Exam time is here and while you may think gettting stuck into the books is all you need to pass, you’re fogetting about the fact that you need to keep yourself hydrated and eat well – healthy body, health mind, and all that – so why not try some of DYRT’s tips and start munching on some proper brain food now!!!!

Brain drain

“Drinking one to two glasses of red a day can improve cognition,” says Dr Clinton Wright, assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University, New York, whose research found that moderate wine drinkers scored significantly higher on a mental acuity tests than those who didn’t drink at all.

Meat head

“Fresh foods as close to their natural state as possible, such as meat, fish, chicken and eggs, fruits and vegetables – preferably organic – optimise brain function,” says Dr Caroline Leaf, learning specialist and author of Who Switched Off My Brain? (Wescott Marketing).

Think green

Green beans boost the body’s vitamin B stores, which can be depleted through stress. “Mental and physical duress locks the action of the chemical acetylcholine in the brain, which adversely affects memory,” says Leaf.

Pasta notes

“Wholewheat pasta with vegetables will aid sleep,” says Leaf. “That’s to help the brain consolidate, refresh and prime its memory stores. Too little sleep fades memory circuits,” says Leaf.

Fluid thinking

“Fluidity of memory comes literally from sufficient water in the brain,” says Leaf. “Water speeds up brain function. When the brain dehydrates, it releases cortisol, a hormone that shrinks dendrites, the tree-like branches in the brain that store information and create memory.”