Even though we said nuts are nearly perfect, alone, they just don’t cut it. We need balance. That’s why we combine different foods at different times to get the best possible range of nutrients.

Don’t bother counting, however. As a nutritionist, even I can’t count all the vitamins, minerals, phyto nutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, and sugars. And we aren’t meant to. Natural foods contain what we need when we need it.

Don’t rely on any particular food on this list. Keep switching out different ones so you get the best of all the nutrients. Try new foods, different vegetables, and different combinations.

Go with your taste buds. When you are studying, we often seek out sweets and stimulating foods. By using the foods on this list, you provide your body with healthy choices that really nourish you.

BRAIN FOOD SNACKS

The combination of fresh fruit with healthy nuts is one of the best snacks you can eat. A simple apple with walnut butter gives you lots of Vitamins, healthy fats, and just a little bit of sugar. Apples also are packed with fast-acting anti-oxidants, so the stress of studying can be mitigated quickly. Just eat them alone. Or mix and match. Just make sure the brainfood is the start of the show.

Brain Foods for exams

1.    It’s better to go into an exam on a less than full stomach than having just eaten. Our anxiety increases when we approach a test, and this anxiety slows or stops our digestive system. This is the main reason to go easy on food before an exam.

2.  An optimal breakfast would be a single egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms, and a few other vegetables. These are lower in sugars, and very high in nutrition. A bad breakfast would be a donut, sugary coffee, or cereal. These are high in sugars, which will give you a sugar crash later on, and very low in nutrition.

3.  Water is important. Keeping hydrated means your brain works optimally. A dehydrated brain is in pain, slow to react, and sensitive to loud noises and lights (a hangover is brain dehydration). Keep a large glass of water near you and refill it often.

4.  Smaller meals and frequent snacking is also good for studying.You don’t want to fill your stomach, because this causes your body to release hormones that cause drowsiness. You also don’t want to be hungry because that causes hormones that take your attention away from studying.

5.   To keep optimally studying, stick to the list of foods above and eat small portions often. That way, you keep your brain engaged, your stomach quiet, your nutrition and sugars high, and your distractions low.

6.  EGGS: 

B12, You can’t find it anywhere naturally other than in the flesh of other animals. That’s why vegetarians get so sick after a few years.. B12 is perhaps The vitamin for energy, since we are unable to make energy without it.

7.   DARK LEAFY VEGETABLES:

all dark greens are packed with Vitamin K and nitrates. Naturally Occurring nitrates are bound to other vital nutrients and are healthy for our systems. Chemical nitrates, like what are found in lunch meats and preserved foods, actually destroy the blood-brain barrier and cause ‘leaking’ into the brain. Not something you want. The vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting, It’s also one of the vital nutrients for the formation of new neural pathways. You are physically able to learn when you have enough vitamin K in your system.

8.  DARK CHOCOLATES:

It’s rich in fiber, iron and magnesium, which all help the brain receives blood flow. The flavonols in dark chocolate increases blood flow, and the function of the heart, which can improve memory. It also contains the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. It’s better than coffee!

9.  PUMPKIN :

This one is a must for men. They contain several fats that are important for brain health, like ELA and ALA. They are also packed with zinc. Men lose more zinc than women, since zinc is a large component to seminal fluids. During stressful times, we use more zinc in our bodies and men lose more seminal fluids. If you eat your pumpkin seeds, you have a fast replacement, and this allows you your stress release and keeps your body sharp.

10. YOGHURT :

Ever have a gut feeling? That’s the billions of bacteria in your gut reacting to what’s happening. When the good bacteria are in charge, you feel good, have energy,and digest foods without issues. When the bad bacteria are in charge, you're tired, vomiting, have indigestions, and pain. Yogurt contains billions of  good probiotics that replace some of the bad bacteria in our gut. Properly fermented yoghurt (not what is in the tiny containers) is packed with the bacteria, plus thousands of nutritive by-products of the fermentation cycle that help heal our gut. While yogurt alone won’t give you a brain boost, it helps to fix problems and is a great carrier for other brain foods like…

11.APPLES :

Yes, it can keep the doctor away, or at least the memory doctor. Apples Contain high levels of acetylcholine,increasing movement and sensory perception. Apples also reduce anxiety,improve cognitive performance. Another study showed students who eat an apple at lunch show as much as a 7 point increase in test scores during afternoon exams.

12. BLUEBERRIES : 

Studies show that blueberries boost concentration and memory for up to five hours because the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to [your]brain – and keep the mind fresh. Blueberries Also contain a cocktail of antioxidants including anthocyanins,proanthocyanidins, resveratrol and tannins, and while I’m not going to even pretend I know what those are, they have been shown to boost focus, and even protect against cancer, heart disease, and dementia. 

13. GREEN TEA :

Green tea helps you focus for two reasons: one, it contains caffeine, and two, it contains l theanine.There is no doubt that caffeine helps you focus and improves your alertness. It's an ingredient that’s been shown to increase alpha-wave activity, which increases tranquility and releases caffeine more slowly, instead of all at once, which can lead to you crashing. The Two ingredients also combine to produce a better ability to focus attention,with improvement of both speed and accuracy, If You’re able to handle the caffeine content, introducing green tea into your diet is pretty much a no-brainer.

14.NUTS BEST BRAIN FOOD :

There are so many nuts and they are all good for you. Packed with nutrients, fats, and a tiny bit of carbohydrates, these foods are nature’s energy packages. They are easy to eat, easy to incorporate into other healthy foods, and easily portable.

WALNUTS:

  • They promote natural waste removal processes in the brain.
  • Boost anti-inflammatory activity in brain.
  • Cause faster processing and information storing.
  • Have antidepressant effect

PISTACHIOS :

  • Good source of vitamin B6
  • Can lift your mood

ALMONDS :

  • Improve memory
  • Enhance problem solving skills
  • Increase attention

If you notice on the list above, there isn’t a single processed food, pill, or artificial ingredient. So far, man has not met the perfect of nature. We just can’t figure out how it all works together to get something that nutritious in such a delicious package. So, we say the worst brain food is anything packaged.If it’s in a package, it’s not food, it’s a food-product. It’s a subtle difference, we can eat food-products, we just can’t get nutrition out of them.

If you aren’t getting nutrition out of your foods, your brain isn’t getting the nutrition it needs to really think. Plus, processed foods are packed with chemicals,preservatives, pesticide residues, and possibly unknown GMOs. Your body has to fight these and that means less energy for your brain.