The Genius Life: Heal Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Become Extraordinary

by Max Lugavere

The author of the  New York Times  bestselling  Genius Foods  is back with a lifestyle program for resetting your brain and body to its “factory settings,” to help fight fatigue, anxiety, and depression and to optimize cognitive health for a longer and healthier life.

The human body was honed under conditions that no longer exist. The modern world has changed dramatically since our days as hunter gatherers, and it has caused widespread anxiety, stress, and disease, leaving our brains in despair. But science proves that the body and brain can be healed with the intervention of lifestyle protocols that help us to regain our cognitive birthright.

In The Genius Life, Lugavere expands the Genius Foods plan, which focused on nutrition and how it affects brain health, and expands it to encompass a full lifestyle protocol. We know now that the health of our brains—including our cognitive function and emotional wellness—depend on the health of our gut, endocrine, cardiac and nervous systems as there is a constant feedback loop between all systems. Drawing on globe-spanning research into circadian biology, psychology, dementia prevention, cognitive optimization, and exercise physiology, The Genius Life shows how to integrate healthy choices in all aspects of our daily routines: eating, exercising, sleeping, detoxing, and more to create a healthy foundation for optimal cognitive health and performance. Among Max’s groundbreaking findings, you will discover:

·         A trick that gives you the equivalent of a “marathon” workout, in 10 minutes

·         How to get the benefits of an extra 1-2 servings of veggies daily without eating them

·         The hidden chemicals in your home that could be making you fat and sick

·         How to boost melatonin levels by up to 58% for deeper sleep without supplements

The book features an achievable prescriptive 21-day plan for Genius Living that includes daily workouts, meal plans, and meal prep tips, and accompanied with helpful suggestions for healthy swaps and snacks

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Audiobook, Food, Science, Self Help

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2020

About the author

Max Lugavere is an American television personality, health and science journalist, author, and musician. He resides in Los Angeles, California and New York City. Lugavere earned a degree in film and psychology from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Reviews

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't have read this except it was a book club selection. If you want to feel bad about every aspect of your life, read The Genius Life. You'll learn that everything you're ingesting, breathing, touching and drinking is a slow poison, and you've been poisoning yourself since birth. However, if you switch to organic, free-range everything and move to the top of a mountain (to get away from pollution and stressors), you might become healthier. (Spoiler alert: eventually, we're still gonna die.)

Here's the thing. I don't want to live in a world without convenience foods and internet access. I love my pseudo-urban life and my fifty-minute daily commute (one way). I love the occasional slab of warm bread with butter and a glass of red wine. You know what makes me want to check out sooner? A life without these things. Plus, who can afford only wild-caught fish, daily saunas and responsibly collected chicken eggs? The better you live, the more it costs.

At least this book is comprehensive, covering all these things plus vitamins, medications, mental health and surprisingly toxic stuff (hint: replace EVERYTHING you own, and never touch a receipt.)

At the end of the day, there's hardly anything new in this book. You know you eat like crap. You know you don't sleep enough. You know you're addicted to your smartphone. It also gets preachy at the end. Be nice and give to charity to feel better! Really? I do those things now and I still feel wiped out. There was one big plot twist, though: Max says to go ahead and salt your food to taste.

[BobbieLynn Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Genius Life is a great companion to Genius Foods, which was also written by Max. However, I’m happy to say that it also stands alone. As someone who consumes hundreds of hours of podcasts on health, fitness and nutrition, I am always looking for ways to share the information I’ve learned with others who do not share my extreme thirst for knowledge but really need the information. I think this book will be a great resource for everyone living in this modern age of fake food proliferation, normalization, and accessibility. In general, the modern food choices are calorie rich and nutrient poor, and the standard American lifestyle is similarly lacking in the essentials for good health. People need to know how to make better food and lifestyle choices, and Max provides a great summary of many of the issues that need to be addressed and how to get started. The book is easy to read and understand, and - dare I say, even entertaining? It’s five stars all the way!

