Book Review

Brain-Building Nutrition: The Healing Powers of Fats and Oils
by Michael A. Schmidt
Review by Jake Aryeh Marcus

More and more we read about the desperate need our bodies have for essential fatty acids and many of us have spent hours in the aisles of our health food store reading the labels of Omega-6 and Omega-3 supplements. If we are successful in getting the minimum information we need, we soon find that our diets probably contain at least enough or perhaps too much Omega 6 but are woefully short on Omega 3. Sometimes we manage to learn that not only are the amounts of these fatty acids crucial but also the balance in which we keep them. Often by the time we discover that Omega 3 fatty acids are virtually unavailable in food, we are ready to pull out our hair.

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Author Michael A. Schmidt has spent a substantial portion of his adult life studying fats and oils, as well as the ways in which the human body (particularly the brain) malfunctions when different fats and oils are eaten in the wrong balance. A long list of once mysterious brain dysfunction has been linked to fats and oils, including depression, Alzheimer's disease, behavior "disorders" of all kinds, and cerebral palsy. Fats and oils have also been linked to other illnesses like eczema.

Be prepared - Brain-Building Nutrition is not an easy read. While Schmidt works hard at explaining very complex brain chemistry, it is still difficult to absorb since there are so many different chemicals and interactions to keep track of. This is an important book, but one that must be read with a highlighter and a good supply of post-its. Thankfully, in addition to well organized sections, Schmidt includes a section of frequently asked questions, appendices containing (among other things) the breakdown of fats and oils in common foods, references, and an index.

Making it through the book, even if some sections will need to be reread, is important. Fats and oils have been sadly misunderstood and could hold the key to a wide array of dysfunction, including many conditions doctors have been treating invasively for years. Reading Brain-Building Nutrition is particularly important for parents so that we may both ensure proper brain development in our children but also so that we may be prepared for the increasingly common misdiagnosis of so-called "ADHD."

Bring your post-its and spend the time. This book could substantially improve your health.

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Jake Aryeh Marcus is a lawyer, freelance writer and editor, and work-at-home mom to unschooling sons Luca, Nicky, and Aidan. Jake's writing has appeared in The Compleat Mother, The Family Life Journal, and elsewhere. Jake and her family live in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

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