Last updated 14:50, Wednesday, 03 September 2008

The new school year starts next week and a crucial part of any school day is food.

Children enjoying school dinners

Sending your littl’uns off with a decent breakfast in them and the right lunch is vital to maintain concentration and help learning skills.

Learndirect has come up with some top tips for brainfood and some tasty recipes to boost IQ and get the most from your little grey cells.

1 Get into the breakfast habit.

Don't just rely on coffee to give you a kick start in the morning. Take the time to eat a proper breakfast and you'll reap the rewards throughout the day. For a balanced diet, choose a wholegrain low GI cereal like porridge, granola or muesli with semi skimmed milk or wholemeal toast with eggs. The sugars in these foods are released more slowly into the blood stream which means that they satisfy your hunger for longer and help your energy levels to increase.

2 Fish for brains

Oil rich fish like salmon, sardines and fresh tuna contain omega-3 fats which help the brain cells communicate with each other. As a guide, try to eat at least one portion of oil rich fish a week – but remember, although fresh tuna contains Omega 3 fat – canned tuna doesn’t so opt for canned salmon instead.

3 Water the brain

If your brain doesn’t get enough fluid you’ll feel tired and lethargic and will be more likely to suffer from headaches. Aim for 6-8 glasses of fluid a day. Water is the healthiest choice but other healthy drinks like fruit juice, fruit smoothies and milk also count towards your fluid intake.

4 Up the iron

To work at their optimum capacity brain cells require a good supply of oxygen. Lack of iron in the diet can reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of blood which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to brain cells. Not getting enough iron can also cause problems such as poor concentration and lack of energy.

Lean red meat is an excellent source of iron. Good vegetarian sources of iron include egg yolks, pulses such as red kidney beans and lentils, dried apricots, fortified breakfast cereals, broccoli, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread.

5 Eat your greens

In a study carried out by the University of Sydney, men and women who consumed the most vitamin C performed best in tests for recall, memory and attention.

Everyone knows that we should be eating at least 5 portions of fruit and/or vegetables a day. But did you know that you need to eat a variety of different fruit and veg? When choosing your fruit and veg, pick out a rainbow of colours – not just because they look good, but because this is a guide to the good things inside.

6 Eat regularly

To stabilise blood sugar levels and keep the brain supplied with fuel, aim for three small meals a day with a couple of healthy snacks in between.

Ideas for healthy snacks include low fat yoghurt, oatcakes, fresh or dried fruit, fruit smoothies or low fat cereal bars.

7 Eating late at night

A heavy meal late at night can interfere with sleep so try to eat your evening meal at least 3 hours before going to bed – this will enable your body to digest your food in plenty of time so that it gets a rest too.

8 Heavy meals

Eating a large meal at lunch time can make you feel tired and lethargic during the afternoon. If you need to stay alert in the afternoon, keep lunches light. Healthy salads are perfect for lunchtime meals, and they fill you up. If you're looking for more brainfood inspiration, Learndirect has come up with a series of recipes to help fuel the brain for learning – simply log onto www.learndirect.co.uk/brainfood