In this new, updated edition of Brain-Building Nutrition: How Dietary Fats and Oils Affect Mental, Physical, and Emotional Intelligence, Michael A. Schmidt provides a host of practical dietary information and new, ground-breaking research to support his findings. A remarkable but little known fact is that the brain is nearly 60 percent fat.
The book begins with a quiz to measure the reader’s brain fatty acid profile, and goes on to demonstrate the role of fat in the brain’s structure and functioning. The author helps the reader distinguish between harmful and beneficial fats and oils, and warns the “French Fry Generation” of the dangers of a poor diet.
One thing I like about Schmidt’s book is the fact that he addresses the benefits of using krill oil. Most of the earlier work written on EFA’s mainly discussed the use of fish oil as a source for beneficial fats. As we know from all of the studies, fish oil can be helpful for protecting heart health, reducing bad cholesterol, treating depression, PMS and ADHD; however, it does not contain the choline rich phospholipids that our brains need.
Schmidt discusses what can happen when we do not get enough choline. He refers to the work of Richard Wurtman, who found that the brain can actually “cannibalize” when enough choline is not provided in the diet. Schmidt also discusses phospholipid supplements in his book and mentions that the fatty acid in krill is a close match for our own brain phospholipids.
The effects of nutrition on mood, memory and behavior are explained by a number of compelling case studies. Finally, the author presents various strategies for enhancing mental, physical and emotional intelligence through the conscious use of supplements and a healthy diet.
Author: Michael A. Schmidt
Year of Release: 2006