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Brain Brilliance: 60 Nourishing Recipes And A Nutritional Toolkit For Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, Autism and All Neurodivergent Kids
Brain Brilliance offers 60 delicious and nutritious recipes as well as a wealth of diet and supplement tips and hacks for children living with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and Autism as well as other unique and special brains. If you are a parent, teacher or carer, you can learn how to help them thrive and live their best neurodivergent life… with a little bit of nutritional know-how.
Brain Brilliance will help you and your children make the important connection between what they eat and their mood, behaviour, and learning – even if they are a highly selective eater and resistant to change. This book provides the most accessible and up-to-date evidence-based nutritional advice to improve a child’s brain function for all ages from toddler to school age to teens, and beyond. Understand the importance of the microbiome and the gut-brain link, as well as the negative role that ultra-processed foods play on the neurodivergent brain. Lucinda also highlights how to rebalance your child’s blood glucose levels to prevent 'hanger' and meltdowns. And learn how inflammation and the immune system can also dysregulate the neurodivergent brain and what to do about it.
Woven throughout this book are gentle and respectful ways at managing mood swings, tics, anxiety, chronic pain, speech delay and learning difficulties through better nutrition. Find easy to prepare Breakfasts, Lunches, Suppers, Drinks and those all-important Savoury and Sweet Snacks – which include switches for all the key 14 food allergens. All the recipes contain brain foods which encourage optimal development, mood and behaviour, whilst being kind to the sensory palate – and they are fun to make and easy to cook.
Brain Brilliance will help you and your children make the important connection between what they eat and their mood, behaviour, and learning – even if they are a highly selective eater and resistant to change. This book provides the most accessible and up-to-date evidence-based nutritional advice to improve a child’s brain function for all ages from toddler to school age to teens, and beyond. Understand the importance of the microbiome and the gut-brain link, as well as the negative role that ultra-processed foods play on the neurodivergent brain. Lucinda also highlights how to rebalance your child’s blood glucose levels to prevent 'hanger' and meltdowns. And learn how inflammation and the immune system can also dysregulate the neurodivergent brain and what to do about it.
Woven throughout this book are gentle and respectful ways at managing mood swings, tics, anxiety, chronic pain, speech delay and learning difficulties through better nutrition. Find easy to prepare Breakfasts, Lunches, Suppers, Drinks and those all-important Savoury and Sweet Snacks – which include switches for all the key 14 food allergens. All the recipes contain brain foods which encourage optimal development, mood and behaviour, whilst being kind to the sensory palate – and they are fun to make and easy to cook.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2024
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52 people want to read
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September 2, 2025It's too difficult to rate recipe books, but I can still review them!
Author Lucinda Miller is the founder and clinical lead of NatureDoc, which describes itself as a "UK-wide team of Naturopaths, Nutritionists and Nutritional Therapists." Some important context here is that the title of ‘nutritionist’ is not legally protected in the UK; anyone can call themselves one, regardless of training. The NatureDoc website states that Miller originally trained as a Naturopath, Iridologist and Master Herbalist, then sought training in Functional Medicine. Naturopathy and Iridology are firmly in the domain of ’alternative medicines’, and even the practitioners of ‘Functional Medicine’ describe it as "an alternative approach to healthcare". These and various other aspects I won't get into here mean that I cannot be confident about the scientific validity of the information provided in the book, or about the advice given by the author.
In my opinion, though this book has recipes in it, it's not really a recipe book. The first 93 pages summarise various conditions and neurodivergent traits, explain nutrition and neurotransmitters, and describe common challenges for neurodivergent children. Even before looking into the author I was wary of certain aspects of this book, such as the overwhelming dangers ascribed almost solely to ultra-processed foods, unbalanced gut bacteria, and what the author calls "a haywire immune system".
While I wouldn't go so far as to say this book isn't worth reading or is actively dangerous, I suggest that any advice you take from it should be integrated into a holistic strategy under the guidance of a medical doctor (and any other relevant members of your healthcare team, such as a trained dietitian). The recipes seem fairly harmless, but may not deliver the same outstanding and life-changing results that the first 93 pages of the book imply you'll get.
Author Lucinda Miller is the founder and clinical lead of NatureDoc, which describes itself as a "UK-wide team of Naturopaths, Nutritionists and Nutritional Therapists." Some important context here is that the title of ‘nutritionist’ is not legally protected in the UK; anyone can call themselves one, regardless of training. The NatureDoc website states that Miller originally trained as a Naturopath, Iridologist and Master Herbalist, then sought training in Functional Medicine. Naturopathy and Iridology are firmly in the domain of ’alternative medicines’, and even the practitioners of ‘Functional Medicine’ describe it as "an alternative approach to healthcare". These and various other aspects I won't get into here mean that I cannot be confident about the scientific validity of the information provided in the book, or about the advice given by the author.
In my opinion, though this book has recipes in it, it's not really a recipe book. The first 93 pages summarise various conditions and neurodivergent traits, explain nutrition and neurotransmitters, and describe common challenges for neurodivergent children. Even before looking into the author I was wary of certain aspects of this book, such as the overwhelming dangers ascribed almost solely to ultra-processed foods, unbalanced gut bacteria, and what the author calls "a haywire immune system".
While I wouldn't go so far as to say this book isn't worth reading or is actively dangerous, I suggest that any advice you take from it should be integrated into a holistic strategy under the guidance of a medical doctor (and any other relevant members of your healthcare team, such as a trained dietitian). The recipes seem fairly harmless, but may not deliver the same outstanding and life-changing results that the first 93 pages of the book imply you'll get.
October 20, 2024
This book has a mix of science and information, and recipes. My daughter has ADHD. Because she sticks to 'safe' foods I had been aware of her fairly poor diet and worried for her health, but I didn't really know what to do about it. Then I saw this book - and it's a lifeline! No of course it won't solve everything but it has enabled us to take some positive steps forward. My daughter loves the pizza waffles with spelt flour in particular; one of these when she comes home is a healthy alternative to what she was eating before. My daughter has also taken note of some of the science, such as introducing protein for breakfast, and has learnt how to fry an egg. Thank you, Lucinda.
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