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The Better Brain

Overcome Anxiety, Combat Depression, and Reduce ADHD and Stress with Nutrition

9780358447108

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Available: 04/20/21
6.17 x 9.24 · 368 pages
9780358447108
CDN $40.00 · cl

 Canadian Title

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Bonnie J. Kaplan, Ph.D and Julia J. Rucklidge, Ph. D

foreword by Andrew T. Weil


A paradigm-shifting approach to treating mental disorders like anxiety, depression, and ADHD with food and nutrients, based on the original, groundbreaking research of two leading scientists.

We are in the midst of a mental health crisis. An estimated one in five American adults suffer from some form of mental illness. Despite the billions of dollars spent in pharmaceutical research and the rising popularity of antidepressant drugs, we are more depressed and anxious than ever before.

What if we're looking for solutions in the wrong places? What if instead of treating mental illness with prescriptions and medication, we changed what we eat and how we feed our brains?

Leading scientists Bonnie Kaplan, PhD and Julia Rucklidge, PhD have dedicated their lives to studying the role of nutrition in mental health. Together, they have published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, many of which reveal the healing power of nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals, and the surprising role they play in brain health.

In this paradigm-shifting book, Kaplan and Rucklidge share their groundbreaking research, explaining how to feed your brain to stabilize your mood, stave off depression, and make yourself more resilient to daily stress. The Better Brain uncovers the hidden causes of the rising rates of depression and anxiety, from the decrease of nutrients in our soil to our over-reliance on processed food, and provides a comprehensive program for better brain health, featuring

• The ideal diet for your brain: a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
• More than 30 delicious, mood-boosting recipes.
• Crucial advice on when to supplement and how.



The Better Brain is your complete guide to a happier, healthier brain.


BONNIE J. KAPLAN, PhD, is a professor emerita in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She has published widely on the biological basis of developmental disorders and mental health, especially on the contribution of nutrition to brain development and brain function. Kaplan has over 180 peer-reviewed publications and textbook contributions, and many more invited lectures. In 2018, for Canada's 150th birthday, she was named one of the country's top 150 Difference Makers in Mental Health. In 2019, she was awarded the prestigious Dr. Rogers Prize, a national award given every two years in Canada for research or clinical work in complementary, alternative, integrative health. She lives in Calgary, Canada.

JULIA J. RUCKLIDGE, PhD, is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Over the last decade, she has been running clinical trials investigating the role of broad-spectrum micronutrients in the treatment of mental illness, specifically ADHD, mood disorders, addictions, anxiety and stress associated with traumatic events. Rucklidge has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and textbook contributions. She is regularly featured in the media across social media, newspaper, radio, and TV and has given over 150 invited talks across the world on her work on nutrition and mental health. She was named one of the top 100 Most Influential Women in New Zealand in 2018. Her 2014 TEDx talk has been viewed over 2.1 million times. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Andrew Weil, M.D., has degrees in biology and medicine from Harvard University. Author of the best-selling Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, he traveled the world experiencing and studying healers and healing systems and has earned an international reputation as an expert on alternative medicine, mind-body interactions, and medical botany. He is the associate director of the Division of Social Perspectives in Medicine and the director of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson.