Experimenting with Diet - The Grain Brain Diet (Part I)

Late one night, as I flipped through the TV channels, I saw a program on NPR called Grain Brain.   The speaker was a neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter who advocates a diet devoid of gluten, carbohydrates, and sugars and high in cholesterol and certain kinds of fats as preventative measures and/or treatment for a variety of neurological diseases (including but not limited to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Dementia).  A portion of his advocacy - dietary restriction - is based on scientific research that shows that the brains of patients with neurological disease show increased markers of inflammation specifically attributable to two sources - gluten and sugar (including simple carbohydrates).  The remaining portion of his advocacy - dietary inclusion and supplementation - is based on research showing that fats and cholesterol are key elements to maintaining excellent brain health and low inflammation.  The overall effect of the diet puts the body into a ketogenic state, where the body transitions from burning glucose for energy to burning fat for energy.

I tried the Grain Brain diet about a year ago while in the midst of horrible nausea.  The experience was fairly difficult and with mixed results.  For starters, eggs, nuts, and dairy - three key components of the grain brain diet - were on my do not eat list.  Without these items, the available fats were severely limited - ultimately leading to me to unconventional and unappealing methods of obtaining fats (e.g. eat coconut oil straight from the jar).  After a few days of fatigue and starvation, I ultimately added nuts into my diet, which propped up my energy level and kept me satiated but added new digestive distress.  I maintained the Grain Brain diet for two months before adding grains back.

Ultimately, I lost about twenty pounds over that span - a great success - but without improvement in the nausea (which I ultimately tracked down to a side effect of the Flexoril that I was taking at the time) or other tangible benefits.  My takeaway from the diet from this experience was ultimately indiscernible (as my existing nausea may have skewed the weight loss or prevented realization of other benefits)...which is why I jumped on the chance to joint my wife in the diet last week.  As this experiment is not yet completed, I reserve ultimate judgement for another post.  More to come in Part II.  

The theories of the Grain Brain Diet are fascinating.  My father, a physician, looked into the medical community's perspective on the Grain Brain theories and ultimately noted that treatment of neurological diseases (with the exception of epilepsy) through these methods has not provided consistent results. That is not to say that they have not provided inconsistent results - meaning they may be applicable to a certain percentage of the population.  If you are interested in the Grain Brain diet, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Grain Brain.