"Stop Decline Before It's Too Late" - Most Harmful Foods Causing Disease & Weight Gain | Georgia Ede

In her new book, psychiatrist Georgia Ede challenges conventional dietary wisdom, asserting that most people have been misinformed about what constitutes a brain-healthy diet. Ede argues that brain health is less about adding "superfoods" and more about eliminating harmful ingredients like refined carbohydrates, refined oils, alcohol, grains, and legumes. Drawing from her own clinical experience and personal health journey, she emphasizes the significant mental health improvements that can result from dietary changes. Ede's holistic approach, which includes ketogenic diets, aims to address chronic mental health issues more effectively than traditional psychiatric medications.

• The brain needs essential nutrients, protection from damaging ingredients, and proper energization.
• Traditional messages about brain health focus too much on adding special foods and supplements rather than removing harmful elements.
• Nutritional changes can significantly improve brain function and mental health.

"If you give the brain what it needs, the right nutrients, and you remove the things that can damage the brain from the diet and you energize it properly, then you stand out of the way, the brain will... evolutionary biology will do the rest."

• Proper nutrition can lead to improved brain function and mental health by meeting the brain's nutrient needs and removing harmful elements from the diet.

• Medical education traditionally lacks focus on the relationship between diet and brain health.
• Many physicians discover the importance of nutrition through personal health challenges and self-study.

"Four years of college, four years of medical school, four years of residency, we didn't talk about food and the brain once in all of that time."

• Medical education often overlooks the critical role of nutrition in brain health, leaving many physicians unaware of its importance until they encounter personal health issues.

• Over 1 billion people globally have a mental health diagnosis, with poor mental health becoming normalized.
• Changing diet can be a powerful intervention for mental health, often more effective than medication or psychotherapy.

"The dietary strategies that really make the most biological sense and have the most metabolic biochemical power are not the ones we're used to hearing about."

• Effective dietary changes for mental health are often different from common recommendations and can provide significant improvements.

• Refined carbohydrates, vegetable oils, alcohol, grains, and legumes are identified as harmful foods.
• These foods contribute to poor brain health by causing high blood sugar and other metabolic issues.

"Refined carbohydrates are essentially naked carbohydrates; they turn instantly into glucose in the bloodstream."

• Refined carbohydrates cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, leading to metabolic issues and poor brain health.

• High blood sugar leads to the formation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.
• Chronic high blood sugar destabilizes neurotransmitter and hormone systems, causing mental health issues.

"Every time you get a blood sugar spike in your general circulation... your brain sugar will also spike."

• High blood sugar leads to high brain sugar, causing inflammation and oxidative stress that destabilize brain function.

• Modern diets are drastically different from how humans have historically eaten.
• Returning to more natural, whole-food-based diets can significantly improve health.

"The diet we think of as normal is anything but, and the diet... how we're supposed to eat and how most of us eat, how different that is."

• Modern diets are far removed from our evolutionary norms, and returning to more natural diets can improve health.

• Making dietary changes can be challenging but is feasible with the right knowledge and motivation.
• Real-world results from dietary changes can provide the motivation needed to maintain healthier eating habits.

"It doesn't take long to experiment with your diet and see real results if you know which changes to make."

• Quick, noticeable improvements from dietary changes can motivate people to maintain healthier eating habits.

• The modern food environment is filled with ultra-processed, addictive, and convenient foods that are difficult to avoid.
• Despite these challenges, understanding and making the right dietary changes can lead to significant health improvements.

"We are... it's really an uphill battle for people. It's difficult... but I also want to say that there's a lot of hope here because... you can feel better really quickly."

• The modern food environment poses significant challenges, but understanding the right dietary changes can lead to quick and meaningful health improvements.

• The core idea is that diet improvement is more effective through subtraction than addition.
• Adding superfoods to a poor diet does not counteract the negative effects of unhealthy foods.
• Removing foods that cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance is crucial.

"The power is in subtraction, taking away the foods that are causing the inflammation and oxidative stress and insulin resistance in the first place."

• Removing harmful foods is a proactive strategy for better health.

"When you take those things so kind of a first do no harm strategy."

• Real, meaningful changes in diet are necessary for noticeable health improvements.

