Jean-Marie Bourre was one of the discoverers of the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the brain, and he is credited with revolutionising our knowledge of nutrition. A member of the French Academy of Medicine, he formerly headed a research unit specialising in brain chemistry and its links to nutrition, at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM). Editions Odile Jacob published Jean-Marie Bourre’s highly successful earlier books, including La Diététique de la performance, La Vérité sur les oméga-3, La Nouvelle Diététique du cerveau and La Chrono-diététique.

A balanced diet means eating a little of everything: this sensible notion is now widely accepted. But we’re also beginning to realise that we must pay attention to the body’s biorhythms to optimise the nutritional value of the food we consume. Science can now teach us how to organise our daily intake of food in order to optimise and develop our intellectual capacities and improve performance. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in the area of chrono-nutrition.
When should we eat to obtain the maximum nutritional benefit from the food we consume? Which foods should we eat, and how should we combine different foods in order to boost our brainpower?
Depending on age and circumstances (adolescence, pregnancy, intense activity), what are our specific nutritional needs to ensure a healthy diet for optimal performance?
How can we reconcile daily lifestyle, nutrition and performance?
The latest scientific findings can help us improve what we could call ‘chrono-dietetics’ — that is, nutrition that takes into account our natural biorhythms, so as to ensure brain health, efficacy and pleasure. Today, the ‘art of eating’ should reconcile real, natural needs with the demands of a modern lifestyle.

• What foods should we eat, at what moment, and how should we combine them?
• How to get maximum benefit from the essential nutrients that are required for wellbeing?
• Depending on age, gender, professional and other activities, how and what to eat to maintain and optimise our brainpower?