In this interview at the 2016 Integrative Healthcare Symposium, NYC Hypnotist and Nutritionist Jeffrey talks with Dr. David Perlmutter to discuss the relationship between proper nutrition and the health of the brain. Dr. Perlmutter says that proper nutrition will not only directly affect the brain, but it will also promote brain health by creating healthy gut bacteria which indirectly plays a role in brain health. Dr. Perlmutter believes many people can benefit from digestive enzymes to improve their utilization of important nutrients.

Jeffrey and Dr. David Perlmutter also discuss the importance of DHA, an important component of Fish Oil, which can both generate new brain cells and improve communication between brain cells. Dr. Perlmutter often recommends supplementing with Fish Oil to get more DHA in a person’s nutrition.

Dr. Perlmutter stresses the importance of getting exercise to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s as you get older. In addition, he feels a lower carbohydrate diet is also helpful in avoiding Alzheimer’s. This is very important for everyone as they get older.

Both Jeffrey and Dr. Perlmutter agree that adequate, health-promoting sleep is essential for mental health, both physically, to avoid Alzheimer’s, and psychologically to promote a mentally healthy mind. Jeffrey is very active in helping children get the sleep they need as the founder of the Rockland Chapter of the Start School Later Program.

For his own diet he eats eggs and vegetables, wild fish and occasionally, grass-fed meat. Jeffrey says that he encourages his clients to eat a mostly paleolithic diet, noting that agriculture and the eating of grains and beans is a very recent development for mankind. Dr. Perlmutter asserts that actually there is no requirement for carbohydrates in the human diet because we can make sugar in the body from protein. He doesn’t believe we need to eat grains or glucose to fuel the brain. Humans only ate carbs seasonally, he explains, which put fat on the body to get through the scarcer food supply times. Today many people are eating carbs all year round and are thus putting on fat all year round. Jeffrey mentions that knowing how bad sugar is for your health, and desiring to be healthy, he has avoided eating sugar for the last 36 years. They both agree that sugar is not good and should be one of the first things you get out of your life.