[Veronika Can · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autoriaus šeimoje nutikus nelaimei, jis nusprendė parašyti knygą, vadovėlį apie mitybą ir sveiką gyvenseną. Norėjo savo sukauptomis žiniomis pasidalinti su kitais. Daug gerų patarimų ir priminimų. Kas man asmeniskai užstrigo - negalima dėti karšto maisto į plastikinius indus.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lifestyle. Rinse vegetables with water but it will become 4 times more effective if you add either 1 tsp salt, or 1 tsp vinegar or 1 tsp soda with the water (best to soak for 10-20 minutes). Use quinoa instead of rice but if you use rice use white rice. Three to 5 grams of sodium allowed daily - equals up to one teaspoon of salt. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seed powder to cruciferous veggies after cooking - if eating raw you don't have to add that and this is to enhance the sulforaphane effect. Zeaxanthin and lutein you need 6 milligrams per day and most people only get 2. For women fasting 14 to 16 hours per day is recommended, that is, a eating schedule of 8 to 10 hours per day. For sleeping glycine and magnesium may improve sleep naturally and both are powerfully antiaging. For deep sleep try 300 to 500 mg of magnesium glycinate and 3 to 4 grams of pure glycine before bed. Wear blue blockers 2 to 3 hours before bed. Top 10 plants for cleaning the air are areca palm, lady palm, bamboo palm, rubber plant and dracaena Janet Craig, english ivy, dwarf date palm, ficus alii, boston fern and peace lily. Kale, spinach swiss chard and mustard greens are good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. Nature's mltivitamins are (1) liver has enormous concentration of vitamins and minerals but especially B2 choline vitamin A (all brain food) and (2) shellfish has huge amounts of B12 and zinc (again brain food) try clams oysters and crab into your diet. Protein eat .7 gram per pound of weight (for 100 pounds that would be 70 grams of protein each day. Have surgery in the afternoon. More sun (up to 2 hours) is needed if you are old, it's winter, you're farther from the equator, polluted air, wearing sunblock, little exposed skin or dark complexion. Cold stress (cold showers, etc.) can enhance vigilance and mood and can burn calories. Heat stress possibly plays a role in prevention of neurodegenerative illnesses. Vigorous exercise is the chief contributor to circulating lactate which gets pushed into the brain and maybe protective against Parkinson's disease. Adopt a HIIT routine (20 seconds all out and then one or two minutes of low intensity recovery movement. Weight lifting is critical. Wet dust or use a HEPA filter vacuum. Use an air filter. Genius cocktail - slice a lime and run it around the rim of the glass, then dip the glass rim side down in salt to coat, fill glass with ice, squeeze half a lime into the glasses, pour in sparkling water and enjoy anytime (provides vit C from the lime and electrolytes from the salt). Wash your hands after handling receipts from stores.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for the author and publishers.

The US is in the minority on this planet of using Fahrenheit, pounds etc.

As book now a days are distributed worldwide, Celcius and Metric should be added after your measurements, for the majority that do use a sensible system.

Really annoying that most publishers disregard this.

Lost of star ratings for not doing so.

