Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers

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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:

The devastating truth about the effects of wheat, sugar, and carbs on the brain, with a 4-week plan to achieve optimum health.

In Grain Brain, renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, exposes a finding that’s been buried in the medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. Even so-called healthy carbs like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, epilepsy, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, decreased libido, and much more.

Groundbreaking and timely, Grain Brain shows that the fate of your brain is not in your genes. It’s in the food you eat. The cornerstone of all degenerative conditions, including brain disorders, is inflammation, which can be triggered by carbs, especially containing gluten or high in sugar. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, how statin drugs may be erasing your memory, why a diet high in “good fats” is ideal, and how to spur the growth of new brain cells at any age.

Dr. Perlmutter’s revolutionary 4-week plan shows you how to keep your brain healthy, vibrant, and sharp while dramatically reducing your risk for debilitating neurological diseases as well as relieving more common, everyday conditions — without drugs. Easy-to-follow strategies, delicious recipes, and weekly goals help you to put the plan into action. With a blend of anecdotes, cutting-edge research, and accessible, practical advice, Grain Brain teaches you how to take control of your “smart genes,” regain wellness, and enjoy lifelong health and vitality.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: Doyeon Koo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Tells what brain should eat
Review: I highly recommend this book not only to people who are at the risk of getting brain disorders but also to the young generations. This book contains all the information that we have to know whenever we eat something. Readers can get advices on diet/food intake from this book without going to doctors. And those advices are not only linked to getting healthy but also to preventing the dementia or any other brain disorders. Dr. David Perlmutter does not just throw some ideas to the readers; rather he explains why it happens or how to stop it. He also explains the relation between the nutrient and brain disorder that what chemical and biological factors of nutrient are actually causing the illness. I think everyone should read this book at least once because we all depend on the food intake. The earlier you know, the more you can prevent the brain diseases.In the introduction of this book, Dr. Perlmutter includes self-assessment page where the readers can define what are their risk factors for getting brain disorders. He also explains that he would provide information useful for the following brain illness: ADHD, anxiety, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, dementia, etc. He states that he would prove to the readers about how daily habit affects the function and long-term health of brain.Part 1, “The Whole Grain Truth”, discusses about the common ingredients such as wheat and fats that are both friends and enemies of the brain. It is divided into six chapters, the first three chapters discusses about the inflammation process, the role of gluten, carbohydrates and fats in inflammation, and the inflammation as the heart of brain disease. He also covers psychological and behavioral disorders that food choices can change an individual genetic characteristic and eventually leads to the brain illness. In the last chapter of part 1, the author focuses on how the gluten can impinge the long-term health and functions of the brain; people should keep breads away from them.Part 2, “The Grain Brain Rehab”, mainly discusses about the science beyond the habits that support a healthy brain. Divided into three chapters, he explores the relationship of nutrition and supplements, exercise, and sleep to brain disorders individually. He recommends the dietary habits that people should follow for healthy brain: the daily exercise routine to have better genes in the brain: the sleep routine to maintain stable hormone levels.In the part 3, “Say Good-Bye to Grain Brain”, the author actually recommends a month-long program with the meal plan, recipes, and weekly goal. He, in details, provides what should be taken everyday, and what must be forbidden for intake during lifetime. This recipe and diet plan would lead people to change their diet habits and help keep healthy brain consistently.In this book, the style and structure is simple and easy to follow. First, Dr. Perlmutter follows the structure of having a proposal, evidences and recommendations. He first proposes how each nutrient and daily habits can affect the health of brain. Then, he provides evidence to support his thesis by explaining the chemical and biological mechanism of each food intake and the effect of sleep and exercise. Finally, he gives a recommendation on how to avoid brain illness in the future with his own version of meal plan, recipe, and weekly goals. Therefore, people with no scientific background can all understand what the author is trying to explain. Also, whenever he introduces new biochemical concepts, he explains in-depth so that readers will not get lost. In the beginning of each chapter, he gives an overview of what will be in there. For example, in chapter 6, he gives all the list of changes that sugars can trigger in the short-term basis: behavior, seize control of focus and concentration, tic disorders and mood conditions such as depression. In terms of the style, I was able to observe the author’s effort of trying to make a connection with the readers by questioning and stating his past daily habits. The readers would fully respond only if they have the same experience as the discussion topic of the author. However, there were not enough pictures or graphs that could assist the readers to understand the context. The font size and spacing was viewable. The headings were appropriately positioned and fully caught the attention of readers.I read this book to find out the relationship between diet and Alzheimer’s disease. The book covered this topic with appropriate volume but the book itself actually gave full information about the effect of each nutrient and supplements on the health of brain. First, he proved that the inflammation would lead to the cause of Alzheimer’s disease because of “toxic sugar inflicts”(pg. 29). The insulin resistance from sugar, “sparks the formation of those infamous plaques that are present in diseased brains”, especially in Alzheimer’s disease (pg. 30). Because these plaques would buildup and take place of normal brain cells, the diabetes patient will have higher chance of getting Alzheimer’s disease. It was interesting to see how diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease was related together. I have read several research articles about their relationship but it was interesting to find out how food intake can be a key connector between these two diseases. In the later chapter, he also discusses about the increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease due to diabetes. Since diabetes are also caused by high intake of carbs and sugars, it will definitely increase the risk of Alzheimer by increasing the inflammation and triggering the formation of insoluble protein plaques.He also included a report, published in 2005, to indicate the relationship between the cholesterol level and cognitive ability. As Alzheimer’s diseased patients have very low cognitive ability, I believed that high cholesterol level would actually decrease the cognition. However, he stated “people who had the highest cholesterol levels scored higher on cognitive tests than those with lower levels”(pg. 34). It was interesting to find out that there has to be a “protective factor” from cholesterol that can maintain the cognitive skills.He then defines the elevations of cytokine as the hallmarks of the Alzheimer’s disease. Gluten “increases the production of inflammatory cytokines” and such inflammation can actually prevent the production of soluble proteins and deposition of unnecessary cells in the brain, increasing the formation of insoluble plaques.This book is definitely giving an advice to lose wheat and maintain low sugar level in our body. The intake of grain is actually increasing the risk of many brain disorders including ADHD, severe depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. I would recommend this book even to the patient so that they do not have to solely depend on the medication, rather they should try a new lifestyle as Dr. Perlmutter recommends in the last chapter. This book is also recommended for young generation who has enough time to prevent the brain illness by reading this book and altering their diet plan. For potential readers, I would recommend to write current daily food intake before reading this book. By analyzing what you have eaten everyday based on this book, you would be able to find out your own risk factors to brain disorders. Also, try to read this book with whole family. Your daily food intake highly depends on family members, thus to get altered in a short term you must change your family’s lifestyle.