"If you want real noticeable meaningful change in your mental health and your physical health, you have to make real meaningful changes to your diet."

• A fundamental restructuring of diet from the ground up is required for significant health benefits.

"You have to fundamentally restructure your diet from the ground up in ways that make biological sense."

• Simply adding superfoods like blueberries to a sugary diet does not negate the negative effects of the sugar.

"The blueberries are not going to undo the big blood sugar spike from your cereal."

• Superfoods may have benefits, but they are insufficient to counteract the damage from unhealthy foods.

"Maybe the blueberries have got some benefits... but is it enough to undo the metabolic damage that has been unleashed on your system from the sugary cereal?"

• A holistic approach to diet change is necessary for significant health improvements.

"You can't just sprinkle superfoods on top or nibble at it around the edges by taking some of the sugary things out."

• Diet is one aspect of a comprehensive health strategy that includes physical activity, dealing with trauma, relationships, sleep, and stress management.

"Physical activity is important, dealing with trauma is important, relationships are important, sleep stress management."

• Psychiatric medications often do not address the root causes of mental health issues.

"Medications do not work for most people and they certainly do not get to the root cause."

• Psychiatric medications can have significant side effects, including metabolic dysfunction and increased risk of chronic diseases.

"The price that people pay for the relief that they may get is often tremendous, metabolic dysfunction and shortening of their life by many years."

• Refined carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels, leading to advanced glycation end products that age the brain and slow its functioning.

"Refined carbohydrates... raise the amount of glucose in our brain and if that is done continuously... can cause these advanced glycation end products can start to age us and it starts to slow down the functioning of our brain."

• Refined oils, or factory fats, are highly processed and contain unnaturally high levels of linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.

"Refined fats that come... from a whole food... require factory processing... there is nothing natural about soybean oil."

• High intake of linoleic acid is linked to increased inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.

"Linoleic acid... the brain absorbs linoleic acid quite well, but then... burns most of it for energy. That's not good."

• The brain prefers to burn small molecules like glucose or ketones for energy, not long molecules like linoleic acid.

"The brain is not designed to burn long molecules... you'll also get a lot more oxidative stress."

• The belief that red wine is good for brain health is based on observational studies and is not supported by clinical evidence.

"The origin of that idea comes from... observational or epidemiological studies... it was a theory perhaps even a wish."

• Alcohol is a toxic, addictive substance that causes oxidative stress and inflammation.

"This is a toxic addictive liquid that causes tremendous amounts of oxidative stress and inflammation in every organ in the body."

• Studies on Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, have not conclusively proven its benefits for brain health.

"There have been many studies of a molecule extracted from red wine called Resveratrol... trying to see whether or not it can improve brain health and protect the brain against dementia."

• Whole foods, whether plant or animal-based, are preferable to processed foods.
• Processed foods, including refined oils and carbohydrates, do not behave naturally in the body and can lead to health issues.

"When you extract molecules and concentrate them from any food... they no longer behave naturally in the body."

• Ancestral diets were low in linoleic acid, and modern diets high in this fatty acid may pose health risks.

"For sure was less linoleic acid going into their brains... the diets that we used to consume a long time ago they're just relatively low in linoleic acid."

• The precautionary principle suggests being cautious with foods that have not been part of the human diet for long.

"Whenever you look at the precautionary principle... if we haven't let's just be a little bit careful about bringing large amounts of that into our diet."

• Critics argue that linoleic acid is essential and vegetable oils are heart-healthy, but these points are contested.

"Linoleic is viewed as an essential fatty acid... vegetable oil is it's heart healthy... polyunsaturated fats are good for you saturated fats are bad for you."

• Whole food plant-based diets may be beneficial, but the benefits likely come from the whole foods rather than the plant-based aspect alone.

"All the benefits that have ever been demonstrated about a Whole Foods plant-based diet... may have only to do with the Whole Foods part rather than the plant-based part."

• Including vegetable oils in a whole foods plant-based diet is inconsistent with the principles of whole foods.

"How is vegetable oil a whole food? I can't square that circle."

• Alcohol, despite its inclusion in the Mediterranean diet, is not beneficial for brain health and is a source of oxidative stress and inflammation.