[Hill Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Genius Life
1. Organic plants: Organic plants are not just only doesn’t have chemicals put on them to prevent them from bugs BUT because of it these plants need to create their own compounds to defend themselves from bugs. When we eat organic plants we get the benefits of these compounds to defend against diseases.
2. Cold exposure: Cold exposure creates brown fat which has more mitochondria than regular fat and helps our health. You can just use shower for cold exposure. Reduces depression as well.
3. Forest bathing: Japanese do it to prevent their stress from work. Nature is a healer!
4. Sauna: heat stress is similar to exercise stress. Releases nitric acid. Improve arterial elasticity. It reduces inflammation. Frees you from coronary artery diseases.
5. Vitamin D: Dark people need more time in sun. Supplement to prevent deficiency aiding cancer and other ailments.
6. Eating cruciferous vegetables (eg:broccoli) expels body toxins.
7. Exercise: low intensity activities like washing dishes help prevent fat deposits. Unfortunately, Good metabolic health is achieved by only 12% of adults!! Walking even 3 times a week improves cognitive function. Lifting weights also increased mood. Muscle mass reduces mortality and could be achieved by floor exercises like pushups and doesn’t need gym.
8. Quality of sleep: 8 hours everyday. One study shows that just one night of sleep deprivation can create problems with metabolic rate. It can increase your weight. It even makes your amygdala more active!
9. Meditation: Reduces anxiety, depression and even impact your telemores positively and thus aging.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the book based upon the recommendation of a friend. This book didn't really have any new or interesting information that I haven't come across before. The author is a journalist, so its basically his research paper. I prefer to get recommendations from those who are actually qualified to give it.

[Cav · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For a long time, people believed that their genes were their destiny. And our genes do matter, but how much we can attribute our health problems to them is up for debate..."

The Genius Life contained a lot of interesting information. Some of it is undoubtedly good advice. Some of it is contentious, and in need of further study, and some of it is just incorrect. More below. On balance, I did enjoy the book, although most of what is covered by the author will likely not be new to anyone who has been following the health and wellness sphere recently.

The book is my second from author, after his 2018 book Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, which I mostly enjoyed.

Author Max Lugavere is a health and science journalist, filmmaker, and bestselling writer.

Max Lugavere:


Lugavere has a decent writing style, and the book is very readable; for the most part. Although I did find the latter part of it to drag a bit more than the first part. It is also formatted very well, and has a nice narration style and flow. He gets the writing here off on a good foot, with a lively and engaging intro. He mentions his mother's Lewy Body dementia and cancer diagnosis, as it was the genesis for his desire to writes his two books.

The quote from the start of this review continues:

"...In the United States, the most well-defined Alzheimer’s risk gene, carried by one in four people, increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease anywhere between two- and fourteenfold. In other parts of the world, that same gene has little impact.2 Many cancers are thought to be triggered by our environment as well and are becoming more common. A woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, for instance, was about one in twenty in the 1960s. Today, it is one in eight.3
Over the last seventy years, our genes haven’t changed, but our environment has—a lot. New research is emerging all the time that points to the key role that environmental factors play in your health. Everything from the temperature and lighting of your home to the utensils you use to cook your food to the chemicals used to make your furniture are having a profound effect on your health and how you feel—and you likely aren’t even aware of it."

He makes a lofty promise in this quote, and lays out the aim of the book:

"Have you ever experienced anxiety, fatigue, or brain fog? What about sluggishness, memory problems, or despair? Today these feelings are commonplace, but they needn’t be. After all, we live in a time of unprecedented insight into the workings of the human brain, with millions of dollars spent annually to uncover truths about our most powerful organ.
But these insights often go unnoticed, leaving many of us to suffer in silent desperation.
This book is going to change that. In the following seven chapters, you’re going to discover powerful strategies that can help your brain function the way it ought to—not just the way you’ve accepted it to. That means less sluggishness, anxiety, and depression, and more energy and a better memory. If followed routinely, these strategies will even reduce your risk for some of humanity’s most feared conditions—Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease, to name a few."

Although quite a lot of the advice here is sound (generally speaking), much of it is not fully scientifically accepted, and some of it is extremely contentious. Teasing out causality in diet and lifestyle is extremely difficult to establish scientifically. It is bound by ethical constraints, as well as confounding factors and reverse causality. Inside your body there are 1,000s of biochemical processes taking place. There are just as many chemical pathways and related enzymes that contribute to the mix. Coupled with that, you can toss in variations in individual environmental toxin exposure, sleep quality and quantity, healthcare, genetics, exercise, etc, etc. On and on. All the above interferes with firmly establishing empirical causality. So, it's complicated...

