The brain is a high-maintenance organ. Especially during finals season, it is in metabolic overdrive, so to get the best out of the grey matter, it is important to know what it craves.
According to a 2003 article in Psychology Today by editor Hara Estroff Marano, the brain is a picky eater, but if it gets the right food, or the natural neurochemicals that they contain,\ mental capabilities are enhanced, helping concentration, magnifying memory, speeding up reaction times and lessening stress. While campusfood.com tends not to have much in the way of brain food, there are plenty of common foods and good-eating habits that can provide a mental boost during finals.
For starters, try a nice big plate of fish, your brain's favorite dish.
Marano wrote that ""the health of your brain depends not only on how much [or little] fat you eat but on what kind it is. Intellectual performance requires the specific type of fat found most commonly in fish, known as omega-3 fatty acids.""
The brain is made up of more than 60 percent structural fat and when the majority of these fats are of the omega-3 variety, the brain can function at a high level. Any cold water fish like salmon, sardines and tuna are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but the fish-averse can get their omega-3 fix from walnuts, canola oil, soybeans or special supplements.
In a 2005 issue of New Scientist, eating a balanced breakfast was listed as an important step towards a better brain. The brain burns through plenty of glucose, the main source of energy for the body, and a good breakfast—ideally a mix of complex carbohydrates and protein like scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice or peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel—can keep glucose levels up until lunch.
To avoid an afternoon slump, maintain glucose levels with a healthy snack before dinner.
Sugar and soda in the morning does not make for agile mental gymnastics—New Scientist wrote about a 2003 study which demonstrated that kids that ate candy and pop for breakfast performed at the level of an average 70-year old in tests of memory and attention.
Eggs have additional benefits—recent studies have shown that diet deficient in choline, naturally found in eggs, soy and red meat, may impair the memory. According to a 2001 Janet Raloff article in Science News, choline is a building block of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a chemical that plays an important role in memory.
Yogurt and the tyrosine it contains might also be an excellent brain aid during finals—New Scientist wrote that U.S. military research demonstrated that the amino acid ""tyrosine becomes depleted when we are under stress and that supplementing your intake can improve alertness and memory.""
Junk foods, particularly those containing trans-fatty acids, should be avoided in times of great mental duress. New Scientist wrote that preliminary research shows that rats and mice ""raised on the rodent equivalent of junk food struggled to find their way around a maze, and took longer to remember solutions to problems they had already solved.""
Good study skills do not come from hours in the library alone—your diet also has a lot to do with it. In other words, feed your mind, and the rest will follow.
\
