How to Build a Healthy Brain: Reduce stress, anxiety and depression and future-proof your brain
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-22 06:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kimberley Wilson
- ISBN：1529351499
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
'A practical manual for your brain。' - Dr Megan Rossi， author of Eat Yourself Healthy
A groundbreaking science-based guide to protecting your brain health for the long term。
Whatever your age， having a healthy brain is the key to a happy and fulfilled life。 Yet， for both young and old， diseases of the brain and mental health are the biggest killers in the 21st century。 We all know how to take care of our physical health， but we often feel powerless as to what we can do to protect our mental well-being too。
How to Build a Healthy Brain is here to help。 Written by a passionate advocate for the importance of mental health， Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson draws on the latest research to give practical， holistic advice on how you can protect your brain health by making simple lifestyle choices。 With chapters on Sleep， Nutrition， Exercise and Meditation， Kimberley has written an empowering guide to help you look after both your physical and mental well-being。
'Finally， a book that puts the brain at the centre of the health conversation， where it belongs。' - Shona Vertue， author of The Vertue Method
'A psychologist， she runs a successful private clinic in central London， combining therapy with nutrition advice， and has just written her first （excellent） book， How to Build a Healthy Brain， about protecting our mental wellbeing through factors such as diet， sleep and exercise。' - The Times
'I love your book 。。。 it made me equal parts really excited and passionate， and also pretty angry。 The science is there but it isn't being translated。 This is a huge area that affects us all 。。。 your book is absolutely brilliant at explaining what we can do to look after our brain health。' - Ella Mills on Deliciously Ella: The Podcast
Reviews
Miriam Knot
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DNF at 35%。 I am not convinced by the research for this book。 I noticed some contradicting statements to what I learned before by Michael Greger’s books about food。 And I know Michael Greger is really good at noticing which researches haven’t been done right and which ones are good enough to take conclusions from。 Therefore I didn’t trust the information in this book enough to take it by heart。
Maria Chambi
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What an excellent， eye-opening and resourceful book。 I went and did a good food shop， stocked up on leafy greens， nuts， oily fish， dark chocolate… it’s a mindshift and I feel the difference already。 I have printed the chart provided and hope to follow it daily。 Amazing book with lots of very useful and insightful information。
Jule
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It is written in a very scientific style with a lot of references。 This very scientific style isn´t for everyone， because neurobiology and biochemistry are very complex topics。 The writing style was a bit too exhausting for my taste， but otherwise it is a nice book where you can get more or less aha-experiences from
Erza
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This book was awesome。 Written in a scientific approach， but very simple to understand by all people who are not involed in the medicine field。 It delivers significant insights that all of us should be aware for a better lifestyle。 I am gonna re-read it again。 I really learnt a looot！ Thank you Kimberely Wilson！ You have given us a lot。
Courtney Williams
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📚 Book 1/52 for 2022 – 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠/5 📚I read a lot of self-help books， enough that I've had to start being really discerning about which I add to my to-be-read list。 I'm glad "How to Build a Healthy Brain" by Kimberley Wilson made its way onto that list。 I was expecting it to be good， but it's always nice to kick off the year with a five-star read！You may remember Wilson from the 4th series of "The Great British Bake Off" – I certainly did as her positive energy shone through along with her talent for 📚 Book 1/52 for 2022 – 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠/5 📚I read a lot of self-help books， enough that I've had to start being really discerning about which I add to my to-be-read list。 I'm glad "How to Build a Healthy Brain" by Kimberley Wilson made its way onto that list。 I was expecting it to be good， but it's always nice to kick off the year with a five-star read！You may remember Wilson from the 4th series of "The Great British Bake Off" – I certainly did as her positive energy shone through along with her talent for baking。 She is also a psychologist with expertise in nutrition， making her the perfect person to write this book。 Its aim is to share practical tips on how you can keep your brain healthy over your lifetime， as well as the science behind them。 Wilson covers a wide range of areas including nutrition， sleep， exercise and more。 She explains the science in an accessible way and cites plenty of publications。 Even better， she includes details such as how large the studies were and whether they were performed in humans or animals， something all science communicators and journalists ought to be doing。 The whole book emphasises not promoting the pseudoscience that is so rife in this area， including a handy guide to critically analysing information。Obviously I love the science bits， but I also love that this book goes beyond theory to provide clear advice on what you can do now to help your brain in the future。 Wilson ends each chapter with a summary to make it even easier （one of my brain's favourite things in non-fiction books！）。 While the suggestions are manageable and simple， Wilson avoids the common trap of becoming patronising。 Instead "How to Build a Healthy Brain" left me feeling empowered to make a change。My one and only gripe relates to the UK Kindle format， which is a bit skewwhiff。 It's not terrible， but some diagrams are hard to read and I found some headings had ended up in the wrong position。 Since I enjoyed this book so much I'll probably buy it in hard copy for ease of browsing。 Overall， I would recommend this book to anyone in possession of a brain and the desire to keep it healthy for as long as possible。 。。。more