"This is a toxic addictive liquid that causes tremendous amounts of oxidative stress and inflammation in every organ in the body."

• The idea that red wine is beneficial comes from observational studies and wishful thinking rather than solid clinical evidence.

"The origin of that idea comes from... observational or epidemiological studies... it was a theory perhaps even a wish."

• Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, has not been conclusively proven to improve brain health in clinical studies.

"There have been many studies of a molecule extracted from red wine called Resveratrol... trying to see whether or not it can improve brain health and protect the brain against dementia."

• Removing harmful foods and adopting a whole foods-based diet is crucial for both mental and physical health.
• Processed foods, including refined carbohydrates and oils, contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress.
• Alcohol, despite its cultural acceptance, poses significant health risks.
• A comprehensive approach to health, including diet, physical activity, and mental well-being, is essential for long-term health improvements.

• Clinical trials have shown no significant health benefits from red wine.
• The amount of red wine needed to reach beneficial doses of Resveratrol is impractical (500 bottles a day).
• Red wine contains minimal Resveratrol and a high amount of alcohol, which promotes oxidative stress.

"The amount of red wine you would need to consume in one day to obtain the to reach even the lowest doses of Resveratrol used in clinical trials be 500 bottles a day."

• Consuming such vast quantities of red wine is impractical and unhealthy.

"One glass of P Noir has maybe a milligram of Resveratrol and that lonely milligram of Resveratrol is swimming in a sea of alcohol which is a powerful promoter of oxidative stress."

• The minimal Resveratrol in red wine is overshadowed by the oxidative stress caused by alcohol.

• The food and wine industries exploit consumer confusion to market products as healthy.
• Products often highlight beneficial compounds while downplaying harmful ingredients.

"Our confusion about these things works for them because they can then say oh I've got this you know 32 oun bottle of fruit juice that contains 32 grams of carbohydrate oh but it's also got these polyphenols in it that fight that that are powerful fighters of anti well 32 grams of sugar powerful promoter of oxidative stress and those polyphenols good luck absorbing them they do not work in the human body."

• Marketing strategies often obscure the harmful effects of products by emphasizing minor health benefits.

"Marketers are genius at this right so they're always saying what's not in something oh it doesn't have any cholesterol or it doesn't have any saturated fat or it doesn't have whatever it is that you know doesn't have any gluten or doesn't whatever it there but okay what does it have what does it have and so I want to know everything that's in there."

• It's crucial to consider the complete nutritional profile of a product, not just what it lacks.

• Whole foods do not require ingredient labels and are inherently healthier.
• Processed foods often contain harmful additives and lack nutritional value.

"Honestly the best way for people to avoid falling for these for this kind of smoke and mirrors tactics is to not eat things that need ingredient labels in the first place Whole Foods don't need an ingredient label."

• Whole foods are recognizable and simple, making them a healthier choice.

"Any kid can walk up to a stock of broccoli or an egg or a peach and say I know what that is it's got one ingredient this is what it is you can find it in in nature um that's a whole food."

• Whole foods are easy to identify and understand, reducing the risk of consuming unhealthy additives.

• Whole foods can be economical, especially when considering long-term health benefits.
• Even on a limited budget, it's possible to maintain a healthy diet by choosing nutrient-dense foods like eggs and cheaper cuts of meat.

"My mom eats a low carb diet my mom is and doesn't spend any more money on her healthy Whole Foods diet now than she did when she was eating differently why because some of the most some of the healthiest foods you can buy especially the animal foods like you said eggs are are the least expensive."

• Nutritious foods like eggs and certain meats can be affordable and healthier than processed alternatives.

"You don't need the skinless boneless chicken breast you can get the chicken legs or the chicken thighs you can get a you know a um a pork shoulder you can some of the healthiest animal foods you can buy are the least expensive because and and they're more nutritious the dark meat the fattier cuts those are actually more nutritious than the fancy lowfat uh skinless things."

• Choosing less expensive, nutrient-dense foods can lead to better health without increasing food costs.

• A healthy diet can reduce long-term healthcare costs by decreasing the need for medications and medical interventions.
• Regulating appetite through a nutritious diet can lead to eating less and saving money.

