Fish It ain't called "brain food" for nothing, with oilier varieties such as tuna and sardines topping the charts. Several recent UK studies showed that the omega 3 in fish improves concentration and reading ability, while it's also thought to improve communication between the brain cells. A 2009 Swedish study by the University of Gothenburg showed teenage boys who ate fish more than once a week scored 12 per cent higher than their peers on IQ tests held three years later.

Vegemite A lash of the iconic spread on wholemeal toast is a beaut way to start the day. First, having breakfast is the glucose jolt the brain needs to fire up. Second, the vitamin B in Vegemite has proven brain-boosting properties.

Salad Chow down on a mix of baby spinach leaves, carrot and tomatoes for an antioxidant injection. The University of California recently gave ageing beagles a diet high in the stuff and showed it markedly improved the hounds' cognitive abilities.

Yoghurt Fading in the afternoon? Well can the Kit Kats for a tub of dairy goodness instead. Yoghurt contains the amino acid tyrosine, which research by the US Army has shown to improve alertness and memory, particularly if you're stressed out.

Hot chocolate Caffeine may be your traditional kick-starter, but a switch to cocoa may be the trick your brain needs. A recent study from the University of Nottingham in the UK found that the flavanols in cocoa increase blood flow to the "thinking" parts of the brain.

Coffee The coffee bean shouldn't be discounted, though. Regular coffee chuggers experience less mental decline and other ageing disorders. But it must be ground coffee served as an espresso. And don't combine it with cream, sugar, chocolate, whisky, a ciggie or a doughnut.

Berries US scientists from Tufts University and the University of Colorado who fed rats strawberries and blueberries discovered the rodents all had improved concentration, coordination and short-term memory.

Green tea The everyday supermarket variety is good, but for a real brain boost look for the Japanese Matcha variety. It may look like swamp scum, but it's got 10 times the antioxidants of regular green tea and 33 times more than blueberries. It also does an amazing job of calming, soothing and focusing the brain.

Ginkgo biloba Made from one of the oldest trees on the planet and used by humans in one form or another for centuries. In terms of the old grey matter, it can improve thinking and memory, reduce feelings of depression and has been used to treat dementia patients.

Gambogic amide "What?" you say. Derived from the bark of a tree in South-East Asia, it's the latest buzzword among brain researchers. Early reports say it can do anything from protect against brain cell death to limit the damage caused by strokes.