Foods that make you smarter

[navskore]

My dad claims that eating almonds make you smarter? Can this claim possibly be true and are there any foods that you should eat around exam time to make you more intelligent?

[percy]

Drinking fish milkshakes may make you smarter, i saw it on Big Brother so it must be true.

[cruisysloth]

They say fish is suppose to be good brain food

[SamJam]

when i was at uni they used to have these Professor Brain Energy drinks...one was a red can and it improved alertness and memory apparently. Now i dunno if it was the placebo effect or what but i used to down a couple of these cans and cram my little ass off before an exam..i used to swear by them.

they used to have another colour which was yellow..and it was for relaxation..i used to take them before presentations..never did anything though..needed the vali

[dugg]

They say fish is suppose to be good brain food
i've heard that too..

[quirks]

I have convinced myself that porridge in the morning is making me smarter.

[esoteric31]

The B vitamins improve memory and brain function. Magnesium rich foods are good too. Try taking a B complex, magnesium and fish oil supplement around this time of year.

I think if you are leading a reasonably healthy lifestyle and eating well and exercising you should be right.

[Lambretta]

My dad claims that eating almonds make you smarter? Can this claim possibly be true and are there any foods that you should eat around exam time to make you more intelligent?
I think he's getting confused with licking your professors nuts.

That's guaranteed to get you higher grades!

[navskore]

when i was at uni they used to have these Professor Brain Energy drinks...one was a red can and it improved alertness and memory apparently. Now i dunno if it was the placebo effect or what but i used to down a couple of these cans and cram my little ass off before an exam..i used to swear by them.

they used to have another colour which was yellow..and it was for relaxation..i used to take them before presentations..never did anything though..needed the vali
I've never seen them, are they like the v-drinks or red bull? Will keep an eye out though.

I have convinced myself that porridge in the morning is making me smarter.
I used to skip brekky and choose sleep everytime, but now I eat while I drive to uni and I find it helps me stay awake and concentrate during lectures so there might be some truth to it.
The B vitamins improve memory and brain function. Magnesium rich foods are good too. Try taking a B complex, magnesium and fish oil supplement around this time of year.

I think if you are leading a reasonably healthy lifestyle and eating well and exercising you should be right.
Thats good advice, I used to take fish oil (for dry skin though) but I haven't bought a new bottle, might be time to I guess.

I think he's getting confused with licking your professors nuts.

That's guaranteed to get you higher grades!
:-O :) :thumb:

[peccadilios]

I'm not sure how food can actually make you smarter, you can't just take something to make you smart, but there's vitamins like Ginkgo Bibloba that enhance memory and concetration, but you have to put in the work to actually be smart.

[SamJam]

I've never seen them, are they like the v-drinks or red bull? Will keep an eye out though.
yeah they were in cans like v or red bull.

pretty sure they arent sold anymore..i havent seen them for 4 or 5 years

[Script]

Fish oil is food for the brain, its the omega fatty acids that help memory and concentration.

Coffee is a circulatory stimulant and improves alertness. This got me through my exams, and chai tea.
Porridge has heaps of silica in it which is good for the nerves ie exam stress.

Gingko biloba will help, but its a herb not a vitamin and hard to get as a food, fresh salads with basil, parsley and sage (the original wisemans herbs) will be good brain foods, improve oxygen to the brain.

Almonds are high in B vitamins, especially B6 which is good for many pathways in the body, so can improve your study but not by directly affecting the brain, more the nerves and adrenals.

Failing that eat pretty often, avoid refined carbs, its amazing how much fuel the brain uses...

[one_tjc]

if you can get a prescription for modafinil (or provigil) - it enhances your congnitive ability (not permanently, just while its active in your system)

i think substances like this will be the next big worry for education institutions

[HERCULES555]

Swallowing semen* works for females (for males it just makes them gay)


*Human, Monkey, Horse, Dog and Elephant are the only ones proven to work.

[navskore]

Fish oil is food for the brain, its the omega fatty acids that help memory and concentration.

Coffee is a circulatory stimulant and improves alertness. This got me through my exams, and chai tea.
Porridge has heaps of silica in it which is good for the nerves ie exam stress.

