Paul Gill - Eat Yourself Smart: Ingredients and Recipes to Boost Your Brain Power

Aside from food, one of the most important things for getting your brain working to its full potential is water. Neurons store little droplets of water inside them, which they use to stop the brain overheating and to keep cell membranes elastic and able to do their job. Note that by the time you actually feel thirsty, your brain is already functioning at a less than optimum level.

Dehydration leads to poor concentration, reduced ability to solve problems, fatigue and dizziness. Drinking water regularly throughout the day will help to keep those neurons topped up and firing off connections with other neurons, so brilliant ideas will simply flood out of you!

Sixty per cent of the brain is made of fat, and there is a high concentration of an omega-3 fat called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for the brains processes. Our bodies dont produce the DHA we need so it has to come from our diet and the main source is oily fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines, herring, trout). It can also be found in eggs, nuts (especially walnuts), seeds (flax seeds are great), wholegrains and dark green leafy vegetables. Cut down on saturated fats (found in red meat) and avoid trans-fats also known as hydrogenated fats which are used in many processed foods. These can take the place of good fats in the brain and make the membranes less flexible and consequently the transmission of information more sluggish.

Proteins contain the amino acids needed for the manufacture of those important neurotransmitters. Tyrosine (found in poultry, dairy products, eggs, leafy greens and pulses) and tryptophan (in turkey, shellfish, nuts, seeds and cocoa) are crucial. Healthy proteins are required to build and maintain every cell in the body and are also essential for sustained energy.

Foods that cause blood sugar levels to peak and then plummet play havoc with concentration. If you have a Danish pastry or a sugary cereal for breakfast, you will experience a mid-morning slump and the temptation will be to reach for something sweet as a pick-me-up. And its not just sugary foods that have this effect: refined carbohydrates, in which the wholegrain element has been stripped away, are quickly converted to blood sugar too, as is alcohol. Choosing wholegrain carbohydrates, which are absorbed more slowly, instead will avoid this peaking and plummeting effect, as will eating protein along with fibre.

Advice used to be to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day but nutritionists now think eight portions give you better protection. Vary your choices as they all contain different antioxidants to protect the brain from damage, but the flavonoids in blueberries, strawberries and black grapes are particular superstars in protecting against memory loss, while beetroot and leafy green vegetables help to improve the blood supply to the brain.

Iron is an essential nutrient for the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain, so an iron deficiency can affect memory, learning and attention. Eating lean meats, shellfish, nuts and seeds, wholegrains, leafy greens (especially spinach) and dark chocolate on a regular basis should keep you well-stocked with iron.