We all know that we need food to fuel out bodies, but many of us are unaware of what kind of fuel our mind needs in order to stay focused and sharp. Our various moods, motivations and mental performance are all dependent upon our diet and different food have a big impact on how our brains perform throughout the day.

While thinking hard about something may not feel as tiring as jogging a couple of miles, our brains, in a metabolic sense, are extremely active organs that require a lot of of the right amount of fuel to keep firing properly.  The best fuels for your brain are fatty acids. Unfortunately, these fatty acids are not the type of fuel found in your favorite greasy fast food cheeseburger and side of fries or a bag of delicious salty potato chips. Instead these fatty acids are of the omega-3 types that are found in abundance in fish such as salmon and tuna as well as sardines and mackerel.  That’s right kids, your mother was right in calling your tuna sandwich “brain food”.

Omega 3 fatty acids are important for maintaining the outer layers of the brain cells and forming new connections between the nerve cells as you go about learning and memorizing things.  Omega 3 is essentially the substance that your brain uses to build more brain components.

Besides these all important Omega 3’s, there are other fatty acids that the brain’s neurotransmitters need in order to improve memory and reaction time. Choline, a fatty B vitamin found in abundance in things like eggs, is especially important in this respect. Research on choline has found that it has helped older people with their reaction times and memory and has increased endurance in athletes, especially long distance runners.

Here are some more things that will help boost the old brain…

• Sugar: while its effects are temporary at best, a little sugar can get things moving
• Carbohydrates: Taking in crabs, especially without the addition of fat or protein has soothing affect on the brain. Peanut butter is a good example
• Chocolate: eat it while studying, and then while taking the test.  It is also good at mellowing you out in times of stress.
• Coffee: the worlds favorite drink works as a great mental stimulant.

While there are many papers, journals, television programs, and internet sites available containing a vast array of information about brain metabolism, a diet rich in Omega 3 fatty acids is the surest way to go about giving your noggin the fuel it needs to keep on thinking.