una guida completa che spiega il perché dietro le raccomandazioni. Il libro è organizzato in modo chiaro e logico, con capitoli dedicati a diversi aspetti dell'alimentazione e del cervello. Mosconi esplora i nutrienti chiave per la salute cerebrale, come i grassi omega-3, le vitamine del gruppo B e gli antiossidanti, spiegando come influenzano la nostra mente e fornendo suggerimenti su come includerli nella nostra dieta. Un altro aspetto interessante del libro è la sua attenzione alla prevenzione delle malattie cerebrali. Mosconi discute dei fattori di rischio per l'Alzheimer e altre patologie neurodegenerative, e offre consigli su come modificare la propria alimentazione per ridurre il rischio di sviluppare queste malattie. Unica nota negativa che ho riscontrato è che a volte il libro può risultare un po' tecnico e denso di informazioni scientifiche. Tuttavia, Mosconi fa del suo meglio per rendere il materiale accessibile anche a chi non ha una formazione scientifica, spiegando i concetti in modo chiaro e utilizzando esempi pratici. In conclusione, Brain Food è un libro che consiglio a chiunque sia interessato a migliorare la propria salute cerebrale attraverso l'alimentazione. È una lettura informativa e stimolante, che offre una prospettiva scientifica su come il cibo può influenzare il nostro cervello. 👍

For some years I m really interested in food and nutrition. I found this book and I was instantly interested. A neuro scientist with a nutritional degree, that can only lead to some good insights. The first +/- 10 chapters were really interesting. A lot of information (which was in line with my previous knowledge) and also good 'neuro' explainations. The part I didnt like that much wrre the last chapters of the book. A lot of repetition and too many recipes. The test is fun, useful but time consuming. Only the science and explanations would have been enough for me. Too much quanity of information in the last chapters. Anyways, very good book!

First, I’ve read through the reviews and very sad that the negative reviews have so many helpful votes on them and you can tell those reviews didn’t even read the entire book!!!!!!! I read this on our ereader and then had to have a paper copy because I found it so helpful and easy to understand! Sure, it has a lot discussed that we should already know but she goes into detail and discusses studies and her experience with brain scans too. She also does NOT ONLY recommend expensive food items like caviar as one reviewer was brazen enough to say without even reading the book but because “it fell open” to a page that does happen to talk about how good caviar is. I think everyone should give this book a read! She really drives home the importance of a healthy life. It breaks down and explains why and what our diet should look like for a healthy brain. I find she explains the science/studies behind it all in a very convincing and easy to read way. It even includes recipes! I can’t wait to read her next book, The XX Brain.

Great book for brain growth food information