Reviewer: Roger Summers
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Pure Genius
Review: The truth about carbohydrates is finally starting to get some traction, and I cannot imagine anyone more uniquely qualified to explain it to the masses than Dr. Perlmutter. He does a brilliant job of detailing how our bodies process the foods we eat and how our diet contributes to a variety of neurological conditions and our overall health- and he backs up his conclusions with more than 250 references to respected scientific publications and peer-reviewed research.I get the sense from his writing that Dr. Perlmutter is genuinely passionate about our health and really wants to turn around the disturbing rise in obesity, diabetes, and dementia in this country. He provides some practical steps we can all take to improve our health and reduce our chances for a variety of conditions. He and his wife even assembled a variety of easy and delicious recipes to help with the transition. There are a lot of supplements to take, however, which can get expensive. The way I see it, it’s got to be cheaper than treating diabetes.So my wife and I immediately started incorporating many of the changes to our lifestyle that he recommends, and we have never felt better. I have already lost 5 pounds in the three weeks since we started. I am sleeping better. I no longer feel bloated. My energy level is consistent all day. My hunger level has dramatically reduced and productivity has increased because I’m not getting up for snacks all the time. I no longer feel the need to nap during the afternoon. I have also noticed my focus has improved somewhat, I am definitely getting more done. The occasional numbness and tingling in my hands and feet is gone, along with the inflammation that was causing it.We did not go cold turkey on the gluten free right away, it has been a gradual process and we keep finding foods in our pantry that we overlooked. So far the gluten free substitutes we have found for our favorite products have been pretty good. The transition to gluten free / low carb is definitely a huge shift in our lifestyle and more challenging than I expected. But the potential payoff is huge, and we can already feel the benefits starting to kick in.I have to thank Dr. Perlmutter and his team for putting this out there. It is a bold move with so much of our economy dependent upon cheap processed grain products and sugary snacks/drinks. Critics, powerful agencies/organizations, and “flat-earther nutritionists” whose livelihoods depend on the products and old long-held beliefs will no doubt try to discredit the science behind this book and attack Dr. Perlmutter himself. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out.– Update 3/6/14 –It has been about five months now since I started this, and so I thought I would post a quick update. My wife and I have stayed on the program pretty consistently but we do indulge in carbs and wheat products every couple of weeks or so for birthdays and other special occasions. We both feel great and I have lost 33 pounds so far. I am now able to work out 6 days a week for 30-45 minutes at a time and I have plenty of energy throughout the day. I have added weight training to my routine and I am now lifting more than when I was in my twenties. In fact, I had to upgrade my Bowflex with an additional 100lbs because I have outgrown the factory set of resistance rods.We continue to enjoy the benefits I outlined in my original review, but there are a few new and unexpected effects that I have observed. First, my sleep feels very deep and when I wake up I feel much more rested and refreshed that before. Another surprise for me was a tingly toe that I’ve had for years now feels normal again. I think it may have been a pinched nerve somewhere caused by my excess weight or perhaps inflammation. I was convinced that was going to be with me for life, but it’s completely gone now.Perhaps the most surprising thing is, at least for me, is that people are telling me how awesome my skin looks. I’ve noticed it too, my skin actually looks and feels younger and healthier. My wife too, she’s absolutely thrilled about this unexpected benefit. I’m not sure if it’s the supplements, the diet, or the exercise, but wow what a difference this had made in our overall quality of life. I highly recommend this book, it’s truly a game-changer.