Sharon
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A nicely written and accessible guide to improving and maintaining a healthy brain。 The author's recommendations are well evidenced and she makes it easily understandable for the layperson。 A nicely written and accessible guide to improving and maintaining a healthy brain。 The author's recommendations are well evidenced and she makes it easily understandable for the layperson。 。。。more
Anna Adler
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I have a history of depression and anxiety， and several cases of Alzheimer’s exist in my family， so when I saw this book， I had to grab it。 Figuring out ways to improve my brain health is a huge thing to me。I found the book well-structured and easy to read。 The author did a brilliant job giving simple， actionable steps anyone can take to improve their brain health in everyday life。 I loved the details on how the human brain works and how everything connects。 The book left me feeling optimistic a I have a history of depression and anxiety， and several cases of Alzheimer’s exist in my family， so when I saw this book， I had to grab it。 Figuring out ways to improve my brain health is a huge thing to me。I found the book well-structured and easy to read。 The author did a brilliant job giving simple， actionable steps anyone can take to improve their brain health in everyday life。 I loved the details on how the human brain works and how everything connects。 The book left me feeling optimistic and empowered。 I'm trying to apply the things I learned， and it feels good。 Earlier， I was worried I'd be doomed to get Alzheimer's because it runs in the family， but now I'm confident that even if I can't outright prevent it， I can at least actively reduce the chance of getting it。 Same goes for depression and anxiety。I loved this read and I think it delivers what it promises。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Fanny Aime
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Livre très accessible qui reprend les bases à bâtir pour une bonne santé psychologique ainsi que le fonctionnement du cerveau。 Les exercices proposés sont simples et l'auteure aborde les biais et contradictions avec beaucoup de bienveillance。 Livre très accessible qui reprend les bases à bâtir pour une bonne santé psychologique ainsi que le fonctionnement du cerveau。 Les exercices proposés sont simples et l'auteure aborde les biais et contradictions avec beaucoup de bienveillance。 。。。more
Rachel
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I enjoyed this book， but was particularly pleased to see the chapter on understanding research， what studies can and can't tell us and how to recognise reliable science。 Pseudo science is unfortunately common in self-help and this was a welcome relief from that I enjoyed this book， but was particularly pleased to see the chapter on understanding research， what studies can and can't tell us and how to recognise reliable science。 Pseudo science is unfortunately common in self-help and this was a welcome relief from that 。。。more
Sophie Saunders
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An outstanding look at the human brain。 This book was not only filled with fascinating facts （that left me needing to ring a friend just to discuss how mind blowing they were） but also practical and achievable tips for anybody to improve the health of their most important organ。 A brilliant brilliant book
Alicia
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This book is excellent - but the ebook version I read doesn't display on kindle at all well。 Most of the tables and diagrams are unreadable。 It's such a shame but I honestly think I will buy a physical copy as well for referencing。 This book is excellent - but the ebook version I read doesn't display on kindle at all well。 Most of the tables and diagrams are unreadable。 It's such a shame but I honestly think I will buy a physical copy as well for referencing。 。。。more
Nikolaj Andersen
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Practical and encouraging。 It got me eating more berries。
Keita Augstkalne
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A must for everyone。 Take your marker for this one。 Scientific reasoned tips for your lifestyle and living high quality life in all it's spectrum。 A must for everyone。 Take your marker for this one。 Scientific reasoned tips for your lifestyle and living high quality life in all it's spectrum。 。。。more
Alanna Inserra
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Every arena of healthcare has adopted a prevention first approach except mental health， and Kimberley Wilson breaks down her whole body system approach into stress， sleep， nutrition， fasting， exercise， social media and therapy and explains how our lives and choices impact our brain。 I found this a really informative， empowering read that showed how the brain and body are one system。
Hannah Waddington