"You will save a tremendous amount of money um on food because you will eat less your appetite will be better regulated you will find yourself naturally if you eat the right way that you only need to eat maybe twice a day maybe even three times a day but you're not going to find yourself hungry 2 to three hours after you eat because your appetite is so much better regulated."

• A well-regulated appetite reduces the frequency of eating, leading to cost savings.

"You're going to need a lot fewer medications fewer doctor's visits fewer surgical procedures fewer in the United States we have co-pays where we spend actually a tremendous amount of money getting Health Care even when we have insurance um because you're going to be healthier and so all of these things are going to save you money in the long run."

• Improved health from a nutritious diet can significantly reduce medical expenses.

• Alcohol consumption poses more risks than benefits, especially for mental health.
• Reducing alcohol intake can lead to noticeable improvements in mental well-being.

"Understanding that it's more risk than benefit in fact that it's almost all risk and very little benefit having that information I think is useful for people because they don't they then will not trick themselves into thinking that red wine is good for their health and therefore they should consume some on a regular basis."

• Awareness of the risks associated with alcohol can help individuals make informed decisions about consumption.

"Explore that relationship take it out of your diet for 30 days and see if you feel any better and see and see if see how see what it's doing in your life and whether or not you think it's worth it to continue."

• A 30-day alcohol-free trial can help individuals assess its impact on their health and well-being.

• Grains and legumes are low in nutrients and high in starch, which can be detrimental to those with insulin resistance.
• They contain defensive toxins and anti-nutrients that can impact thyroid health, gut health, and immune health.

"Grains and legumes are the least nutritious and riskiest whole food you can eat there are lots of foods in the world there are you know grains legumes nuts seeds eggs meat fish fruits vegetables seeds of all the Whole Foods the riskiest to your health and the least nutritious the one that I would argue is least worth spending your money on are the grains and legumes."

• Grains and legumes are considered the least nutritious and most risky whole foods.

"They're very low in nutrients to begin with so low that most products made with them are fortified with extra nutrients because they don't have enough on their own to be worth eating."

• The inherent low nutrient content of grains and legumes often necessitates fortification.

"They contain naturally defensive toxins to protect the embryo against predators and they also contain what are called anti-nutrients which hold on to selfishly kind of hold on to the many of the nutrients that are inside those Foods."

• Defensive toxins and anti-nutrients in grains and legumes can hinder nutrient absorption and pose health risks.

• The Mediterranean diet is better than the standard American diet (SAD) for depression and general health.
• Despite its benefits, the Mediterranean diet may not be the optimal diet for everyone, particularly those with specific health issues.

"The Mediterranean diet is definitely better than the sad diet for depression it turns out that there is a diet called The Mind diet which is a modified version of the Mediterranean diet which was studied in a three-year randomized control trial for to try to prevent cognitive decline did not show any benefits."

• The Mediterranean diet has shown benefits for depression but not for preventing cognitive decline.

"Just because the Mediterranean diet is better for depression than the sad diet does not necessarily mean it's the best diet for depression or for the brain in general and there are good reasons to believe it's not."

• The Mediterranean diet may not be the best option for everyone, particularly for brain health.

• Making incremental changes to diet can lead to significant health improvements.
• Starting with one or two dietary changes can be more manageable and still beneficial.

"Wherever people can make a change in the right direction please do so if it's just one of those three things great start there if it's two of those things even better if it's three even better right so wherever you're willing to start start there and then see how you do."

• Even small changes in diet can lead to noticeable health improvements.

"One of the things I do in the book is I give a list of single changes that people can make if they don't feel ready if they're not really comfortable with the idea of completely restructuring their diet from the ground up which I think is of course what's best but maybe they're a one at a time person they just or maybe they only have it in them right now to make one change that's great please do that."

• The book provides a list of single dietary changes for those who prefer a gradual approach.

• Whole grains are better for metabolic health compared to refined grains.
• Refining grains, especially turning them into flour, increases access to carbohydrates, leading to higher blood sugar spikes.
• The intact bran coating of whole grains slows carbohydrate digestion, potentially making it harder to access glucose.

"The closer you get to whole the safer you are because that intact brand coating is going to slow the digestion of those carbohydrates."