Reviewer: Eduardo Ramirez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Sin duda conceptos novedosos y actuales del impacto del poder de la alimentación en nuestra salud en general y cómo podemos evitar el daño “inevitable” de nuestros cerebros por la edad.Según lo presenta el autor, SI es EVITABLE el deterioro de nuestro cerebro, incluso, con la adecuada alimentación y otras medidas como el ejercicio constante y regular, no solo evitable, sino hasta lo podemos mantener y mejorar.

Reviewer: Gloria O.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Un libro che tutti dovrebbero leggere!

Reviewer: japafan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 体の調子がいいです。おすすめします。あやまってパスタ食べたらどろ～んとして、やはりグルテンだと実感！

Reviewer: Christine S.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: if you have any health issue, this book can turn your life around. So many health issues have the same underlying causes. also check out the book “drop acid” also by same author. it is excellent! Helps you understand how the human body actually works! Knowledge is power!the book “wheat belly” by william davis is also a must read for anyone who wants to enjoy good health, mentally physically and emotionally. a great book on this important subject. diseases are often not at all what they seem. Ill health is often triggered by one of two foods that are in everything we eat. Understanding the impact of this, and exactly how the body actually works, is key to curing health issues. these books are easy to read primers for understanding the complex matters of human health, physical and emotional. The more you learn about the body, the more you understand that brain and emotional or behavioural issues often have physical (food related ) causes. Also our sleep habits, which trigger our eating habits/cravings for these same foods that are so destructive. “lights out”- Sleep, sugar and survival, a book by TS Wiley and Bent Formby is excellent as well, on the subject of sleep dysfunction tr carbohydrate cravings, weight gain and disease.

Reviewer: B. d.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book was recommended to me by Amazon, while reading “the gut”. Amazon not knowing that last month I went to the neurologist desperate that my imigran-medication did’t work anymore. For about 20 years I’m suffering (period-related) two monthly *nerve-wrecking* migraine episodes of 48h. The neurologist subscribed me Eletriptan and Topiramaat, the latter an anti-epilepticum for profylaxe. I was not yet ready to take such strong medication, leaving the pills untouched when I saw this book. I quit eating carbs and gluten immediately and for the first time in ages I didn’t have migraine with my period. I’m flabbergasted that my neurologist didn’t mention gluten-sensitivity to me as a possible cause for my migraines and I’m very grateful to dr. Perlmutter for writing about his knowledge and saving me from having to take very strong medications. I gave this book 5 stars for changing my life from a life of being dictated by suffering to a life of freedom and feeling in control of things.His writing is not always clear in detail (eg I missed an explantion about the chemistry of soy, peanuts and legumes). I’ve always been a vegetarian and needed more explanation to abandon these foods just because ‘they also take nutrients with them’. I can imagine that more vegetarians who read the book miss that. But it’s only a detail.I would strongly recommend the book to anyone who has a neurological disease or problem. But while this book is also for preventing diseases like Alzheimer, it’s good to read for everyone who wants to live a long happy healthy life!

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