Grain Brain
Your brain may be under attack, and the culprit is sitting on your dinner plate. In this #1 New York Times bestseller, board-certified neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, reveals the devastating connection between the foods you eat every day and the health of your most vital organ.
Dr. Perlmutter presents compelling evidence that carbohydrates, including whole grains often considered healthy, can trigger inflammation that leads to dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and other neurological conditions. The fate of your brain, he argues, is not sealed by your genes. It's determined by what you put on your plate.
This book challenges everything you thought you knew about healthy eating. Dr. Perlmutter explains why a diet high in good fats may be ideal for brain function, how common foods trigger dangerous inflammatory responses, and what happens when your brain encounters ingredients in everyday bread and fruit bowls.
The book includes a practical 4-week plan with easy-to-follow strategies, delicious recipes, and weekly goals to help you protect your brain without medication. Dr. Perlmutter combines research, patient case studies, and accessible advice to show you how to take control of your cognitive health.
Whether you want to sharpen your thinking, improve your mood, or reduce your risk of neurological disease, Grain Brain offers a roadmap to lifelong brain vitality.
Interesting Facts
Neurologist Turned Revolutionary Author: David Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition who wrote this book to challenge mainstream dietary advice. He appears regularly on television shows like Dr. Oz and has lectured at prestigious institutions including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia University.
Blockbuster Success Story: The book hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists. It has sold over 1.5 million copies and been translated into 34 languages.
Four Week Action Plan: The book includes a comprehensive four-week program designed to help readers eliminate grains and carbohydrates from their diet. It features practical meal plans, shopping lists, and over 30 recipes to guide the dietary transition.
Fat Is Your Friend: Perlmutter argues that dietary fat should be the brain's primary fuel source, not carbohydrates. He recommends eating foods like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, wild fish, and grass-fed meat while drastically reducing all grain consumption.
Inflammation as the Villain: The book identifies inflammation as the cornerstone of all degenerative brain conditions. Perlmutter claims that carbohydrates, especially those containing gluten or high in sugar, trigger this harmful inflammatory response in the brain.
Whole Grains Get Attacked: Perlmutter argues that even "healthy" whole grains can trigger brain inflammation and contribute to conditions like dementia, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. This challenged mainstream nutritional advice.
Cholesterol Gets Defended: Unlike most health books, Grain Brain champions cholesterol as essential brain fuel. Perlmutter claims cholesterol is critical for neurotransmitter function and that lowering it too much can harm the brain.
Sleep as Priority: Despite focusing heavily on diet, the book stresses that quality sleep might be the single most important factor for brain health. Perlmutter explains that sleep influences metabolism, weight management, immune function, stress response, and memory consolidation.
Optional Fasting Suggested: The book recommends seasonal 24-hour fasts, ideally four times per year during the change of seasons. Fasting is presented as a way to boost brain health and support the dietary transition.
Quotes
"The simple act of moving your body will do more for your brain than any riddle, math equation, mystery book, or even thinking itself." - David Perlmutter
"The larger a person’s waist-to-hip ratio (i.e., the bigger the belly), the smaller the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus." - David Perlmutter
"The more sugars we eat, the more we tell our bodies to transfer them to fat." - David Perlmutter
"We can change the expression of more than 70 percent of the genes that have a direct bearing on our health and longevity." - David Perlmutter
"Fat is an organ." - David Perlmutter
"To cure disease after it has appeared is like digging a well when one feels thirsty." - David Perlmutter
"If you’ve ever felt a rush of euphoric pleasure following the consumption of a bagel, scone, doughnut, or croissant, you’re not imagining it and you’re not alone." - David Perlmutter
"According to the latest research, we owe our tremendous brains to the need to think… and the need to run." - David Perlmutter
"The more we moved, the fitter our brain became. And even today our brain’s healthy functioning requires regular physical activity despite the passage of time and ills of the aging process." - David Perlmutter
"For every excess pound put on the body, the brain gets a little smaller." - David Perlmutter
"Modern food manufacturing, including genetic bioengineering, have allowed us to grow grains that contain up to forty times the gluten of grains cultivated just a few decades ago." - David Perlmutter
"Brain dysfunction starts in your daily bread, and I’m going to prove it. I’ll state it again because I realize it sounds absurd: Modern grains are silently destroying your brain." - David Perlmutter
"Modern grains are silently destroying your brain." - David Perlmutter
"Beyond simply serving as a source of calories, protein, and fat, food actually regulates the expression of many of our genes." - David Perlmutter
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