Diet tips that will ensure your alertness and brain energy

Just before an exam, a speech you have to deliver, an important business meeting, or any task that requires mental alertness, eat foods that are low in carbohydrates and fats, and high in proteins, recommends Dr. Judith Wurtman, who works at MIT on nutrition research. Here are some suggestions fully listed in her book Managing Your Mind and Mood Through Food.

Breakfast
Yes: skimmed milk, low-fat yogurt, fruit, hard-boiled egg, coffee, tea, juice, or fruit
No: bacon and eggs, hash browns, toast and jelly, donuts, pancakes, waffles

Lunch
Yes: plain tuna, green salad (watch the dressing), steamed or boiled shrimp, fruit platter, low-fat cottage cheese, 90-120 grams of turkey, chicken, lean roast beef
No: spaghetti or pizza, french fries, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cookies, regular sodas (carbonated or sugary)

Dinner
Yes: grilled salmon or other fish, green vegetables, tomatoes, berries
No: roast beef, baked potato with sour cream, corn on the cob, pie

• To stay alert, do not start your meal with carbohydrates, such as bread, before you start eating proteins like fish. Doing so cancels the greatest potential of proteins to energize your brain. Always eat proteins first and carbohydrates only after you have started digesting proteins, which need to reach the brain first. The order of eating matters.
• Do not eat carbohydrates on an empty stomach or without other protein-containing foods. (For example, carbohydrate-rich cereals are fine with protein-rich milk.) Eating just bread, pastries, pasta, salty crackers on an empty stomach makes you sleepy and relaxed, like drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, says Dr. Wurtman.
• Do not eat a heavy meal rich in fats if you want to keep a clear mind. Too much food causes sleepiness and sluggishness. Fats stay in the digestive tract longer, prolonging fatigue. The fattier and heavier the meal, the longer it takes to regain mental alertness and energy.

Franjo Lenac