Drs Dean & Ayesha Sherzai

Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are a husband and wife team whose work focuses on optimising brain health. The Sherzais argue that many degenerative brain ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and cognitive decline can be prevented with a healthy, wholefood plant-based diet.

Their website states:¹ Teamsherzai.com. 2020. Building Healthy Brains Together. Available: https://teamsherzai.com/ [Accessed 26 January 2022].

“Dr Dean Sherzai is a behavioral neurologist and neuroscientist whose entire life has been dedicated to behavioral change models at the community and population level. He has revolutionized the world of public health nationally and internationally. Dean finished his medical and neurology residencies at Georgetown University with a subsequent fellowship in neurodegenerative diseases at the National Institutes of Health, followed by a second fellowship in Dementia and Geriatrics at the University of California, San Diego. He also holds two master’s Degrees; in advanced sciences at UCSD and in lifestyle epidemiology from Loma Linda University. He has received a PhD in Healthcare leadership focused on community empowerment from Loma Linda/Andrews University. Finally, he completed the executive leadership program at Harvard Business School. His vision has always been to revolutionize healthcare by empowering communities to take control of their own health.

Dr Ayesha Sherzai finished two residencies at Loma Linda University; preventive medicine and neurology. She also holds a master’s in advanced sciences from UCSD. Subsequent to completing her residency Dr. Sherzai completed a fellowship in vascular neurology from Columbia University, and is currently enrolled to finish a PhD in women’s leadership. Knowing the importance of empowering her patients, and their communities Ayesha completed an extensive culinary training program and now teaches large populations how to make tasty, easy, and healthy food for their brain health.”

The pair follow a whole-food plant-based diet not because of ethical or environmental concerns but because all the evidence suggests it is the best diet for a healthy brain. Meat and dairy contain high levels of saturated fat which raises blood pressure which isn’t just bad for the heart but clogs up the brain too. Processed foods contain high levels of oils which have an inflammatory effect on the brain and imbalance our omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. Whole plant foods, however, are high in polyphenols, antioxidants, amino acids, and anti-inflammatory compounds. We are also learning more about how the gut and the brain are inextricably linked and we need plant fibre to feed our gut microbiome.