The Better Brain

May 3, 2021
Psychologists Kaplan and Rucklidge debut with a persuasive look at how micronutrients could be used to help treat mental health conditions. There’s a mental health crisis in America, they write, and one in every five people has a mental health issue. Though pharmaceuticals can sometimes help those afflicted, the authors wonder “what if a large part of the solution... is as simple as changing what you feed your brain?” Their advice comes in three parts: the first describes “what nutrients do in your brain” (B vitamins play a role in serotonin breakdown, for example), part two covers the link between food and brain health (one study links poor diet with an increased probability of reporting poor mental health), and part three suggests a brain-friendly diet of nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods (and includes more than 30 recipes). The authors acknowledge that the notion of ditching the pharmacy may seem controversial and tends to be dismissed by physicians and psychiatrists, who are “usually are not taught the very basics of nutrition.” Still, the research impresses, and simple graphs go a long way to making complicated science digestible. Readers interested in an alternative approach to treating mental illness will appreciate the thoroughness of this guide.