Other than getting a good night’s sleep, there’s probably no other thing that impacts your productivity and mood at work more than what you eat. Yet you probably give little thought to what you consume before and during work, defaulting instead to what’s convenient, cheap, and tasty. And when you do think twice about what you eat, it’s usually in the context of a diet that’s focused on losing weight rather than improving your cognitive functioning and energy levels. Fortunately, there are a few basic food rules that go a long way towards achieving these latter goals. Here are the best of them.

Read more: 6 Rules: How to Eat Right on the Job

It’s true that connections are being made all the time with the foods we eat and the way we feel, think, and behave.

The burning question is if eating certain foods makes you smarter, happier, or more able to constructively respond to stress.  The key lies in finding those food to help boots your brainpower.

Try these to help your mind

• Antioxidants: Foods and supplements containing antioxidants are known to boost your brain health as well as longevity. To get your share of antioxidants, look for darkly colored vegetables and fruits (blueberries). Green tea is a beverage jam-packed with antioxidants.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in all sorts of seafood. This includes salmon, halibut, and scallops. Omega-3′s have been linked to nerve cell regeneration and reduced brain inflammation.
• B vitamins: The B vitamin family is a rich source of food for your nervous system. The messages our brain sends back and forth between our nerves depend on B-complex vitamins, namely folic acid, vitamin B6, and choline. Foods filled with B-complex vitamins aren’t too hard to find. Folic acid can be found in dark green vegetables (spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, and turnip or mustard greens). Beans also contain folic acid. For a folic acid feats, try garbanzo or pinto. For choline, crack an egg, because egg yolks are rich in this . Other sources include soybeans, peanut butter, potatoes, and whole-wheat bread.
• Iron: Iron helps our blood to deliver oxygen to our body. Deficiencies in iron have been associated to all sorts of problems, including ADHD, learning disabilities, and lowered IQ. Our reasoning skills could benefit from foods that contain iron. You can easily find iron in foods like spinach, blackstrap molasses, lentils, tofu, broccoli, and brussel sprouts.
• Vitamin E: Some people can stave off mental decline with a daily crossword, Sudoku puzzle, or a few hours of ‘The Price Is Right’. Foods with vitamin E could also help keep you sharp! Vitamin E, especially taken along with vitamin C, has been linked to reduced cognitive decline with aging. The following foods are rich with vitamin E: mustard and turnip greens, spinach, and broccoli. And if green doesn’t do it for you, you can pop sunflower seeds, almonds, or olives for a dose of vitamin E.

Here are a few links that can help you with nutritional make-overs:

• Recipe makeovers: 5 ways to create healthy recipes
• Healthy Eating Makeover
• Overhaul Your Family’s Eating Habits

A French epicurean once said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” But can eating certain foods make you smarter, happier, or more able to constructively respond to stress? Could junk food lead to a junk attitude? Connections are being made all the time between the foods we eat and the way we feel, think, and act.

Did you know, for instance, that depression and aggression have been linked to diets that are high in harmful fats and low in beneficial fruits and veggies? Or that eating fish and seafood may reduce the risks of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? Or that tea may bring on a calm yet alert state of mind?

Memory, alertness, and mood can all be impacted by your nutritional choices. And while intelligence and mental functions are complex and involve many bodily systems and processes, there are a few key nutrients that could help to boost your cerebral stamina.

Foods to boost your brain power

• Antioxidants: Foods and supplements containing antioxidants (e.g., phytochemicals, catechins) could boost your brain health and longevity. Darkly coloured vegetables and fruits contain phytochemicals (blueberries, in particular), and green tea is packed with catechins.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids found in many kinds of seafood, including salmon, halibut, and scallops, have been linked to nerve cell regeneration and reduced brain inflammation.
• B vitamins: B is for brain, that’s for sure. The B family of vitamins is a rich source of food for the nervous system. The messages our brain sends back and forth between our nerves depend on B-complex vitamins, especially folic acid, vitamin B6, and choline. Finding foods full of B-complex vitamins isn’t too hard. Folic acid can be found in dark greens, including spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce, and turnip or mustard greens. Loads of beans contain folic acid, too. Try black, garbanzo, or pinto for a folic acid feast. Crack an egg for choline: egg yolks contain this B-vitamin in abundance. Other sources include soybeans, peanut butter, potatoes, and whole-wheat bread.
• Iron: Iron helps our blood to supply oxygen to our body. Deficiencies in iron have been associated with ADHD, learning disabilities, and lowered IQ. It stands to reason, then, that our reasoning skills could benefit from foods that contain iron. Find iron in foods like spinach, blackstrap molasses, lentils, tofu, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
• Vitamin E: Some stave off mental decline with a daily crossword or Sudoku puzzle. Foods with vitamin E could keep you sharp, too! Vitamin E, especially taken along with vitamin C, has been linked to reduced cognitive decline with aging. Take note of vitamin-E-rich foods: mustard and turnip greens, spinach, and broccoli. And if green is not your colour, you can pop sunflower seeds, almonds, or olives for a dose of vitamin E.