Gingko biloba will help, but its a herb not a vitamin and hard to get as a food, fresh salads with basil, parsley and sage (the original wisemans herbs) will be good brain foods, improve oxygen to the brain.

Almonds are high in B vitamins, especially B6 which is good for many pathways in the body, so can improve your study but not by directly affecting the brain, more the nerves and adrenals.

Failing that eat pretty often, avoid refined carbs, its amazing how much fuel the brain uses...
Wow, cheers for that I'm going to try and eat as much of these foods as I can. I'm pretty unhealthy at the best of times and I've been waking up tired everyday. Interesting fact about the almonds as well.

[navskore]

if you can get a prescription for modafinil (or provigil) - it enhances your congnitive ability (not permanently, just while its active in your system)

i think substances like this will be the next big worry for education institutions
I remember reading an article in readers digest on it and it sounds awesome but I don't think my doc will give me a script for it, he hates even giving me antibiotics or temazepam :meh:

[one_tjc]

you could always read up on insomnia and pretend you have it?

maybe its best to goto a random bulk billing clinic and asking.. i've never tried - im not a cheat!

[esoteric31]

Swallowing semen* works for females (for males it just makes them gay)


*Human, Monkey, Horse, Dog and Elephant are the only ones proven to work.
:lol:

[Pigman]

Alphabet Spaghetti?

[navskore]

you could always read up on insomnia and pretend you have it?

maybe its best to goto a random bulk billing clinic and asking.. i've never tried - im not a cheat!
I don't have to pretend, i've been seeing him since I was in year 10 for insomnia (i'm 23 this year) and he is just a hippy at heart I suppose. He's always suggesting natural therapies and stuff and I'm too slack to find a new doctor so I put up with it.

[navskore]

Alphabet Spaghetti?That one actually made me smile

[Webber]

ye eggplant makes u smart hahah

[djtoastytraxx]

Yukk egg plant, buy itself anyways!!! Fish is the goods, you feel smarter str8 after you eat it, just make sure you buy real fish! Processed or hake from fish shops is lower class, keep to the perch or gem fish!

[djtoastytraxx]

Alphabet Spaghetti?

Yesss the truffle shuffle, the goonies, what a old time classic!!

[SpaceMonkey]

Swallowing semen* works for females (for males it just makes them gay)


*Human, Monkey, Horse, Dog and Elephant are the only ones proven to work.

But it mustn't come in contact with air prior to being ingested, and it must be consumed immediately prior to exams to have an effect.
Girls, I'll be outside the examination hall adminstering "brain shots" at exam time this year....

[one_tjc]

Yukk egg plant, buy itself anyways!!! Fish is the goods, you feel smarter str8 after you eat it, just make sure you buy real fish! Processed or hake from fish shops is lower class, keep to the perch or gem fish!k33p 3atin' dat fis4 YO!

[djtoastytraxx]

k33p 3atin' dat fis4 YO!

3333rrrrrrr maybe i will, you keep eating ya mum and well both be happy!!!

[liz_r]

Anything that helps to avoid swings in blood sugar is going to help with concentration and performance. Low blood sugar causes a decrease in cognitive ability and concentration.

This is why the porridge (and breakfast in general, really) is going to help with concentration in the morning, it brings your blood sugar levels up from low overnight levels and it is low GI so it will keep your blood sugar at a good level for ages.

Eating low GI food regularly will also help. While sugary food can seem a good solution to that mid-arvo slump it actually ends up working against you because you get a sharp rise then a sharp fall in blood sugar levels, so you can be worse off than when you started. Try eating something low GI like a piece of wholemeal bread or some lowfat dairy to keep you going through the afternoon.

[navskore]

^ Are potatoes low or high gi. I heard high but I thought all non processed foods were low gi so now I'm confused. I love potatoes.

[navskore]

But it mustn't come in contact with air prior to being ingested, and it must be consumed immediately prior to exams to have an effect.
Girls, I'll be outside the examination hall adminstering "brain shots" at exam time this year....

I'm reaching the point where I'm willing to try anything, so i'll see you there ;)

[t a s h]

I'm reaching the point where I'm willing to try anything, so i'll see you there ;)Haha! +1
:P


Re: potatoes - ranks high on the GI & GLI
Maybe substitute it for something else? Pumpkin or sweet potato? [edit] oops sweet potato also high



p.s helpful thread :thumb:

[liz_r]

^ Are potatoes low or high gi. I heard high but I thought all non processed foods were low gi so now I'm confused. I love potatoes.


