This book is a guide to attaining optimal brain function with
the pleasant side effect of minimizing dementia risk all
according to the latest science.
Maybe you’re looking to hit the reset button on your
mental agility, to clear the cache, so to speak. Perhaps
you’re hoping to increase productivity and gain a leg up on
your competition. Maybe you’re one of the millions of
people around the globe battling brain fog. Or depression.
Or an inability to cope with stress. Perhaps you have a loved
one suffering from dementia or cognitive decline and are
fearful for them, or of succumbing to the same fate. No
matter what led you to pick up Genius Foods, you’re in the
right place.
This book is an attempt to uncover the facts and propose
new unifying principles to counter our collective modern
malaise. You’ll learn about the foods that have become
casualties of the modern world—raw materials to build your
best brain yet, replaced by the biological equivalent of
cheap particleboard. Every chapter delves into the precise
elements of optimal brain function—from your precious cell
membranes, to your vascular system, to the health of your
gut—all through the lens of what matters most: your brain.
Each chapter is followed by a “Genius Food,” containing
many of the beneficial elements discussed in the
surrounding text. These foods will serve as your weapons
against cognitive mediocrity and decay—eat them, and eat
them often. Later in the book, I’ll detail the optimal Genius
Lifestyle, culminating in the Genius Plan.
I’ve written this three-part book to be read cover to
cover, but feel free to treat it as a reference and skip from
chapter to chapter. And don’t be afraid to take notes in the
margins or highlight key points (this is often how I read!).
Throughout, you’ll also find insights and “Doctor’s
Notes” highlighting my friend and colleague Dr. Paul
Grewal’s clinical and personal experience with many of the
topics we’ll cover. Dr. Paul has had his own challenges,
having gone through medical school with what is now
familiar to many in the Western world: obesity. Desperate to
find a solution to his weight challenges, he ventured out to
learn everything he could about nutrition and exercise—
topics that are unfortunately all but ignored by med school
curricula. The truths he discovered resulted in his shedding
a dramatic one hundred pounds in less than a year, for good
—and he’ll be sharing these lessons on exercise and
nutrition in the pages that follow.
Science is always unfinished business; it’s a method of
finding things out, not an infallible measure of truth.
Throughout this book, we’ll use our understanding of the
best available evidence, while taking into account that not
everything can be measured by a science experiment.
Sometimes observation and clinical practice are the best
evidence we have, and the ultimate determinant of health is
h o w you respond to a given change. We take an
evolutionary approach: we hold the position that the less
time a food product or medicine or supplement has been
around, the higher the burden of proof for it to be included
in what we consider a healthful diet and lifestyle. We call
this “Guilty until Proven Innocent” (see the section on
polyunsaturated seed oils in chapter 2 as an example).
Personally, I started this journey from a blank slate,
following the evidence wherever it took me. I’ve used my
lack of preconceived notions to my advantage, to keep an
objective distance from the subject and ensure that I’ve
never missed the forest for the trees. Thus, you will see a
linking of disciplines that may not be connected in other
books of this genre, e.g., metabolism and heart health, heart
health and brain health, brain health and how you actually
feel. We believe that bridging these divides holds the keys to
the cognitive kingdom.
Finally, we know that there are genetic differences
between individuals, as well as differences in our health and
fitness levels, that will determine things like carbohydrate
tolerance and response to exercise. We’ve found the broadly
applicable common denominators that will benefit everyone
and have included sidebars with guidance on how to
customize our recommendations to your own biology.
My hope is that when you finish reading Genius Foods,
you’ll understand your brain in a new way, as something
able to be “tuned up” like a bicycle. You’ll see food anew—
as software, able to bring your brain back online and run
your endlessly capable mind. You’ll learn where to find the
nutrients that can actually help you to remember things
better and give you a greater sense of energy. You’ll see
that actually slowing the aging process (including cognitive
aging) is just as much about the foods you omit from your
diet as those you choose to consume, as well as when and
how you consume them. I’ll also share with you the food
that may shave more than a decade off of the biological age
of your brain.
I have to be honest—I’m so excited for you to begin this
journey with me. Not only will you begin feeling your best
within two weeks, you’ll be fulfilling my hidden agenda—
and perhaps my one true goal for you: to make use of the
latest and best available evidence so that you might avoid
what my mom and I have experienced. We deserve better
brains—and the secret lies in our food.
