“The Better Brain promises safer and more effective ways to prevent and treat mental and emotional disorders and suggests simple, practical steps that all of us can take to optimize brain health."     -from the foreword by Andrew Weil, MD, New York Times bestselling author     “The Better Brain is one of the most important books of the year, with the potential to create a paradigm shift in our well being. Drs. Kaplan and Rucklidge, pioneers in nutrition and mental health, brilliantly lead us to a clear new scientific understanding of how what we eat shapes our brain metabolism and our emotional well being, and for some, how our lives depends on it." -Elissa Epel, PhD, Professor, Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, UCSF, co-author of New York Times bestseller The Telomere Effect     “A model of good science writing, The Better Brain makes a compelling case that nutrition—eating healthy foods and, at times, adding in micronutrient supplements—can chase away many psychiatric ills. This should not be a surprise, and yet, in our drug-centered medical world, it serves as a radical call for societal change. The book offers a prescription for emotional wellness that should be a first-line treatment for us all.”  -Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic     “Our mental health rests upon the foundation of neuroplasticity and epigenetics. Healthy food and proper nutrition are the most reliable and powerful tools we possess to build that foundation. The Better Brain is a comprehensive road map for healing using these natural methods. Reclaim your mental health, buy this book!  -Scott Shannon, MD, integrative psychiatrist and author of Mental Health for the Whole Child     “The science of nutrition is making rapid advances, particularly in how we understand brain function. Bonnie Kaplan and Julia Rucklidge, two pioneering research scientists, have written this book that will lead you to think differently about your body, your health, and yourself.”  -Charles Popper, MD, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School   “The time has come for a full overhaul of our psychiatric treatments from the ground up. Nutritional psychiatry is a major step in the right direction. Nutritional intervention is an effective tool all practitioners should know about. This book is a great place to start, from two of the foremost researchers in the field.” -Will Van Derveer, MD, founder, Integrative Psychiatry Centers and Integrative Psychiatry Institute

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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. 

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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.
   

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Introduction

Finding Answers in Nutrition, Not the Pharmacy THERE IS AN ENORMOUS crisis in America right now. Not just an economic crisis or an obesity crisis or an opioid crisis. A mental health crisis.
     Currently, one person in every five has some form of mental health issue. This is incredibly disturbing, because a mental health challenge in one individual affects an entire family, which means that the number affected is much higher.
     Yet for over fifty years, modern medicine has been trying—mostly unsuccessfully—to treat mental disorders with pharmaceuticals. For example:

1. All indicators across all Western countries show that mood and anxiety disorders have not decreased over the last few decades—actually, they’ve gone way up—despite substantial increases in the prescriptions of medications, particularly antidepressants. Right now about 40 million Americans take some kind of psychiatric medication: that’s equivalent to about one in six adults. According to an article published in the New York Times on April 7, 2018, 15.5 million Americans have been taking antidepressants in particular for at least five years. This rate has almost doubled since 2010, and more than tripled since 2000.
2. Despite an ever-increasing use of antidepressants, recovery rates and relapse rates aren’t any better now than they were fifty years ago before the advent of medications.
3. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), suicide rates in the United States have increased steadily from 2000 to 2016. Conventional treatment helps …