If you are an avid reader of science books like I am, you will notice that most scientists don't speak in absolutes. They preface whatever they are saying with bits of language like "this study showed that under these specific circumstances..." and "there was a statistical correlation under these circumstances," and so on. Their language is very measured, for good reason. Unfortunately, the author paints many of these subjects in somewhat of a black and white manner more often than not here.

Lugavere goes after seed oils and tells the reader to turf them in the bin. The subject of cooking oils is an extremely contentious issue. Some studies and people seem to favour vegetable oils (or at least not find them harmful), noting that they are unsaturated fat. Others eschew them, say they are pro-inflammatory, and recommend animal fats, which are full of saturated fat. Lugavere recommends animal fats and extra virgin olive oil. Unfortunately, olive oil has a relatively low smoke point (compared to oils like canola), and overheating it can result in accelerating the oxidation process, breaking down the compounds in the oil and forming potentially harmful elements such as free fatty acids and acrolein. Where I live, a liter of extra virgin olive oil has spiked up to ~$14, and butter is about $7/lb.

He also talks about eating a very expensive diet that includes organic produce, free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and the above-mentioned extra virgin olive oil. Who can afford to eat like this?? This is hardly practical advice for the modern Western family trying to make ends meet. A more measured approach might have been to suggest people focus on cooking more food at home instead of buying takeout, eating more vegetables, and adding more anti-inflammatory spices like chili and turmeric to their diets.

He also advocates for organic food over conventional numerous times here. There are several large issues with organic vs conventional foods. First of all, organic food is incredibly expensive. This alone will prevent most people from eating it. Organic food has been shown to be no more nutritious than conventional food, and organic food causes thousands of illnesses annually. Contrary to what most people believe about them, organic farmers also use pesticides. These “natural” pesticides/herbicides are not necessarily less harmful than synthetic ones, and in some cases, may even be worse.
Whether something is "good" or "bad" for you has nothing to do with whether it's natural or synthetic...

If you are worried about pesticides (natural or otherwise) the best advice is to wash your produce with a mild vinegar or soapy solution and then rinse it thoroughly. This will remove the bulk of pesticide residue, including the lipophilic residues that can't be removed with water alone.

Lugavere also takes a shot at complex carbs like bread. There's nothing wrong with eating bread as part of a balanced diet. There is also nothing wrong with eating carbs, in general, as a part of a balanced diet. Carbs fuel your body. They are 1/3 of the 3 macronutrients. He mentions concerns about overeating and gaining weight, but you can overeat and gain weight by eating anything, if you are consistently in a caloric surplus. He also mentions going "gluten-free." There is no reason to do this, unless you have celiac disease.

Some more of what the author covers here includes:
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium
• Good stress; heat, cold
• Protein consumption
• Neurological disorders; Alzheimer's Parkinson's, dementia, MS
• The benefits of BDNF
• Exercise; VO2 max
• Aerobic exercise and resistance training
• Plastics; BPA
• Non stick frying pans; Teflon, PFAS
• Flame Retardants
• Cosmetics
• NSAIDs
• Antibiotics
• Fluoride
• Lead
• Chemical Sunblocks
• Quality sleep
• Psychedelics; The Default Mode Network
• Refined carbs; breads

********************

The Genius Life was a mixed bag for me. While there's a lot of decent info provided here, I feel that the author is too dogmatic about his prescriptions. If you can get 7-9 hours sleep a night, exercise regularly, have your weight under control, eat a balanced diet of mostly unprocessed vegetable-rich foods, get decent amounts of vitamin D, then you are doing better than most people. Start there, with small steps.
Everything in moderation, including moderation LOL.
I wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I had to deduct points due to Lugavere's dogmatic and rigid prescriptions. Biochemistry is not black-and white.
3 stars.

