Simi's Updates en-US Wed, 07 May 2025 11:01:35 -0700 60 Simi's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7550780106 Wed, 07 May 2025 11:01:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Simi added 'Brain: An Owner's Guide']]> /review/show/7550780106 Brain by Elizabeth R. Ricker Simi gave 5 stars to Brain: An Owner's Guide (The Body Literacy Library) by Elizabeth R. Ricker
I received an advanced copy of this book to give an authentic review, and wow does it make me want the paper copy!! The visuals are so vibrant and appealing, I really can't wait to get the hard copy so I can pore through it. This book is simply an excellent overview of everything the lay person needs to know about the brain, with a super smart neuroscientist guiding you through it. It's written very clearly, and I learned so much I didn't know about how the brain works. I really loved the sections on psychological and neurological differences, it was just the right amount of detail for me to feel informed without feeling overloaded. This book is gorgeous, informative and helpful. Highly recommend! ]]>
Rating821358211 Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:32:01 -0800 <![CDATA[Simi Dube liked a review]]> /
Outlive by Peter Attia
"This book was written by men, for men.
Let me explain...
And this will be long, because I felt like this book had so much potential.

1. The author should have started the book with his mental health story. Literally, the last chapter he starts to talk about the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset (without using those terms exactly), but that should be topic #1. You literally cannot proceed, if you have a fixed mindset.

2. This author could benefit from reading the book Invisible Women. He references many studies and statistics, but it is well known that women are very underrepresented in those statistics. He talks about, what he calls, "Healthcare 2.0 vs. Healthcare 3.0". Healthcare 3.0 is supposed to take the patient, as an individual, into consideration. We cannot apply statistics to women, if those statistics do not involve women. Another topic that is harmful for women, is dieting. He suggests calorie cutting and fasting, although he does say it's not for everyone. I think he just doesn't understand how harmful those topics are, especially to young women who have probably been using calorie counting apps since they first learned how to download an app.

3. He suggests way too many medications. In fact, he starts suggesting medications before we even get to the chapters on food. If anything, food recommendations should be listed prior to medications. I'm specifically referring to the section where he talks about using drugs to lower ApoB levels. A quick Google search told me; fatty fish, legumes and plant protein, olive oil, and minimally processed fiber-rich sources of carbs could help lower ApoB levels. All of those foods are also listed in The Mediterranean Diet, which is the most highly recommended diet for a reason.

4. I work in Oncology, so for the chapter on Cancer, I would have talked about beauty and household products. Many of the foods we eat have carcinogens, but also our beauty products, our clothes, our household products. We are basically in a giant fishbowl of carcinogens. I use apps like Yuka, Bobby Approved, and Healthy Living to scan products before I buy them.

5. He talks about how exercise can help with our breathing and then mentions meditation at the very end of the book when he is talking about mental health. Meditation can also be a good way to manage our breathing. A lot of these topics go hand and hand, so the way this book is structured is a little all over the place.

6.Protein is important, but not at the cost of fiber and other nutrients. This is one of the reasons I could tell this book was written by a man. Men push protein so hard, because of the suggestion that it helps improve muscle mass(just another form of toxic masculinity). Colon cancer is on the rise in young people, because we are being told to eat more protein and less carbs. The lack of fiber in our diets is the main cause, but protein can be very filling. If you're eating it in excess, you might not be hungry enough to eat your fiber rich foods. As my nutrition professor would say "everything in moderation".

7. Also, he never mentions Blue Zones... not once. Which I find extremely odd, seeing this is a book about longevity. Episode 4 of the show Down to Earth, talks about the blue zone of Sardinia. They actually found that the people there had a high carb, low protein diet. They also walked a lot more than the average American, and they made all of their "carbs" from real ingredients, from scratch. The issue with carbs in America, is much more a testament to the American food industry, but I digress. Having traveled to Italy myself, I can tell that the walking alone would definitely improve my health over time.

8. Unfortunately for this author, and for many men in general, he grew up with toxic masculinity which negatively impacted his mental health. I think he has come a long way, from what he has said in his chapter on mental health, but I could tell he is still learning. There is a lot of unconscious bias spread throughout this entire book and it only became more obvious in his chapters on exercise and nutrition. He basically tells us, the entire first half of the book that his "Healthcare 3.0" is not a one-size fits all solution. That he tailors it to fit his patients unique needs. Yet, the chapters on fitness and food are very specific instructions. He even says, if you find yourself disagreeing with what he says to "stop overthinking nutrition so much, hit pause on the audio-bo0k, go outside and get some exercise" (I was listening to the audiobook so I'm not sure what the physical book says). He also states that this book started as a diet and exercise guide for a friend and that makes so much sense. No wonder his "Healthcare 3.0" feels very "one-size-fits-all".

In conclusion, I do think there are a lot of important topics covered in this book and if you are a really unhealth person, you could find this book beneficial. If you are already a healthy person, this book was probably nothing new for you. I really liked the first half of this book, I felt he started to lose me once he got to exercise and nutrition. I also think he could have benefitted from a more feminine POV.

2025 Update: since this review decided to take off!
I still believe this is a good book if you are living an unhealthy lifestyle or you are a man. If you are already a semi-healthy person, this book will be a waste of your time. My biggest take away from this book was his future-forward thinking. By that I mean, if you want to be running marathons when you're 60, you need to be running marathons now. Whatever you imagine your life to look like in the future, you have to be doing that times ten now. So many of us put work first with the expectation of retiring at 60 and traveling the world... that won't happen if your body cannot endure traveling. That was basically the moral of the story, and seeing as how I have discouraged some people from reading it, I wanted to make sure they still received that one good piece of advice."
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