For any who follow my reviews, I am all about self help and health books which include recipes! And while this is not a cookbook, it is a book on how we can basically recharge our brain in small ways including cooking and feel our mental health improve, happiness and of course then feel physically better.
The recommended methods are not overwhelming. You will read them and think- “I can do that easily”. While I personally didn’t adhere strictly to the boot camp, I did use it as a quick resource for ideas in daily living. You know how good your car feels when you hit the car wash. Do the same for your brain!

Very good book for those wanting to detox and heal their brains! And who doesn't need that in our overly-polluted world full of chronic disease where doctors throw up their hands and can do nothing!

In today’s world of instant wants and needs, this book states once again the components necessary for a less stressful life; exercise, being one with nature, social interaction, as well as limiting social media and technology for brain health and longevity. This is more of a rehash of what we have been told time and again. Perhaps, we need to be constantly reminded before any action takes place.

Brain Wash explores how common it is to feel tired and distracted in today's society, the impact that can have on our lives, and how to overcome this situation. To get out of the brain fog, it's suggested to disconnect and reset, and this book outlines how to do so and gives recipes for a holistic and lasting remedy.
While there was nothing especially groundbreaking, the information was readable and well laid out to be userfriendly; it's a great companion to the Perlmutters' other Brain books.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I truly enjoyed this book. Have read Grain Brain and was excited to see this one. It really put health into perspective by focusing on the workings of the brain and how our every day choices really influence this. Highly recommend!

I had not read any of Perlmutter’s works, but I have caught snippets of his health promotions on PBS., so I requested an advance reading copy to learn more of his philosophy for healthy living. This one focuses, obviously, on detoxing our brains. The chapters were clearly organized, developing from brain physiology to practical habits for improving brain health. While the ideas are sound, there is not much new or earthshaking that will likely make this a must-read book for most.

The author explored how our current society of instant gratification has caused us to have more mental health issues, such as anxiety and also caused physical health issues, such as being overweight. Clicking a button and having whatever you want to eat delivered to your door seems to be perfection, but the author delves into how harmful this is in the long run. This was a very interesting book.

Doctors David and Austin Perlmutter claim to have “found a powerful way to reframe and reclaim our potential for exceptional physical and mental health.” The introduction opens with some very inspirational descriptions of the optimal state of wellness that they believe is possible for each of us.

The first part of the book provides some simple explanation of how the brain works and describes the problems that are keeping us from this optimal state of health, what the authors refer to as “disconnection syndrome.” The authors discuss relevant scientific literature and provide some deeply disturbing statistics while maintaining an encouraging, optimistic tone. I also appreciated their acknowledgment that much of the literature indicates correlation but not necessarily causation, and that studies of lab animals may not be fully applicable in humans. I felt like they had a very balanced approach.

Part 2 describes the authors’ proposed solution. They discuss conducting a digital detox, practicing empathy and gratitude, spending time in nature, following the low-carb Brain Wash food protocol, getting good sleep, exercising, meditating, and strengthening social bonds. They present a 10-day boot camp to implement these changes, including 40 recipes that follow the Brain Wash protocol.

I found this book interesting, inspiring, and easy to understand. I like the authors’ suggested plan, but I think trying to implement these changes in 10 days will be very challenging for most people. It’s about an hour a day of activities, plus a time-consuming diet and a commitment to get at least 7 hours a night of quality sleep. I prefer slow, incremental change to these boot camp challenges.

I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet. They seem interesting and healthy and generally use commonly available ingredients, but many look difficult for a beginning cook or someone dealing with significant fatigue or concentration issues. Some also require equipment that not everyone will have access to (food processor, high-power blender, double boiler). I’m deeply suspicious of the estimates of time required. Considering that the food plan states to treat meat as a condiment (if you eat it at all) and to eat more plants, I was surprised that all but two of the main dishes focused on meat or fish. Also, they don’t provide nutrition information if that’s important to you.

The book includes extensive notes by chapter listing many scientific papers and other references. Additional information and resources are available at https://brainwashbook.com/, most of which are accessible without any signup.

While the implementation may be a challenge, overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their physical and mental health. Some of it will likely be review if you read much about lifestyle medicine, but I enjoyed the presentation and learned some new information that I found helpful.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.