[Nixanea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Większość rzeczy zawartych w książce znałam już wcześniej, ale mimo to niektóre kwestie mnie zaskoczyły. Co tu dużo mówić, tak jak przy Genius food, tak i tutaj daje 5. Książka zmienia sposób myślenia i zachęca do zdrowszego stylu życia podając informacje, które są potwierdzone badaniami. Czego chcieć więcej?🙈

[Kristy]

Dr Mark Hyman says, This book is an all-day lifestyle guide to optimizing your brain health and mental health. Max explains how hidden environmental factors can lead to common issues like depression and anxiety and diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. It’s a really great read.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that he provides mostly sound advice: we should eat whole natural foods and stay away from processed foods which are making us incredibly sick. I think that he puts too much focus on meat. Considering the current pandemic that we are in was a result of animal to human transmission, if anything we should be radically reducing our meat intake.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading Genius Foods and listening to Max's podcast, and this new book the Genius Life was just a good! Great inspiration for living healthy... Educational, inspiring, made me feel good!

As other reviewers stated:

"People need to know how to make better food and lifestyle choices, and Max provides a great summary of many of the issues that need to be addressed and how to get started. The book is easy to read and understand"

"Max is not afraid to tell the truth, and explain how our modern day conveniences and indulgences are sabotaging our heath. The book is easy to read and full of science based information to empower people to live their best life."

"A very comprehensive guideline to healthy living. I was aware of of most of the information but this book dives a bit deeper, like why trading your Tupperware for glass is a better choice or the importance of getting daily doses of sunshine."

4 stars

[Amanda Jayne Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a big eye opener - it made me more conscious of different internal and external factors which can affect health. (Not just on a food front, but also different environmental factors which contribute to your quality of life).
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this as an audible. Despite knowing already a substantial amount about health and fitness, it was extremely fascinating to dive deeper and learn more about the science behind why certain foods affect our body (the mental & physiological aspects).

A must read book!

[Silvia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous one. Still good points and interesting references I will consult, but this book is a short version of Genius Foods, that I recommend reading to everyone. You can skip this one

[Nadia Vriendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Fans of Pascale Naessens will definitely find similarities, only Max Lugavere takes it up a notch by not just adressing problems with our highly processed diets, but also with aspects of our daily lives that are poisoning us (yes, you can take that quite literally)

[Emily O'Neill]

Literally just bad. Written by a journalist not a scientist. Dose makes the poison and this book does not consider that.

[Kellye Bojorquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easily readable distillation of the best in health research right now.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book. However, it’s not all rubbish. Eat your vegetables, exercise, sleep, etc, are all very good advice.

[Emma Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to live forever? Max Lugavere does. This book tries to explain what changes to your diet, activity, and environment would need to happen for that to occur.

Okay, so this book has some good points. The best ones being the common sense ones. Eat whole foods, exercise regularly, get rid of harmful plastics and toxins from your life. All good things.

My problem with this book is that this author isn't a researcher. You get the sense that this book was developed through Google searches and hand picked nutrition studies.

This book also assumes an ideal world in a lot of ways. An example of this would be his section on pain medications and his conclusion that many are harmful with regular and frequent use. Um, duh? But unfortunately, if you suffer from chronic illness, the side effects are generally worth the increase to quality of life. I don’t know many people who enjoy taking Tylenol regularly.

Lastly, he makes a lot of assumptions on "how our ancestors did things" as the right way to do things. He cites no sources for these anthropological observations and just wants his readers to be on board with the idea that if this was how the caveman did it, than it must be the "right" way to do it.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad book and did have helpful tips on creating a healthier lifestyle, but I think some of his ideas need to be taken with a grain of salt.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straightforward. Research backed. Easy to understand and follow. Simple and easy implementation. I just wish society would embrace the research and we weren't surrounded by misinformation overwhelmingly unhealthy options. Rant over.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for creating a healthier lifestyle while improving your brain and learning the dangers of some toxins in our everyday lives.

[Grace Deering · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want everyone i love to read this book

[Jennifer Rumack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book on creating the best protocols for a healthy brain and body as we age. The author is a journalist and is inspired by his mother's early death as a result of early onset Alzheimer's.