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I really enjoyed this book。 I chose to listen to it and it is narrated by Kimberley herself， who does it beautifully。 I tend to this to listen to non-fiction， and 'read read' fiction。。。。but I am starting to mix it up a bit in 2021！Kimberley does what a lot of these kinds of books don't manage to do， and that is teach you a huge amount without being patronising， and you do feel inclined to change your ways in manageable chunks after finishing。 She is not preaching the impossible， and also there i I really enjoyed this book。 I chose to listen to it and it is narrated by Kimberley herself， who does it beautifully。 I tend to this to listen to non-fiction， and 'read read' fiction。。。。but I am starting to mix it up a bit in 2021！Kimberley does what a lot of these kinds of books don't manage to do， and that is teach you a huge amount without being patronising， and you do feel inclined to change your ways in manageable chunks after finishing。 She is not preaching the impossible， and also there is no 'waffle'。 She really gets to the point in each chapter， and I really like the way she summarises each one at the end。 It is very enlightening to learn so many ways we can stave off what is sometimes seen as the inevitable - Dementia and Alzheimer's disease， whilst also looking after your own mental health and creating a better， healthier life more generally。 As well as enlightening， it is also slightly terrifying how little we are aware of what is in our control when it comes to our brain health。 We forget it is an organ， just like our heart。 We need to look after it。 This book is so much more than its title suggests。 Kimberley takes you through a number of small actions you can take to truly LIVE your life rather than float through each day （which is especially easy at the moment）。 This can be done by our own actions， eating right， exercising more， trying new things， even breathing differently。 You are not expected to do all of these things at once， but small habits can gradually bring about big change。 The only reason I have given this book 4 stars rather than 5 is because I did struggle a little with the scientific element。 I truly appreciate why this is in there， and maybe I might have followed this better had I been reading the physical book。 Also， maybe if I had concentrates more closely in science at school！ 。。。more
Olivia Lynes
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I really enjoyed this book， it's rare to find a popular science book that isn't pushing some kind of agenda and is just full of helpful tips and things which may help。 Wilson manages to highlight the severity and randomness of various mental health issues while also taking you through research which investigates how certain mental health issues can be prevented or alleviated without the need （or in combination with） drugs。 I particularly liked how she presented that any mental health issue shoul I really enjoyed this book， it's rare to find a popular science book that isn't pushing some kind of agenda and is just full of helpful tips and things which may help。 Wilson manages to highlight the severity and randomness of various mental health issues while also taking you through research which investigates how certain mental health issues can be prevented or alleviated without the need （or in combination with） drugs。 I particularly liked how she presented that any mental health issue should be approached with a "whole body view" so not just concentrating on the brain， but any physical implications what a person is going through has as well。 Similarly that could be said the other way round， when you have a physical ailment we should always be considering what that's doing to the brain。 。。。more
Kate Northey
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This is an incredible book。 It provides so much information， in a really interesting and accessible way。 Everyone should read this！！！！
Plymouthian
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A thorough and informative approach to maintaining the health of our brains。 The book is broken down into specific areas that influence our brain health。 Each section is highly readable with accompanying proof from studies and neat summaries of take away learning at the end。 I suffer from post concussion syndrome and found this an easy way to access the wide range of ways in which I can actively take care and hopefully improve my brain connections。 I’m particularly liking the fact that adding wa A thorough and informative approach to maintaining the health of our brains。 The book is broken down into specific areas that influence our brain health。 Each section is highly readable with accompanying proof from studies and neat summaries of take away learning at the end。 I suffer from post concussion syndrome and found this an easy way to access the wide range of ways in which I can actively take care and hopefully improve my brain connections。 I’m particularly liking the fact that adding walnuts， blueberries and plain chocolate and more greens to my diet will help。 Understanding that there are non dietary ways of maintaining the brain such as having hot baths， reducing stress， paying close attention or approaching problem solving differently is reassuring。 The book is easy to read and written from a most helpful perspective by the author who clearly wants to share her professional knowledge for the betterment of readers brain health。 Systematic and relatively easily understood and backed by science and real life experience。 。。。more
Augustin Grigorov
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I loved this book。 It's everything I look for in a book。 Practical advice on a topic I care about backed by sound scientific research quoted in the book。 If you're interested in all the factors physical and mental that impact your mental health and you can influence them to improve it this is an excellent book for that。 It touches on topics of diet， physical exercise， sleep， stress， therapy and much more。 I cannot recommend highly enough。 I loved this book。 It's everything I look for in a book。 Practical advice on a topic I care about backed by sound scientific research quoted in the book。 If you're interested in all the factors physical and mental that impact your mental health and you can influence them to improve it this is an excellent book for that。 It touches on topics of diet， physical exercise， sleep， stress， therapy and much more。 I cannot recommend highly enough。 。。。more
