The Food-Mood Solution: All-Natural Ways to Banish Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Stress, Overeating, and Alcohol and Drug Problems--and Feel Good Again (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Melvyn R. Werbach MD (Foreword)
Key Phrases: nutritional building blocks, distractible behavior, macadamia nut oil, Turkey Taco, United States, Sautéed Chicken Breast (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known as the "Nutrition Reporter" for consumer health publications (Alternative Medicine; Body & Soul; etc.), Challem (The Inflammation Syndrome) describes a familiar scenario: rising levels of anger, impatience, frustration, fatigue and anxiety due to minor daily irritations. Citing studies of increased violence traced to mood disorders, Challem contends that basic but highly specific diet and lifestyle modifications can lower stress levels and radically improve behavior and health. While the effects of poor nutrition on health take years to manifest, he says, such effects on mood are readily apparent, and he urges readers to notice how certain foods and beverages lead to headaches, fatigue, poor sleep, depression, compulsive behavior, panic attacks, bipolar disorder and other increasingly common conditions. His plan targets neuronutrients (vitamins and minerals needed to make critical brain chemicals) and nutrisocial factors (family, workload, environment, advertising, etc.) to boost mood. After taking a few quizzes, readers will be guided through a four-part program: supplements, diet, exercise and lifestyle. While the information is not entirely new, Challem does solidly address the hardest part of his equation—and that's the lifestyle change itself. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Best known as the "Nutrition Reporter" for consumer health publications (Alternative Medicine; Body & Soul; etc.), Challem (The Inflammation Syndrome) describes a familiar scenario: rising levels of anger, impatience, frustration, fatigue and anxiety due to minor daily irritations. Citing studies of increased violence traced to mood disorders, Challem contends that basic but highly specific diet and lifestyle modifications can lower stress levels and radically improve behavior and health. While the effects of poor nutrition on health take years to manifest, he says, such effects on mood are readily apparent, and he urges readers to notice how certain foods and beverages lead to headaches, fatigue, poor sleep, depression, compulsive behavior, panic attacks, bipolar disorder and other increasingly common conditions. His plan targets neuronutrients (vitamins and minerals needed to make critical brain chemicals) and nutrisocial factors (family, workload, environment, advertising, etc.) to boost mood. After taking a few quizzes, readers will be guided through a four-part program: supplements, diet, exercise and lifestyle. While the information is not entirely new, Challem does solidly address the hardest part of his equation—and that's the lifestyle change itself. (Mar.) (Publishers Weekly, January 8, 2007)

“…aims to help you understand and identify how your diet affects your moods…easy-to-follow book…all backed up by recent scientific research.” (Health & Fitness, May 2007)

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471756105
• ISBN-13: 978-0471756101
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #519,984 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It makes sense -- and it works!, August 13, 2007

By	S. Maurer (Chicago, Il USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jack Challem seems to have written this book just for me. I was so tired of seeing doctors who merely prescribed multi-bad-effects medications and who each told me a different cause of my problems. I had to became very proactive to save my own health.

I was always exhausted, in body and spirit. I felt like I was in a constant brain fog, getting early Alzheimer's! I awakened more tired than when I went to bed, longing to take naps, no needing them. I have had fibromyalgia for 15 years and am taking medications for this, taking two medications which help tremendously but cause side effects. I have hypertension, am an adult with ADD. Like most people I am stressed, anxious, impatient, lack focus, taking care of an elderly parent......sound familiar? But I am an early retired teacher who loved her job and should be more relaxed and healthy. I want and need my active life-style back. I'm not "that old"!!

Well, I was literally sick from taking meds, so I picked up Mr. Challem's book just by chance and found I COULD help myself, was doing so many wrong nutritional things, made some of his easy, suggested changes and, to my disbelief, found great relief within two weeks! I have always taken supplements and watched my health - so I thought - but still felt bad most of the time. And only the suggestions made in this book have helped me feel so much better. This author makes sense.

In the easiest reading and well organized presentation, Mr. Challem specifically presents HOW food affects mood and four steps to change. He discusses real, every day problems: how to realistically reduce our levels of stress and anxiety, how to handle our irritability, how to have more energy. And his suggestions, fully explained so even I would understand them, worked!

He goes on to take us step by step through a "recovery" process in which we can "fix" ourselves - armed with nutritional understanding and easy to do changes in our diet and life style. And best of all Mr. Challem clearly points out the specific connections between foods and moods and gives the reader things to DO and things to avoid....along with some of the best recipes I have ever tried.

While all his information is data based, I could easily understand the author and put his connections and suggestions to use immediately. And they have made a wonderfully positive change in my health, my entire life.
And he sells no supplements!

This book is a perfect gift for any friend or family member (underlining and notes will have you hold on to your own copy!) who has hypertension, fibromyalgia, ADD, exhaustion, depression, who is overweight or those irritating characteristics of impatience, irritsbility, stress, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, forgetfulness ---- characteristics we certainly notice in THEM but seldom admit about ourselves!

Buy this book for your own health and sanity --- and some to give as gifts to those you care about. These ideas make sense and work.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bibliotherapy, September 4, 2007

By	Ronald Hoffman (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Full disclosure here: I'm a holistic doctor, so I'm biased towards natural interventions for mood disorders, and this is stuff that I talk to patients about on an almost daily basis. But I've seldom seen natural therapies for psychological conditions presented in such a balanced, clear, scientific fashion.

I sometimes blanch at the outlandish claims made by some health books that deal with mental conditions. I think they cruelly mislead patients to believe that there's a vitamin or a supplement for every psychiatric complaint. Reinforcing denial is not good for patients at risk to themselves and others. But Jack Challem is versed in the latest science, and never strays far from the evidence in making his case for natural approaches.

There's clearly a place for drugs in the treatment of mental disorders, but I wish books like this got wider circulation because we could relieve untold suffering with a few basic suggestions herein. Studies have actually shown that good self-help books cure sufferers of mild to moderate depression at a rate comparable to that of Zoloft, Paxil and other commonly used drugs. They've even coined a term for it: "Bibliotherapy"!

So take this book and call your shrink in the morning--it may really not be so far-fetched! I think I'll start stocking it in my dispensary to give to my patients.

Ronald L. Hoffman, MD, New York City

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Convincing Link Between Diet and Mental Health, March 26, 2007

By	Loren Cordain "Author: The Paleo Diet" (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The old adage, "you are what you eat" is not anywhere more true than for our mental state and well being. In easily understandable terms, Jack Challem meticulously lays out the underlying biochemistry that links diet to mood. This book is a must read for anyone who suspects that certain foods such as dairy, wheat, refined sugars, refined vegetable oils and/or other staples of the western diet may be at the root cause of chronic mood alterations.

Loren Cordain, Ph.D. Author of The Paleodiet; The Palediet for Athletes; and The Dietary Cure for Acne [...]