This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More (Hardcover)
Did you know that blueberries can help you cope with the aftereffects of trauma? That salami can cause depression, or that boosting Vitamin D intake can help treat anxiety? When it comes to diet, most people's concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. And recent studies have shown that diet can have a profound impact on mental health conditions ranging from ADHD to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, OCD, dementia and beyond. A triple threat in the food space, Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professionally trained chef. In This Is Your Brain on Food, she draws on cutting-edge research to explain the many ways in which food contributes to our mental health, and shows how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues. Packed with fascinating science, actionable nutritional recommendations, and 40 delicious, brain-healthy recipes, This Is Your Brain on Food is the go-to guide to optimizing your mental health with food.
Dr. Naidoo speaks frequently at conferences at Harvard, for Goop audiences, the New York City Jewish Community Center (JCC), and Ivy Boston. She blogs for Harvard Health and Psychology Today and completed a unique video cooking series for the MGH Academy which teaches Nutritional Psychiatry using culinary techniques in the kitchen.
—Amy Myers, MD, author of The Autoimmune Solution and The Thyroid Connection
"In a very real sense, we are our brain's architect in terms of both structure and function. And without question, food may be the most powerful influence on our brain's destiny. Building on leading research, This Is Your Brain on Food provides everything you need to craft a nutritional program focused on optimizing brain health and performance."—David Perlmutter, MD, author of Grain Brain and Brain Wash
"In This Is Your Brain on Food, Dr. Uma Naidoo reveals the hidden connections among food, our mood, and the brain. She tells us how the deep suffering from depression, anxiety, dementia, PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other conditions can be relieved through dietary changes, all based on solid science. Each chapter takes us on a journey through mental well-being that surveys the market, menu, and spice cabinet. A unique leader in the food-as-medicine field, Dr. Naidoo is a rare combination of Harvard psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professional chef -- so when it comes to cooking and eating to improve mental health, nobody does it better. Just reading This Is Your Brain whets your appetite for wellness and gets you in a better mood!"
—William W. Li, MD, author of Eat to Beat Disease
"Dr. Naidoo brings together her background as a professional chef, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and nutrition expert to take readers to the cutting edge of what we know, and don't know, about the complex connections between our diets and mental health. This is one of the great frontiers in medicine, and having her as a guide will be invaluable for anyone wanting to know more about this critically important and rapidly unfolding topic."
—Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Harvard University, author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
"A Harvard psychiatrist, professional chef, and nutrition specialist, Dr. Uma Naidoo has synthesized the current research on food for mental health in the most reliable and digestible way that I've experienced. A must-read if you are looking for what you should or shouldn't do to boost your mood, energy, or concentration. I highly recommend this book."—Daniel G. Amen, MD, founder of Amen Clinics and author of The End of Mental Illness
"As a trained chef and psychiatrist, Uma Naidoo is uniquely qualified to dispense food as medicine for the mind/body interface. This Is Your Brain on Food is beautifully prepared, and perfectly served. It is an important book, and as satisfying as a great meal."—David L. Katz, MD, president of True Health Initiative and coauthor of How to Eat
"Dr. Uma Naidoo unveils a truth that I wholeheartedly endorse: What we eat affects our brains. Her incisive research and scrumptious recipes are an ode to enhancing mental acuity."
—Lisa Mosconi, PhD, director of the Women's Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell and author of The XX Brain
"In this charming, extraordinary, and riveting guide to nutritional psychiatry, Dr. Naidoo shares her deep personal insights, broad research findings, and profound wisdom. This Is Your Brain on Food is destined to be a must-read for anyone who wants to care for themselves and their body, to optimize their physical and mental health, and ultimately to live a long and healthy life."
—Dr. Lynda Gratton, professor at London Business School and coauthor of The 100-Year Life
"If you want to improve your cognitive function, mood, and mental health, read this book!"—Dr. Josh Axe, author of Keto Diet
THE SANTA FE LITERARY FESTIVAL
Celebrating the power of story, the inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival will be an unforgettable weekend dedicated to a shared love and language of ideas. Collected Works Bookstore is thrilled to be the official bookstore of the Festival.
Bestselling, prizewinning authors and literary legends like Margaret Atwood, Joy Harjo, Colson Whitehead, Sandra Cisneros, John Grisham, amongst others, will headline the festival, discussing their work with readings and book signings that set the stage for further inspired conversations.
NOTE: If you purchase a festival event ticket that is INCLUSIVE of the author's book, you will receive that book upon check-in for your event at the festival.
To order books by festival authors directly from CW, see below. Collected Works will be carrying a wide selection of books by all participating authors available for online pre-order and at the on-site festival bookstore May 20-23.
Purchase your tickets from the SF Literary Festival website here.
Purchase your books by festival authors directly from CW below:
Margaret Atwood Freddie Bitsoie Sandra Cisneros
Lynn Cline William deBuys Ashley Ford
John Grisham Roshi Joan Halifax Joy Harjo
Anne Hillerman Cheryl Alters Jamison Craig Johnson
Asma Khan Phil Klay Jon Krakauer
Valeria Luiselli Deborah Madison Emily St. John Mandel
George R. R. Martin James McGrath Morris Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich of Honey & Co.
Carmella Padilla Douglas Preston Kirstin Valdez Quade
Bob Shacochis Henry Shukman Hampton Sides