Tips to eat better for improved mental function

Your brain works on what you feed it, so eat the right food and your memory may improve. Here are some tips to change your diet and improve brain function.

• Fresh tuna, salmon, trout and mackerel are high in omega-3 fatty acids, important for maintaining memory.
• A delicious fresh tuna salad, for example, is a real brain treat. (Canned tuna contains some omega-3 also).

• Low in saturated fat and high in fibre, a veggie meal will boost your efforts to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
• That's important in terms of the memory, because high cholesterol levels eventually damage blood vessels, affecting long-term memory and speeding the progression of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

• Not only do studies find that eating cereal in the morning can help your performance on certain cognitive tests, but a study in rats that ate blueberries every day for two months found that the fruit boosted levels of enzymes that help brain cells communicate with each other.
• Although the study was done in rats, the lead researcher says the results were so compelling that he now eats a serving or two of blueberries every day – just in case.

• And tomorrow night as well.
• It might help you to lose some weight – a good thing when it comes to memory.
• Swedish researchers found that older women diagnosed with memory problems tended to be an average of five to eight kilograms (11 to 17 pounds) overweight compared to women who had fewer memory lapses.
• Other studies find that overweight women and men have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

• Roast it in the oven at 180°C (350°F) until it's done (about two hours).
• A couple of small studies suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of sage may boost memory for several hours after eating the herb.
• Plus, lemons are chock-full of antioxidants important for maintaining healthy cell function.
• Other sage options: try a tea made with a teaspoon of the dried herb; or use it in salad dressing and rice dishes or add it to flavour pork or fish.
• Try growing some in your garden or in a small container in the kitchen.