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kchin's review against another edition
2.0
There are values to this book, I'm just not the right audience. It's a good reminder of important things in life.
sabinehunter's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
festive_fossil's review
I didn't find that this book provided any great insights that I wasn't already aware of. Much of the advice about using technology/social media less, being outside in nature more, diet, etc., was not groundbreaking. I also very much disagree with some of the Drs. Perlmutter's recommendations, so I decided I didn't need to finish this one. Could still be of interest to others.
laffingkat's review
4.0
Doctors David and Austin Perlmutter claim to have “found a powerful way to reframe and reclaim our potential for exceptional physical and mental health.” The introduction opens with some very inspirational descriptions of the optimal state of wellness that they believe is possible for each of us.
The first part of the book provides some simple explanation of how the brain works and describes the problems that are keeping us from this optimal state of health, what the authors refer to as “disconnection syndrome.” The authors discuss relevant scientific literature and provide some deeply disturbing statistics while maintaining an encouraging, optimistic tone. I also appreciated their acknowledgment that much of the literature indicates correlation but not necessarily causation, and that studies of lab animals may not be fully applicable in humans. I felt like they had a very balanced approach.
Part 2 describes the authors’ proposed solution. They discuss conducting a digital detox, practicing empathy and gratitude, spending time in nature, following the low-carb Brain Wash food protocol, getting good sleep, exercising, meditating, and strengthening social bonds. They present a 10-day boot camp to implement these changes, including 40 recipes that follow the Brain Wash protocol.
I found this book interesting, inspiring, and easy to understand. I like the authors’ suggested plan, but I think trying to implement these changes in 10 days will be very challenging for most people. It’s about an hour a day of activities, plus a time-consuming diet and a commitment to get at least 7 hours a night of quality sleep. I prefer slow, incremental change to these boot camp challenges.
I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. They seem interesting and healthy and generally use commonly available ingredients, but many look difficult for a beginning cook or someone dealing with significant fatigue or concentration issues. Some also require equipment that not everyone will have access to (food processor, high-power blender, double boiler). I’m deeply suspicious of the estimates of time required. Considering that the food plan states to treat meat as a condiment (if you eat it at all) and to eat more plants, I was surprised that all but two of the main dishes focused on meat or fish. Also, they don’t provide nutrition information if that’s important to you.
The book includes extensive notes by chapter listing many scientific papers and other references. Additional information and resources are available at https://brainwashbook.com/, most of which are accessible without any signup.
While the implementation may be a challenge, overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their physical and mental health. Some of it will likely be review if you read much about lifestyle medicine, but I enjoyed the presentation and learned some new information that I found helpful.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
The first part of the book provides some simple explanation of how the brain works and describes the problems that are keeping us from this optimal state of health, what the authors refer to as “disconnection syndrome.” The authors discuss relevant scientific literature and provide some deeply disturbing statistics while maintaining an encouraging, optimistic tone. I also appreciated their acknowledgment that much of the literature indicates correlation but not necessarily causation, and that studies of lab animals may not be fully applicable in humans. I felt like they had a very balanced approach.
Part 2 describes the authors’ proposed solution. They discuss conducting a digital detox, practicing empathy and gratitude, spending time in nature, following the low-carb Brain Wash food protocol, getting good sleep, exercising, meditating, and strengthening social bonds. They present a 10-day boot camp to implement these changes, including 40 recipes that follow the Brain Wash protocol.
I found this book interesting, inspiring, and easy to understand. I like the authors’ suggested plan, but I think trying to implement these changes in 10 days will be very challenging for most people. It’s about an hour a day of activities, plus a time-consuming diet and a commitment to get at least 7 hours a night of quality sleep. I prefer slow, incremental change to these boot camp challenges.
I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. They seem interesting and healthy and generally use commonly available ingredients, but many look difficult for a beginning cook or someone dealing with significant fatigue or concentration issues. Some also require equipment that not everyone will have access to (food processor, high-power blender, double boiler). I’m deeply suspicious of the estimates of time required. Considering that the food plan states to treat meat as a condiment (if you eat it at all) and to eat more plants, I was surprised that all but two of the main dishes focused on meat or fish. Also, they don’t provide nutrition information if that’s important to you.
The book includes extensive notes by chapter listing many scientific papers and other references. Additional information and resources are available at https://brainwashbook.com/, most of which are accessible without any signup.
While the implementation may be a challenge, overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their physical and mental health. Some of it will likely be review if you read much about lifestyle medicine, but I enjoyed the presentation and learned some new information that I found helpful.
I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
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