Genius Foods audiobook

This book was released this year - in March of 2018- just 4 months ago. 196 reviews are posted on Amazon at the moment - with a solid 5 star rating across the board. As far as nutrition books go - especially relevant to brain health - ( preventing cognitive decline and dementia- all according to the latest science), and overall sound nutrition- advice......I’ve not read a more readable book- easy to grasp useful health guide book ina long time - enjoyable too. The facts are easily presented- included is a little humor too. A few things moved and surprised me in our evolving medical world. Such as this excerpt: “When patients and I get to know each other, I often conduct my visit while walking with the patient in New York City Central Park. The movement and constantly exchanging scenery helps the patient remember my advice and helps me remember the encounter”! Interesting - my new young bright doctor from India - A rheumatologist, who lives in Santa Cruz, who enjoy surfing, invited me to her house. I invited her to mine as well. Maybe we will walk the beach? Max Lugavere, describes evidence-based antidote to the brain-shrinking from the standard American diet and lifestyle. We learn the dangers of inflammation, overfeeding, nutrient deficiency, toxic exposure, chronic stress, physical stagnation, and sleep loss. We’ve read these things before but that’s just skimming the surface of what you’ll find in this book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a great resource book worth owning - a smart health guide to refer to. I’d recommend the Hardcopy over the Kindle.

This book is my new go-to resource to which I may refer to people when they ask, "What do you do?" So many people struggle with their weight, and because I am relatively fit and lean, they ask me what I do. I have a Word document I put together with a list of people and reference materials with internet links (including "breadheadthemovie.com"), but now, I plan to recommend reading Genius Foods. This book has it all! What I have been learning about and incorporating in my life is everything I have found that is protective of my brain. I am interested in maintaining or even improving my cognitive abilities as well as my good health and fitness. I am also seeking to optimize longevity – or more importantly – health span. Of course, what is good for the brain is good for the body, and this book has everything one needs – like the instruction manual for maintenance of the modern human. Everything I have learned by reading over a dozen books and countless blogs and research articles and by listening to hundreds of hours of podcasts has been distilled into this easy-to-read, incredibly informative, and surprisingly entertaining book. (The pop culture references abound! Use your brain, and see if you can catch them all. After all, "Winter is coming…͟"). Yes, I think you will enjoy reading it even if you are not a health nerd who regularly indulges on this type of information (like me). I am very impressed with the breadth of the book’s content. Max and Dr. Grewal are busting many long-held but health-harming myths and giving you the powerful information and practical tips and tools you need to save your brain – and the rest of your body - from the ravages of this modern toxic environment. #GeniusFoods

Since I'm significantly overweight, I try to read at least one diet book per year. I didn't want to read this book, because I knew it would challenge me on many of my food preferences like pizza, ice cream, breads and starches. It did not disappoint.One thing that is unique about Genius Foods is its focus on brain health. As I reach age 60 this year, I can notice a small decrease in my ability to retrieve information, and the need to keep brains healthy and functioning is timely and important. The author points out that some health practitioners consider Alzheimer's and Dementia to be "Type 3 Diabetes", pointing the finger at the increased inflammation and high glucose levels that our standard Western diet provides. The current American diet is way too full of added sugars, carbs, and processed chemicals to add flavor and aid in storage and appearance. A lot of this book provides good advice I've heard before, tailored this time to improving your brain function.Standard advice such as getting good quality sleep, getting plenty of exercise, and avoiding chronic stress I already knew about. One thing I didn't know is that while chronic stress is a brain killer, periodic intense stress is good for your brain as it challenges your neurons and rebuilds connections- things like vigorous exercise, mental challenges, or exposure to new situations helps keep us young.The author also recommends intermittent fasting- for 12 to 24 hours at a time, something I've heard recommended before. One of the problems in many diets is if people eat constantly, around the clock, it doesn't give their biochemistry a chance to reset and get blood glucose levels back down. The hormone insulin remains constantly elevated with continuous eating, and it becomes harder and harder for the body to get blood levels back to normal again. Food for thought.The chapters that deal with food are what I feared the most and this author, like many before him, breezily jumps past all the nasty foods you should avoid, telling you to just clean out your kitchen and start over. This is easier said than done for most of us. My eating patterns have lasted a lifetime and going cold turkey is just not possible for many of us.That said, he does extol the virtues of ten super foods that he recommends, thankfully spread out in ten small bites throughout the book. I plan on trying out each of the ten foods and trying to incorporate them into my diet. He explains why they are so good and gives concrete examples of how to get and prepare them. They are:1- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- which he says is highly superior to the many other commercial oils that are used today. I had thought Canola oil, which I use was okay, but am hearing more warnings about corn oil, vegetable oil, and many others.2- Blueberries. These are the fruit of choice as they pack anti-oxidants and many other nutrients. 3- Broccoli. Loaded with fiber and vitamins, the author recommends broccoli sprouts that contain even higher levels of nutrients.4- Leafy greens- the darker the better- stay away from Iceberg lettuce.5- Avocado- Full of potassium and fiber, these fruit can lower cholesterol6- Fresh salmon- (and many healthy fish varieties) A great source of Omega 3's, vitamins and protein.7- Grass fed beef- this type of beef has protein, vitamins and anti-oxidants, but cows from feedlots that don't eat natural foods like grass lack nutrients and have more unhealthy fats.8- Eggs- One of the few on this list I've been eating regularly. Good for you, especially the yolk which the author advises you eat.9- Almonds- most nuts have helpful nutrients, but the author recommends almonds, and not roasted ones.10- Dark chocolate- bitter in taste but full of beneficial flavanoids. East regularly but sparingly.I know that the standard American diet is mostly garbage, and that over half of the nation is obese. Even the folks who are not obese could be suffering from inflammation and at risk for dementia later on. It's just very, very hard to change old habits. Books like this need to keep coming until our consciousness gets better about the difference between what's tasty and what's good for us.

