By Virginia Campbell, First year Religion and Theology student

Virginia Campbell talks us through a range of foods that are ideal for keeping your brain happy and healthy.

Oily fish

Don’t worry, I’m not about to recommend a daily dose of Cod Liver Oil. There’s tastier ways of staying healthy. Oily fish - such as salmon, mackerel and tuna all contain loads of long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids, which are fantastic for keeping your heart healthy and your brain happy. The NHS recommends you should have at least two servings of oily fish each week for the full brain-boosting effect. Some oily fish can be a bit expensive, but a savvy loophole around this can be buying canned fish (which are super cheap but still really tasty) or frozen fish.

Bananas

Bananas are an absolute power-house of essential vitamins, including the amino acid tryptophan. This fab little unit of protein is used to make the mood-boosting hormone seratonin. Just in case you still weren’t convinced however, bananas also help you to sleep better, meaning you’ll also be less tired and irritable the next day!

Green Vegetables

Leafy and not so leafy dark green veg (think spinach and broccoli) are packed full of essential B vitamins, without which our good friend seratonin can’t be produced. What’s more, they’re super cheap and super tasty. If you’re still not a fan of this colour of food however, maybe try popping them in the background of dishes (tomato pasta sauce etc.)

Oats

Oats and other whole-grains have a low GI which basically means that they’ll keep you feeling full and keep your blood sugar levels constant for long periods of time. If you’re like me, and susceptible to getting ‘hangry’ (angry when you get too hungry), oats are a godsend. They also have extra vitamins and minerals like selenium which boost your mood even more! Top some porridge with bananas in the morning for a winning combination start to your day.

Dark Chocolate

Now as much as I’d love to recommend going all out and eating a chocolate cake every day for breakfast (still obviously compulsory on birthdays!), this particularly refers to a real dark bar of chocolate (stick to 70% cocoa upwards), packed full of cocoa and all its nutrients. Much like the fish, it interacts with chemical messengers in the brain to regulate mood and energy. Maybe that chocolate cake is a good idea after all…

Yoghurt and other fermented foods

Fermented food is the dark horse of healthy food. Always underestimated, foods with probiotics keep your gut super healthy which, strangely, actually makes you happier. Probiotics are just good bacteria, but a lot of people leave them out of their diets. Yoghurt is probably the most common one (or fortified dairy alternative), but equally yummy things such as kimchi (think Wagamamas) and sauerkraut also contain this particular kick of health.

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