He has solid research based suggestions and is backed heavily in scientific studies. I like reading this kind of book but it may be too science heavy for some.

I also enjoy Max's podcast and his interview on Kelly Leveque's podcast as well.

[Alyssa Burkus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reminders for physical and mental health

“Even depression may be a response to inflammation. It may surprise you to hear that one third of clinically depressed people respond poorly to traditional treatments but react well to anti-inflammatory drugs.”

2017 study Deakin University “The study found that, for patients with major depression, cutting our junk foods and focusing instead on fresh vegetables, fruits, raw unsalted nuts, eggs, olive oil, fish, and grass-fed beef improved symptoms by an average of about eleven points on a sixty-point depression scale."

“The excess cortisol combined with elevated insulin from carbs eats away at our lean mass and causes us to store fat. This is why chronically stressed-out people tend to be ‘skinny fat.’ … the fat chronic stress causes you to store is primary the dangerous visceral fat in the belly (creating the apple shape). This inflammatory fat wraps around your vital organs and increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and brain shrinkage.”

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF p117
“Increased during vigorous exercise … helps keep the brain youthful by encouraging the growth of new brain cells in a process called neurogenesis.”

[Matt Legacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a good introduction to healthy living book but if you’ve been trying to live healthy for any amount of time the book is nothing new. That’s why I have it 2 stars, nothing I read here was more than a reminder of what I should be doing already.

I feel like a lot of advice isn’t practical. Especially the section on chemicals. Frankly it’s be more useful pressuring one’s politicians to have stringer regulations, like in the EU, than to NEVER touch a receipt.

Also, like most of these types of healthy living books, it just doesn’t make me feel good about myself. He outlines a several week plan to live healthier. Some of the stuff is good, but I’m also not in a place to eat everything organic, exercise first thing in the morning etc. etc. The advise is clearly written for someone who doesn’t have a 9-5 type job or many obligations to other people.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is preachy, but it is a wonderful compilation of the most up-to-date information on nutrition and environmental toxins effect on disease and our lives. The research is solid from what I can tell and answers a lot of questions I had on environmental toxins, that is very difficult to find on your own.

This is one of the few books that I would put in the "mandatory to read if you are a human" shelves. Obviously, I don't think anyone should be forced to read or do anything, but I feel like if everyone read this book and was aware of the effect that nutrition, exercise, and environmental toxins have on preventable disease and your ability to live a good life when you're old, then some people would change their behavior.

[Linda Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Genius Life” is a companion book to “Genius Foods” both are worth reading if you are looking to lead a healthy life using techniques based on scientific evidence. None of us want to end up with dementia but right now there is no magic pill that will cure it. Your life needs to be centered on prevention. Lugavere lays it out for you here and even gives you a schedule for implementation. Besides his books, Max provides a newsletter, website, instagram posts and an excellent podcast to keep you vested and current in the Genius Life. I only wish he had appeared earlier in my life but it’s never too late.

[Stefanie Rocheleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book loaded with actionable steps to living a healthier life. The majority of health problems today lifestyle related and preventable. It is surprising that the news and our doctors are not focusing on these facts. Max is not afraid to tell the truth, and explain how our modern day conveniences and indulgences are sabotaging our heath. The book is easy to read and full of science based information to empower people to live their best life. If you have an open mind and are ready to make changes, this book is a great guide.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this book had a lot of great information and or
the research has a lot of weight.
This author wrote this book to help others
because his mother became very ill and passed away.
I felt that he is really striving to helps others.
I listened to the audio off the library app however
if I ever see this book in print again within my budget
I would definitely pick it up.
This would be a book that would be nice
to have in your home to reference back to.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new will you learn if you are already interested in healthy life. It is just a compilation of good advice and quackery you can find all over the internet. Don’t waste your time unless you know absolutely nothing about health