Train Your Brain

Studies say staying sharp as you age is all about keeping the gray matter active. Give your noggin a boost with the mind games on fibrains.com. The site targets five key cognitive functions (including memory and logic) and tracks your progress as your brain gets in tip-top shape.

Are You Exercising Your Brain?

Neurobics for your mind. Get your brain fizzing with energy. American researchers coined the term ‘neurobics’ for tasks which activate the brain's own biochemical pathways and to bring new pathways online that can help to strengthen or preserve brain circuits. Brush your teeth with your ‘other’ hand, take a new route to work or choose your clothes based on sense of touch rather than sight. People with mental agility tend to have lower rates of Alzheimer's disease and age-related mental decline.

Boosting Your Child's Brain Power

A new study published in the Journal of School Health (2008;78:209-15), found that a high-quality diet is linked to a higher level of academic performance in school children.

Children who had the highest diet quality scores and therefore the healthy diets were 41% less likely to fail a standard literacy test than children with the lowest diet quality scores (indicating a poor diet). Variety and adequate nutrition were linked to academic performance, and children who ate more fruits and vegetables and fewer calories from fat did better on the test.

Previous research has shown that eating a healthy breakfast can help children do better in school. Other studies have found that being overweight has a negative impact on academic performance. So, both healthy eating and physical exercise might have the best effect on raising achievement in school.

Four Food Types That Zap Your Brain Power

If you ever feel foggy after lunch? Can't think straight after certain meals? It's not all in your head. The food you eat has a very real, and very significant, impact on your mind, including your ability to think clearly.

So if you value your brain power, which foods should you steer clear of?

1. Excessive Alcohol
Alcohol is a neurotoxin, which means it can poison your brain and kill your brain cells.

2. Refined Foods
If you eat mostly refined foods, it can cause imbalances in your brain that cause you to feel irratable, distracted, tired or fidgety.

3. Trans Fats
Trans fats have also been linked to other mental problems ranging from ADHD and dyslexia to autism.

4. Food Additives
MSG, which is a flavor enhancer in many packaged foods, is an exititoxin. Other food additives to avoid include the food coloring Blue 1, which has been linked to brain tumors in mice.

What SHOULD YOU EAT for BRAIN POWER?
Now that you know what to avoid to keep your brain in tip-top shape, here'e what to look for, and indulge in:

• Leafy vegetables
• Fruits
• Seeds and nuts
• Mercury free fish
• Organic eggs
• Whole grains
• Green tea

NewScientist.com