Yep, as Tash said, potatos are high GI. Unfortunately it's not as easy as processed foods are high GI and "raw" foods are low GI - it has to do with the types of sugars etc. in the foods, and that doesn't just mean that white sugar that you would normally think of. For example, many fruits are hight GI because they contain a lot of fructose.

Foods are classed as high or low GI depending on how quickly they break down to simple sugars (yes, I know I'm over simplifying this). The slower the food breaks down, the lower the GI and the longer it will provide a steady supply of energy - also the longer it will keep you feeling full. This is why GI is a good way to go if you are trying to lose weight (as well as the fact that low GI foods tend to be low in sugar and fat).

Why you have probably heard the generalisation that processed foods are all high GI and unprocessed foods are low GI is because processed foods tend to contain more simple sugars and are highly refined (already "broken down") - but as stated above it's not as simple as this (but it's a good idea to avoid processed foods as a general rule anyway).

There are some good links about GI on the internet, when I get to work and I'm not on my wireless internet I'll have a look for some to post here :)

[Marzy]

AFAIK sweet potatoes are low gi (possibly medium depending on how they're cooked and for how long, eg. roasting them in the oven would increase the gi as opposed to steaming or nuking them).
When bodybuilders do their 3-day low gi carb-up before contests they almost exclusively use sweet potatoes and dry oatmeal.

Regular white potatoes are indeed high though.

[supa]

oh cool... sweet potatoes taste so much better too!

[t a s h]

^^Yep, my mistake.

www.glycemicindex.com
Food and Manufacturer | GI serve (g) | carb/serve (g) | GL
- Sweet potato, boiled (Australia) | 44 | 150 | 26 | 11.4
- Sweet potato (Canada) | 48 | 150 | 26 | 12.5
- Sweet potato, peeled, cubed, boiled in salted water 15 min (Canada) | 59 | 150 | 26 | 15.3
- Sweet potato, kumara, boiled (New Zealand) | 77 | 150 | 21.2 | 16.3
- Sweet potato, kumara, boiled (New Zealand) | 78 | 150 | 20.7 | 16.1

where
A high GI value is 70 or more.
A medium GI value is 56 to 69 inclusive.
A low GI value is 55 or less.

[supa]

i thought most of the sweet potatoes that were in the shops were kumara NZ ones?? (which are high GI by those stats) hmnn something tells me i'm going to be accosting my local greengrocer sometime this week....

[navskore]

Cheers for the link tash and good luck in your exams :)

liz_r thanks for posting all that too hey, i've always been under the processed bad, unprocessed good but it was an eye opener reading that post.

Well i've had 2 exams now and I don't know if eating salmon 4 times a week has been helping but I've been enjoying it.

[bricktop712]

http://www.menshealthmagazine.com.au/display.cfm?objectid=1F6CAD82-F79C-44CF-8FC331E87AAFB3D6&navid=A70D80D5-1DDC-4449-89D745E09579E7D3

[Sadza]

Study, i hear that's pretty good around exam time.

[t a s h]

Cheers for the link tash and good luck in your exams :)hehe thanks -you too!!
I'm all finished now and I'd like to think the almonds and fish helped :P

[navskore]

Hahah last one on weds for me, we'll find out in a month anyway if it worked

Study, i hear that's pretty good around exam time.

Yeah someone mentioned it to me once and I did contemplate it but decided against it in the end :P

[buffed]

put an encyclopedia in the blender and spread it on some bread

[t a s h]

Came across this article ... not as relevant now exams are over but anyhoo..
(sorry i can't link -from factiva so have to quote whole thing)SUPER FOODS FOR SUPER MEMORY
5 July 2006 < --- wtf?? suspect June 06 lol
Femina
English
(C) 2006. Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd.
Seema Tarneja and Priya Khanna

Improve memory and enhance concentration? Is that possible?

Yes. With the right food, it is. Proteins and vitamins from natural foods contribute to better memory.

The brain, like any other part of the body, needs particular nutrients to increase the power of the memory as well as increase concentration. The best way to boost one’s memory and increase concentration is to eat plenty of antioxidants and nutrients, commonly found in fruits and vegetables.

