Best Brain Foods Before Exams

Best Brain Foods Before Exams…

• Consume a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
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• Choose deeply colored items whenever possible:
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• in general, the deeper the color, the greater the source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.
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  Include fish at least three times per week and choose oily, low mercury fish or take a fish oil supplement.
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• Eliminate, or cut back on red meat to a maximum of once per week.
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• Choose complex carbohydrates, and avoid simple sugars.
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• Consider brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereals, and whole grain breads, vs. the white, refined and bleached counterparts.
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• Limit corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean oils: these oils contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids and none or very little omega-3.
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• Take a daily multivitamin.
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• The brain is a very active tissue and uses 20 to 30 percent of the calories consumed each day.
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• Breakfast is essential for providing the fuel the brain needs after fasting all night.
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• A high carbohydrate breakfast is the best way to supply energy to the brain because it uses only glucose (a simple carbohydrate) for energy.
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• A high fat breakfast can leave you feeling fatigued and less imaginative.
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•  Include fiber and a small amount of protein to help you stay full for longer.
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• Keep lunch light. A high-fat or high-calorie lunch (more than 1,000 calories) can leave you less alert.
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• Although carbohydrates can help jump start your day at breakfast, a lunch high in carbohydrates may make you sleepy and less able to focus, especially if you choose foods high in sugar.
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•  Eat whole grain carbohydrates, such as whole-wheat bread, along with a little protein, a piece of fruit, and vegetables to keep you going.
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• Avoid low calorie diets. Low calorie diets may affect memory, attention, and reaction time.
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• Include fish in your diet.
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•  Fish is low in saturated fat and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
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• One kind of omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
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• is important for the membranes of nerve cells and helps transport nutrients into the cell.
• DHA also regulates compounds that affect brain function.
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• Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.
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• Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables help neutralize or inactivate free radicals, molecules that can damage brain cells.
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• Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E are a few of the antioxidants that keep the brain healthy.
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• Good sources of vitamin C include green pepper, oranges, strawberries, and broccoli. Beta-carotene can be found in dark green leafy and orange vegetables and fruits such as carrots, spinach, apricots, collard greens, and cantaloupe. The best sources of vitamin E are wheat germ, almonds, and safflower oil.
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• Choose plenty of iron-rich foods. Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the United States.
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•  Iron deficiency can contribute to shortened attention spans, lowered intelligence, poor coordination, and inability to concentrate.
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• Iron helps transport oxygen to brain cells.
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• A lack of oxygen can cause cell functions to slow down and stop.
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•  If you are tired, irritable, and cannot think clearly, you may want to have a blood test done to check your iron.
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• Good iron sources include lean meats, beans, and iron-fortified cereals.
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• To boost iron absorption, eat a high-vitamin C food along with your meal.
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  In addition to eating well, be sure to get plenty of rest, limit stress and be physically active everyday to boost your brainpower!

Best Regards

SAN…