Grain Brain

The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar - Your Brain's Silent Killers

By: David Perlmutter MD MD

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

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.

Critic reviews

"Dr. Perlmutter outlines an innovative approach to our most fragile organ, the brain. He is an absolute leader in the use of alternative and conventional approaches in the treatment of neurologic disorders. I have referred him patients with wonderful results. He is on the cutting edge and can help change the way we practice medicine." --Mehmet Oz, MD

"Dr. Perlmutter takes us on a detailed tour of the destructive effects that 'healthy whole grains' have on our brains. Modern wheat, in particular, is responsible for destroying more brains in this country than all the strokes, car accidents, and head trauma combined. Dr. Perlmutter makes a persuasive case for this wheat-free approach to preserve brain health and functioning, or to begin the process of reversal." --William Davis, MD, author of Wheat Belly

"If you want to boost your brain power, keep your memory, and lift your mood and energy, as well as heal from a host of other common complaints, Dr. Perlmutter is your guide. This is the definitive instruction book for the care and feeding of your brain!" --Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution

"Dementia and many other brain diseases are not inevitable, nor are they genetic. They are directly and powerfully linked to a diet high in sugar and grains. Grain Brain not only proves this, it also gives you everything you need to know to protect your brain--or a loved one's--now."--Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"This book is a treasure. It is filled with self-empowering wisdom and easily understood leading-edge science. It can help you to avoid the devastating effects of an unhealthy diet and the dietary factors which are involved. By learning from the information presented in Dr. Perlmutter's book, you can avoid multiple health and neurological problems."--Bernie Siegel, MD, author of Faith, Hope, and Healing and The Art of Healing

"A provocative, eye-opening scientific account of how diet profoundly influences nerve health and brain function. Grain Brain explains how the American diet rich in gluten and inflammatory foods is linked to neurological conditions. Dr. Perlmutter outlines a blueprint for optimal health and a more resilient brain through proper nutrition and lifestyle. Grain Brain is a must-read!"--Gerard E. Mullin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and author of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health

As more people know this, less people will be sick

What did you love best about Grain Brain?

The first half was heavy on medical tests and studies and biological information. Such as what certain foods affect what in the body. That laid out the problem, with enough real life cases the doctor had helped to make it all relevant.

The second half was What To Do About It. What to eat, what not to eat, more about why.

What did you like best about this story?

Problem . . . Solution

Which character – as performed by Peter Ganim – was your favorite?

This is a non-fiction medical/nutritional health book. I enjoy books read by the author, and Peter Ganim has a nice voice, but there were a few places where it was a little over-the-top with the gravelly paternalistic authoritarian tone. Maybe a little more friendly tone would be nice. Listen to William Shatner or Tom Campbell for built-in friendliness.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I'm going to buy this book as a hardcopy for easier reference to go back to find certain points made. And, this will be a great gift for people I care about. Especially for anyone I may end up putting a diaper on in their old age. Better that they eat right now and save us all from that fate!

A must read

Very well written and narrated. A comprehensive account of the negative impact of wheat and the positive impact of exercise and sleep on out body.

Great Read

For a middle aged guy like myself battling adding pounds each year, I found this a very interesting read.

Sadly, this will be dismissed out-of-hand by many

Dr. Perlmutter is not the first MD, scientist, or nutritionist to point out that in recent generations our diet has changed drastically and much too quickly for our biochemistry to evolve in concert. He's not the first to point out a direct correlation between the increase in carbs in our diet and the increase in diabetes. He is not the first to demonize gluten, a protein found in many of the grains that form the basis of our (American) diet. But Dr. Perlmutter, a practicing neurologist, has written a great book here, managing to avoid the hysteria of the true believer while still delivering a shocking litany of deleterious effects produced by eating grains, including neurological diseases like dementia. He makes frequent reference to studies from renowned universities and med schools, and research published in respected medical journals, as well as discussing (with their consent) his own patients. There is a fair amount of biochemistry detailed in one section of the book, but I think if a reader is overwhelmed or disinterested, skipping this part would not affect the take-away message, which is: buck the food-industrial complex, break your carb addiction, let eating good fats keep you healthy. And you stay slim too, a nice side effect. I bet you will find your mouth agape many times as you listen to this fascinating book.

Informative and convincing

When you listen to this book it’s hard not to fall and hook line and sinker because it’s written in a way that makes the argument very very very convincing. It seems that his protocol may be difficult to follow, and I didn’t love that he makes it seem easy but I understand the message. I’m going to have to do my homework to take in what some of the naysayers say and process why. But I believe adopting some of what he suggests makes a lot of sense for me and I intend to put much of what I learned into practice. I am already doing the 80/20 rule but this will take it to a whole other level. I am definitely glad to have read this and will be looking at that PDF shortly and I’m sure I will be referring back to it in the future.