Elsa Evans
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Nothing new。 The book title is ‘how’ to build a healthy brain but there’s so little that’s practical。
Louise Donegan
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Absolutely fascinating read detailing how your physical health and the health of your brain are intrinsically linked -more than I could have possibly imagined- and great tips on how you can lead your life with this in mind。 I found the science behind the lifestyle advice particularly interesting and well explained: I kept reading excerpts aloud to my husband！
Marc Alexander
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A wonderful book with some key messages to help you future proof your brain， highly recommended
Grace
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Practical and inspiringThis book is really insightful and best of all， practical。 It’s packed with lots of good advice， scientific data and handy tools like checklists and templates。 Great blend of psychology， neuroscience and nutrition。 Highly recommended。
Jane Pedley
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Good read， very informative。
Ruth Trethewey
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Great book！ Loads of tips to implement recommended changes and links to resources。 I found this book easy to read and supportive rather than "why aren't you doing this？" The podcast produced by Kimberly Wilson is a great resource too。 Great book！ Loads of tips to implement recommended changes and links to resources。 I found this book easy to read and supportive rather than "why aren't you doing this？" The podcast produced by Kimberly Wilson is a great resource too。 。。。more
Sue Page
，
Excellent overview of the factors that influence brain health， complemented by practical tips on how to make changes to your lifestyle to help protect the long-term health of your brain。 Far more wide-ranging than I was expecting， this book covers aspect such as money management， heat exposure and dental health， as well as the more widely known topics of nutrition， sleep and physical activity。 Well referenced and researched， although let down slightly in a few places by the production team - the Excellent overview of the factors that influence brain health， complemented by practical tips on how to make changes to your lifestyle to help protect the long-term health of your brain。 Far more wide-ranging than I was expecting， this book covers aspect such as money management， heat exposure and dental health， as well as the more widely known topics of nutrition， sleep and physical activity。 Well referenced and researched， although let down slightly in a few places by the production team - there's no separate caption style， with illustrations being integrated into the main body of the text， which causes confusion at times。 This is more than made up for by the quality of the information and the practical and useful tips and exercises for building brain-healthy habits into your everyday life。 This is an important， accessible book about an overlooked area of health。 Definitely recommended。 。。。more
Mérida Macondo
，
LOVED IT！ On the one hand， I really enjoyed this book because of the ease of reading。 Its been a while since I was this captivated by a book， it really radiates a sense of coziness。On the other， not only it was a pleasurable read but also it has been very good for my mental health。 It explains in a very approachable way basic neuroscience and many of the factors that contributes to anxiety， depression and Alzheimer's deasease。 After 10 years of wandering around with poor mental health and trying LOVED IT！ On the one hand， I really enjoyed this book because of the ease of reading。 Its been a while since I was this captivated by a book， it really radiates a sense of coziness。On the other， not only it was a pleasurable read but also it has been very good for my mental health。 It explains in a very approachable way basic neuroscience and many of the factors that contributes to anxiety， depression and Alzheimer's deasease。 After 10 years of wandering around with poor mental health and trying to understand what was going on and slowly learning from inadequate， varied sources in the path to recovery， I've finally found a Mental/Emotional Health 101: this book！If anything， I would have liked a little more in-depth information in all the sections。 Like， I understand its written for a general public， but I was really craving more information written by Kimberly。If you have suggestions for me to read on this topic， please do so！Now， I'm off to re-read it。 Bye :） 。。。more
Sophie
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I learnt a lot from this to apply in my own life。 It is full of scientific studies which show how well researched the book is but makes it a bit challenging to read at times during the chapters I wasn't so interested in I learnt a lot from this to apply in my own life。 It is full of scientific studies which show how well researched the book is but makes it a bit challenging to read at times during the chapters I wasn't so interested in 。。。more
Rosy
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I really enjoyed every part apart from the first three chapters which I found v v repetitive and somewhat recycled from every other "soft science" book。 The chapter on nutrition blew my mind！ Super informative and definitely changed the way I think about food/brain health。 I really enjoyed every part apart from the first three chapters which I found v v repetitive and somewhat recycled from every other "soft science" book。 The chapter on nutrition blew my mind！ Super informative and definitely changed the way I think about food/brain health。 。。。more
Kelly
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