The brain doesn't need "brain superfoods" or special supplements. Instead, it requires the same essential nutrients as the rest of the body.
Proper brain health involves protecting the brain from damaging ingredients (subtraction from the diet), rather than solely adding special foods.
The brain needs to be properly energised with the right types of fuel for optimal function, aligning with evolutionary biology.
The Most Harmful Foods in the Modern Diet
Refined Carbohydrates (Sugars, Flours, Cereal Products, Fruit Juice):
These are "naked carbohydrates" that turn instantly into glucose in the bloodstream, causing unnatural, steep spikes (a "tsunami of glucose") that the body is not evolutionarily designed to handle.
Excess glucose "sticks" to proteins, DNA, and fats, forming Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which are major drivers of premature aging in tissues, including the brain.
Glucose spikes trigger insulin spikes, which turn off fat burning, preventing the body from accessing stored energy and making weight loss difficult.
High glucose levels cause neurons to slow down, leading to a sluggish nervous system, brain fog, depression, and reduced mental clarity/stamina.
Chronic glucose spikes in the blood lead to high brain glucose, which triggers a continuous, uncontrolled inflammatory response and oxidative stress within the brain, damaging neurotransmitter systems, hormone systems, the hippocampus (learning and memory center), and the blood-brain barrier.
Refined/Factory Fats (Seed Oils):
These oils are extracted from seeds through industrial processing involving high pressure, heat, and explosive solvents, making them unnatural and unhealthy despite their plant origin.
They are unnaturally high in linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), with current diets containing three to six times the amount of linoleic acid found in ancestral diets.
When the brain burns linoleic acid for energy (which it absorbs well), it generates significantly more inflammation and oxidative stress compared to its preferred fuels (glucose or ketones), as it's not equipped to handle such long molecules.
The argument that linoleic acid is an "essential fatty acid" is disputed, as the body can obtain the necessary arachidonic acid from animal fats.
Alcohol:
Alcohol is a toxic, addictive liquid that causes tremendous oxidative stress and inflammation throughout the body and brain, capable of destroying every organ.
The notion that red wine is "heart healthy" or beneficial for the brain is a myth originating from observational studies and wishful thinking, not rigorous clinical trials. The small amount of resveratrol in wine cannot counteract the powerful pro-oxidant effects of alcohol.
Dr. Ede advises honesty about alcohol's risks and encourages individuals to explore their personal relationship with it, potentially through a 30-day elimination trial.
Eric Kaufmann is a Canadian professor of politics. Following two decades at Birkbeck, University of London, he is now based at the University of Buckingham. He is Director of the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, a countercultural research centre. He is the author of several books including, most recently, ‘Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution’.
The Sacredness of Marginalized Identities and the "Anti-Racism Taboo"
The central argument is that a "sacredness" around race, which has stretched to gender and sexuality, emerged in the mid-1960s in the US, forming the "Big Bang" of our moral universe. This sacredness is the defining feature of "woke" ideology.
An "anti-racism taboo" emerged, which, while starting from a good norm against racism, became unbounded, evoking a disgust reaction. This means that the definition of "racism" can be stretched to include seemingly innocuous actions like mispronouncing a surname, everyone being white on a hike, or saying "Anyone Can Make It in America".
Defining "Sacredness": Making something sacred means it becomes an object of devotion. Any speech or action perceived as offending these "gods" (historically marginalized groups) leads to excommunication, or "cancellation" – being fired, shunned, or having one's reputation smeared. This explains the disproportionate and black-and-white reactions, lacking the nuance and proportionality found in law.
This "Kryptonite" power of sacredness has spread to other identity groups (feminists, LGBTQ+ movements) who want to wield it. Attempts to apply it to "fatness" or "deafness" were less successful.
The Role of "White Guilt" and Liberalism's Evolution
"White guilt" is considered absolutely central to this phenomenon. Shelby Steele argued that the mid-60s saw a sudden shift in moral and cultural authority from White America to Black America, leading to white people deferring and virtue signalling to demonstrate they are "not one of the bad white people". Affirmative action, according to Steele, is primarily a virtue signal, not genuinely about helping black people.
Burnout is a state of chronic unmanaged stress that accumulates insidiously over days, weeks, months, and often years, rather than happening overnight.
It is a common complaint, with many individuals feeling "knackered" and struggling with daily life, often mistakenly attributing their fatigue to laziness or a lack of willpower or motivation.
While some stress is beneficial for performance (e.g., sharpening the brain, improving memory and focus), burnout occurs when there isn't sufficient time to recover and reset, causing the nervous system to change its "shape," much like an elastic band that loses its ability to return to its original form after being repeatedly pulled.
Burnout often steals one's autonomy, leading to a feeling of learned helplessness.
The Seven Signs of Burnout
Disconnection: A tendency to withdraw from friends, family, and colleagues, preferring solitude. Scientific research indicates that feelings of loneliness are as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, triggering a stress response in the body due to perceiving isolation as a threat.
Emotional Exhaustion: Small things becoming irritating or agitating (e.g., a simple request from a partner), along with increased cynicism about the world and others. This can also manifest as little outbursts of anger, often directed at loved ones at home after maintaining professionalism at work.
Physical Exhaustion: A debilitating lack of energy for work, hobbies, friends, or family. This often presents as feeling "tired and wired" – exhausted but with a racing mind that prevents sleep. Other symptoms include brain fog (haziness in thinking) and a loss of self-awareness, leading individuals to double down on the very behaviours that caused burnout.
Procrastination: Repeatedly delaying tasks and struggling with decision-making, weighing too many options without taking action.
Neglect of Self-Care: A decline in healthy food choices (more takeaways, comfort eating, late-night snacking), reduced physical activity, and even neglecting basic hygiene like showering or shaving. This ironically occurs when self-care is most needed, reinforcing a vicious cycle.
Inability to Gain Pleasure (Anhedonia): Losing enjoyment from activities that were once pleasurable, leading to a desire to stay in bed and a feeling of dullness. This is a common precursor to burnout.
Lack of Creativity: An inability to think of new ideas, solve problems, or navigate simple everyday challenges, impacting both work and home life.
Dr. Darren Candow, a leading researcher in creatine, highlights that while creatine is typically associated with muscle, new research is exploring its role in brain health, mood, anxiety, and depression.
Creatine is increasingly viewed not just as an ergogenic aid, but also as a recovery aid and an overall health aspect, with benefits observed across muscle, bone, and brain.
Impact on Mood and Mental Health
The theory suggests that conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD may decrease brain creatine stores, as the brain is highly bioenergetic and consumes a significant amount of creatine.
Creatine supplementation may help to offset negative effects or decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
While promising, current human studies in this area are emerging and primarily involve individuals already on medication; there haven't been studies yet looking at creatine alone for decreasing depression or anxiety symptoms in humans.
There is good evidence from rodent models supporting these benefits.