He is a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and one of modern medicine’s leading proponents of a nutrition-based approach to clinical mental health treatment. The right foods can help as much as the right medications is his point.

He has written several books on the topic. The first, a cookbook called “Fifty Shades of Kale,” tries to make nutrient-dense kale look sexy while explaining how it plays a huge role in brain health. The second, more of a lifestyle book, called “The Happiness Diet,” tells readers how to avoid the common “mood busters” (sugar, bad fats, chemical additives and dangerous pesticides) commonly found in processed foods and to choose whole foods that give the brain the nutrients (magnesium, vitamin B12, iron, vitamin D and good fats) it needs for optimal health.