Well written summary of all the information on diet and health floating around in the last few years. The author’s conversational style made this an especially enjoyable book. His 10 Genius foods hook was a great way to simplify all the science. I also like how he acknowledged that there is good stress as well as bad stress. Stress is how we grow, in many cases.Living with a family member with dementia can make broccoli very palatable.

This has been the year of reading books on eating healthy. How can so many doctors totally disagree with each other?While Max Lugavere falls into the low carb camp at least he is not a hard line zealot. Also, he is not a doctor (didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express while writing) maybe he realized he is not infallible.I enjoyed his journey of how and why he got to his decisions. Sometimes staying in the middle of the road allows you the flexibility to change when science has updated its beliefs.

The best and overall greatest book about cerebral nutrition. A compelling way to deliver, I really suggest that everyone should read this book.

Finally a thorough synthesis of all the confusing health advice we're constantly bombarded with.In the same way that I don't believe people are good or bad (we're not children, we should be able to formulate more fine grained opinions), I don't believe in foods being healthy or unhealthy.Don't patronize me with 'unhealthy', what I always want to know is what effect any food has on my body - short and long term -, and allow me the choice of favoring one over the other at any point.This book does exactly that.I've been doing low-carb Keto for the past few months and had already benefited from many of the promised health effects (better digestion, lower pulse, less inflammation, lack of hunger).The book extends these dietary patterns with low-sugar fruits, post-workout low-fat carbs, fiber-rich low-carb vegetables, and provides a solid foundation for all of his recommendations, explaining the context (i.e. how the body reacts to them and to the alternatives) and the basis for his conclusions, while promoting an open mind about this shaky field of "nutrition-science".It dispells common misunderstandings about 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol (dietary cholesterol doesn't actually affect blood levels, cholesterol is the fire truck that's blamed for the fire), about burning carbs (regular consumption of processed grains prohibits fat burning and is aiding its deposit), the driving forces of the food industry (they want you to eat breakfast), about the effectiveness of cardio exercise (high-intensity long-duration exercises are detremental to our heart, joints and mind) about different fats (instead of cheap seed oils, look for coconut or extra virgin olive oil; fats are essential for our health, but shouldn't be consumed *with* carbs), that health is about separate components ("x is healthy since it doesn't have saturated fat" doesn't make sense, the body reacts better to the whole package, i.e. the way people have been eating for millenia, it's what the body learned to handle, it's not about whether it has vitamin E, but how the body reacts to the whole bundle), the effects of small stressors to the body (uniformity doesn't prepare us for handling change), etc.The book is written in a very motivating, easily digestable (pun intended) way, instead of shaming consumers ("don't eat any sugar, bread or pasta"), it excites about the healthier alternatives. ("you can consume these meats, these vegetables, these fruits, preferably this often and it will have this affect on your mind and body").I won't shut up about this book for a while.

The author writes a very informative and motivational narrative on the foods we need to eat to keep a healthy mind and body. Although I knew extra virgin olive oil, avocados, blueberries, wild salmon, dark leafy greens, eggs, grass-fed beef, dark chocolate and almonds were good for you his explanations made total sense. I have a huge sweet tooth but he has convinced me to change my ways. I truly hope this will be a life style change for me.

Genius Foods is not your typical food or diet book as the precedent is protecting your brain when ageing, with the motivation being the author’s mother suffering from Alzheimer’s, and asking the question: Can we prevent this through our diet?The premise is interesting to me as we do have Alzheimer’s in our family, and it is an interesting subject in general. I found it overall to be very informative and I’ve already made some small changes in how I approach food.But, as with any of these, don’t ever take any advice concerning nutrition at face value. The book holds a few controversial opinions, and research that he did might not apply to what you have locally available, or might not just work out for you personally. At one point very late into the book, he suggests getting a trash bag and throwing a very large amount of supposedly bad food in there (including pasta, bread) which I wasn’t personally a fan of. I mean, suggest that you think twice about buying them, but don’t advocate for throwing them away?It’s not all about food though - there is a lot of focus on brain health in general, so he also explains the benefits of good sleep and exercise, and how to get the most out of them.It is overall very informative, and it encourages you to be more aware of where your food comes from and what’s in it. I liked the book when it was just informative, and less so when it was very specific in what you should be doing diet wise. The first 75% of the book works very nice as a reference, and that was great, but in the last half it becomes very “this diet is best” and “you should be doing this” while I would have liked to draw my own conclusions from the information I was given earlier on.The book also includes meal plans, but I didn’t really like that aspect of it. It’s great to get ideas from it, but following those to a T will become boring very quickly. I get that they’re meant to give you ideas though.Even though the author says it’s not, I do see it more as a reference book, with your own research from good sources as a backup. Even if there are conclusions that I don’t agree with, at the very least it’s made me more aware of what I choose to consume and, yes, be sure to eat those veggies!

