By Deena Waisburg

While no foods will improve your memory, some will help you stay alert and concentrate better explains Sandra, Edwards, a registered dietitian based in Unionville, Ont. To prevent “morning fog” in your head, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast that contains protein. Edwards suggests chowing down on whole-wheat toast weigh peanut butter and an orange.

To keep sharp through your day, Vancouver-based registered dietitian Ramona Josephson (www.yournutritioncoach.com) also recommends that you eat protein such as fish and cottage cheese, which provides sustained energy and keeps your blood sugar level even. “If your blood sugar is low then you can’t think straight,” says Josephson. On the flip side, try to stay away from refined sugar (pop, candy), that gives you quick fix followed by a crash.

Foods that are high in iron, such as lean red meats, beans and enriched pastas (enriched with B vitamins) are also excellent choices because iron helps to carry oxygen to the brain. The iron in some foods such as enriched pasta is absorbed by the body better if taken with vitamin C. So spread some tomato sauce over your enriched pasta, but hold the java! Coffee decreases absorption. And as far as vitamins go, well, there is no magic memory pill.