Soya
Isoflavons, the natural plant oestrogen in soya foods, act on oestrogen receptors in the human brain, which is a crucial area for memory. Soya can be added to the diet through natural products such as soya milk, tofu and soya atta or through supplements.

Caffeine
It can improve mental and memory performance as it stimulates many regions of the brain. It increases concentration, faster responses and quicker thinking. You can get enough of it from chocolates, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Just two cups of coffee are necessary a day to make one mentally alert. One can drink a cup first thing in the morning and the next cup around early afternoon.

Almonds
They are beneficial in preserving the vitality of the brain provided they are chewed properly as they are rich in copper, iron, phosphorus and Vitamin B content. Soak them overnight and eat deskinned.

Oily fish
Omega 3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, are an essential component of the brain cell membrane, and their role in cell structure is thought to improve memory power. Sources of this kind of fish include sardines, salmon, herring and mackerel.

Eggs
Choline is a B Complex Vitamin that is concentrated in high-cholesterol foods like eggs and liver. A lack of choline can lead to impairment of memory and even concentration.

Rosemary and sage
Rosemary helps in improving the blood supply to the head. This results in stimulating the brains and thereby, it improves your memory. Tea made from the herb, sage, sweetened to taste is also said to help in improving memory.

Some Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin B

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) helps to increase your memory. Sources include liver, milk, almonds, dark green vegetables, mushrooms, pasta and bread.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) helps long-term memory. Sources include whole grain cereals and breads, spinach, bananas, liver and avocados.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), considered a wonder drug is essential for the healthy metabolism of nerve tissue. Deficiencies can cause brain damage and can lead to neurological disorders.

This vitamin is known to improve memory and concentration. Best sources include liver, beef, pork, eggs, cheese, fish and milk.

Iron
Iron enables the red blood cells to send oxygen throughout the body and plays an important role in the transmission of signals in the brain. One can find it in green leafy vegetables, raisins, peanut butter, eggs, liver, shellfish, lean meats and soyabeans.

Zinc
Zinc helps increase mental alertness. Food sourcesinclude seafood, oysters, fish, legumes, cereals, whole grains, and dark meat.


Neurotransmittors are also known to be brain foods. They include:
Acetylcholine: This neurotrasmittor is responsible for memory and is formed from lecithin in the diet. Lecithin can be found in egg yolk, peanuts, wheat germ, soya beans, liver, meats, fish, milk and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Try to increase the intake of lecithin in your diet.

Dopamine: This generally excites and is involved in movement, attention and learning ,but is also inhibitory. Dopamine-rich foods include all kinds of proteins — meat, milk products, fish, beans, nuts andsoya products.

Serotonin: It usually inhibits and is involved in arousal and sleep, mood, appetite and sensitivity. However, it is also excitatory and is part of the brain’s reward system, producing feelings of pleasure. Sources are carbohydrate based — pasta, starchy vegetables, potatoes, cereals, and breads.

Document FEMMAG0020060626e27500006

[hOuSeMuSiC]

chewing gum....did anyone else hear it improves memory or something on sunrise?

[navskore]

Cheers for that tash, can't believe almonds were on the list hey :P

I've been doing brain stimulating exercises by using my non dominant hand and feet to do stuff because I heard it stimulates the neurones on the other side of your brain and prevents alzheimers :blush:

[schmut]

i hear drinking your own urine is very nutricious!!!!

[Lambretta]

I was watching this documentary on Omega 3 fatty acids and how they're supposed to make your brain grow and help develop brain function etc.

They said the best source of Omega 3 was oily fish and seal blubber. In fact the Eskimos (yeah I know they're Innuit Indians) have the highest Omega 3 intake in the world.

So if Omega 3 makes you smart and the Eskimo's are the smartest of the smart, how come they've never invented fuck all, they've never thought to move somewhere warmer and their whole lifestyle revolves around catching and killing seals?

Something tells me that a piece of the fucking jigsaw is missing here.

Eskimo crosswords must be really hard.

Their language basically has the words, Snow, Ice, Sleet, Fish, Seal, Fur, Igloo and no I'm not getting butt naked no matter how hot you are, cos my wang looks small at minus 60 degrees celcius.