Very detailed and interesting.

“Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life” provides a solid pathway to improved brain power and overall health. Very evidence-based eating suggestions backed by notable scientists and successful authors who also wrote anti-wheat, low carb diet bestsellers. An enthusiastic writing style crammed with non-technical explanations of all the studies that back-up its eating suggestions. Genius Foods recommends a diet WITH oils and fats (extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed tallow and organic or grass-fed butter and glee, avocado oil, coconut oil), proteins (grass fed and free-range meats, wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, shell fish and molluscs, etc.), nuts and seeds (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, etc.), vegetables (mixed greens, kale, spinach, etc.), non-starchy root vegetables (beets, carrots radishes, etc.), low-sugar fruits (avocados, coconut, olives, blueberries, etc.), herbs, seasonings, and condiments (parsley rosemary, thyme, etc.) fermented organic soy (natto, miso, tempeh, etc.), dart chocolate (ideally 85% or higher cocoa content), and beverages (filtered water, coffee, tea, unsweetened almond milk, etc.). Genius Food also recommends a combination or aerobic and non-aerobic exercise, stress reduction methods, and a minimum of 8 hours sleep per night. The top ten genius food recommendations are: extra virgin olive oil, avocados, blueberries, dark chocolate, eggs, grass-fed beef, dark leafy greens, broccoli, wild salmon, and almonds. Genius Foods recommends a diet WITHOUT any refined process carbohydrates (chips, cookies, oatmeal, cereal, muffins, doughnuts, pancakes, energy bars, candy, ice cream, ketchup, commercial salad dressing, juices, sports drinks, soft drinks/soda, frozen food, etc.), all sources of wheat and glutton (bread, pasta, noodles, soy sauce, etc.), industrial grade emulsifiers (coffee creamers, nut milks, salad dressing, etc.), industrial and processed meats and cheeses (grain-fed meat, feedlot chicken, processed cheese), all concentrated sweeteners (margarines, cooking sprays, many types of cooking oils, etc.), non-organic not-fermented soy products (tofu), synthetic sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, sucrose, etc.), and many beverages (fruit juice, soda (diet and regular) and commercial fruit smoothies). The best things about the book are the clear explanations, the volume and breadth of the material, the extensive back-up of each suggestion with scientific/medical research, highlighting of areas where more research is desirable, the additional resources suggested, and the notes (which point to the original research findings). The things that detract from the book are its organization and summary. The book has lots of great material, but some sections (one each for the 10 Genius Foods) are scattered around randomly, and the sections about important related non-diet areas (sleep, exercise, stress reduction, etc.) are randomly hidden within various chapters. The summery is not comprehensive, and also includes some ideas not mentioned elsewhere. I enjoyed Genius Foods and based on the well documented, research based suggestions, I would like to have rated it five-stars. However, due to its’ slightly lax organization and summary I’ll reluctantly knock it down to four-stars.

I regard this book as the best resource I’ve found for beneficial information concerning dieting and other health matters. The book led me to make various changes in my eating, drinking, and other lifestyles. Information on how best to conduct one’s dietary habits is always undergoing modification as new knowledge is acquired by doctors, nutritionists, and scientific researchers. However, with the current state of scientific information regarding healthful living, this book provides tremendously important relevant information. I even began eating, on a daily basis, some of the “genius foods” listed in the book – including dark chocolate and avocados. I give Max Lugavere’s book high marks regarding beneficial input on how best to avert, or delay as much as possible, cognitive declines with advancing age.

I greatly enjoyed this book. Most of the genius foods I already knew, but this book put them into a new perspective that resonated even deeper for me. For example I have a deeper understanding of the dangers of using Vegetable/Canola oil and a new found desire to only use extra virgin olive oil. My favorite chapter is the last chapter because it really brought the whole book together and showed the practicality of all the genius foods without being restrictive to your life. I like how flexible this way of eating is, its not a restrictive diet but more of some guidelines on what foods to eat in order to improve and maintain a healthy brain.

So many times the media will take a small part of a study and write headlines proclaiming that this food and that food are now unhealthy. It's confusing and not correct.This book really delves into the science that we currently have today around eating. And it makes a good case for eating as described in the book. I've been meaning to eat more fish for years and am now very much motivated to do so! Also looking into IF and lowering my carb intake. Why? Read the book for the details, it better for body and your brain.