• Whole grains are marketed as healthy, but the degree of refinement affects their metabolic impact.

"As soon as you start chopping into pieces of any size, it's refined to a certain extent."

• Whole grains maintain their nutritional integrity and slow digestion, which is beneficial for metabolic health.
• Refinement increases carbohydrate accessibility, leading to quicker blood sugar spikes, making refined grains less healthy.

• The Mediterranean diet has shown significant benefits over the standard American diet.
• Multiple diets, including whole foods plant-based, low-calorie, low-fat, and ketogenic diets, outperform the standard American diet.
• Any dietary change from the standard American diet is likely to be beneficial.

"Any change just about any change you make to the standard American diet is going to be an improvement."

• The quality of diet directly impacts health, and improving dietary quality can enhance mood and overall well-being.

"If you improve the quality of your diet you can actually in many cases improve your mood."

• The Mediterranean diet and other dietary patterns provide better health outcomes compared to the standard American diet.
• Improving dietary quality has a direct positive effect on mood and health.

• Legumes, especially when properly prepared, are considered beneficial for gut health.
• Populations consuming large amounts of beans, such as those in blue zones, are often healthier.
• However, some individuals with autoimmune diseases see improvements when eliminating grains and legumes.

"Sometimes you had to actually go quite extreme to get those changes."

• The inclusion of legumes is essential for those on plant-based diets due to their high protein content and complete amino acid profile.

"Soy in particular is a tofu is a particularly good example of a plant food that contains all of the amino acids that you need."

• Properly prepared legumes can benefit gut health and are essential for plant-based diets.
• For some individuals, especially with autoimmune conditions, eliminating grains and legumes can lead to health improvements.

• Claims about the health benefits of whole grains and legumes are largely theoretical.
• Observational studies often attribute health benefits to what healthy populations are not eating (e.g., processed foods) rather than what they are eating.

"We don't know if it's the beans or not maybe it is but that's never been tested."

• Whole grains are healthier than refined grains, but it is unclear if they are healthier than diets without any grains.

"Do we know that a diet that contains whole grains is healthier than a diet that doesn't contain any grains at all? We don't know that."

• Nutritional claims about whole grains and legumes are based on observational studies and theoretical assumptions.
• The health benefits observed may be due to the absence of unhealthy foods rather than the presence of whole grains or legumes.

• Experts often disagree on dietary principles, causing confusion for the general public.
• A whole food-based diet, reducing refined carbs and oils, and moderate alcohol intake are generally agreed upon for better health.
• The ideal diet may vary, and individuals should experiment to find what works best for them.

"I want people to adopt a curiosity mindset so meaning that if you're not feeling the way you want there are lots of changes you can experiment with and explore to see how they affect you personally."

• Personalized dietary changes, guided by biological understanding, can lead to significant health improvements.

"I can tell you which changes make the most sense the most biological sense to try and then what you decide to do and what you discover along the way may lead you to different places."

• Conflicting expert opinions can be confusing; focusing on whole foods and reducing refined products is a good start.
• Personal experimentation with diet, guided by biological principles, can help individuals find what works best for their health.

• The ketogenic diet changes brain metabolism profoundly, acting as a powerful intervention for mental health.
• It can lead to rapid improvements in mood, behavior, and cognitive function.

"I have never seen anything else this powerful in terms of mental health treatment in my 25 years as a psychiatrist."

• A study involving treatment-resistant patients showed significant improvements in mental health and metabolic markers on a ketogenic diet.

"Every single one of them improved 43% of them achieved clinical remission from their primary psychiatric diagnosis."

• The ketogenic diet alters brain metabolism and can significantly improve mental health conditions.
• Clinical studies show substantial benefits for treatment-resistant psychiatric patients on a ketogenic diet.

• People should be open to experimenting with their diet to find what works best for their health.
• The current nutritional information has often been misleading, and personal experimentation can lead to better health outcomes.

"I encourage people to experiment and just let go of what they think they know about nutrition and replace some of that information with Biology and with curiosity and hope."

• Experimenting with diet can help individuals discover what best supports their health.
• Letting go of outdated nutritional beliefs and adopting a curious mindset can lead to significant health improvements.