The 9 Brain Foods That Will Help You Ace Those Exam | HuffPost Life

As exam time arrives, you can give yourself an advantage by feeding your brain with more than just knowledge.

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Freelance journalist and MA newspaper journalism student at City University

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Dusan Stankovic via Getty Images

As exam time arrives, you can give yourself an advantage by feeding your brain with more than just knowledge. Eating nourishing, nutritious food will help you to learn faster and means you won’t fall asleep on top of your revision notes.

While it’s important to eat healthily around exam time, you’ll only get more stressed if you treat your diet as an extra subject to revise. Don’t stress about trying to eat lots of unfamiliar foods – perhaps pick up a few new things in the supermarket next time you’re there.

The most important thing is not to eat rubbish all the time to ensure you reap the maximum rewards for your hard work. Click through the slideshow below to find out why these foods will be good to eat for dinner. And, good luck!

Foods to help you revise

Oily fish(01 of09)

Salmon, mackerel and tuna are stuffed full of omega-3 fats which help healthy brain and heart function. Low levels of omega-3 have been linked to memory loss - not what you want when you're revising! Try baking fish in a foil parcel with a squeeze of lemon, drizzle of oil and salt and pepper. Salmon can be expensive, so ask at the supermarket fish counter for smoked salmon offcuts which taste just as good even if they don't look the part. (credit:Andrea Pokrzywinski/Flickr)

Marmite(02 of09)

Love it or hate it, you can't deny that the black sticky stuff is full of the vitamin B12. This helps to regulate the nervous system, reducing stress, depression and brain shrinkage. The prospect of brain shrinkage is terrifying, so get spreading. As well as the ubiquitous Marmite on toast, try a Marmite and cheese toasted sandwich or adding a dollop to stews and mince dishes. It adds a delicious savoury depth while preventing your brain from getting smaller. (credit:celestehodges/Flickr)

Blueberries(03 of09)

Research has shown that blueberries can stop or improve short term memory loss. They're also full of antioxidants. To avoid spending your entire student loan on small blue fruit, buy frozen blueberries. They taste just as good and the different is negligible. Eat them stirred into muesli, with yogurt or baked into muffins. (credit:La Grande Farmers' Market/Flickr)

Pumpkin seeds and walnuts(04 of09)

Another excellent source of omega-3 and zinc, which helps your memory and ensures you're thinking clearly. Sprinkle onto porridge, eat straight from the bag or add to salads for a crunchy addition to your diet that will help you think straight. (credit:jaxzin/Flickr)

Red wine(05 of09)

Said to help keep bed bugs away - great if you're too busy working to change the sheets - red wine also keeps you mentally agile by helping to prevent dementia, and helps you to live longer by suppressing inflammation molecules. There's really no excuse not to unwind at night with a glass of the stuff. Doctors have even prescribed it to increase heart health. Only in moderation, though. (credit:QuinnDombrowski/Flickr)

Whole grains(06 of09)

Basic but useful, whole grains produce a slow and steady supply of energy throughout the day. No energy spikes for you - the tortoise won the race, not the hare. It would be easier to think of how you couldn't eat these: eat porridge, substitute grains such as quinoa and buckwheat for white rice and eat brown pasta and bread. This is a simple switch to make - simply buy wholemeal products instead of white. (credit:allieatfood/Flickr)

Tomatoes(07 of09)

7) TomatoesAnother way to help prevent dementia, lycopene is a powerful antioxidant found in this fruit. However it's only accessible in the body when tomatoes are cooked with oil, providing a perfect excuse to have (brown) pasta with tomato sauce for dinner. (credit:St0rmz/Flickr)

Broccoli, kale and other leafy greens(08 of09)

Broccoli's full of vitamin K and kale contains manganese, which helps you to focus. They're both high in iron and potassium. So eat up: trying baking the vegetables with olive oil and chilli flakes or adding them to soups. (credit:SweetOnVeg/Flickr)

Chickpeas(09 of09)

Magnesium helps to speed message transmission between brain cell receptors and chickpeas has plenty of it. It also increases blood flow to the brain by relaxing blood vessels. Eat hummus guilt free by the spoonful or add whole chickpeas to soups and stews to make them more filling. (credit:pedrik/Flickr)

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