By: Danielle Cortes-Staff Writer

Finals are nearing, and that means students are stocking up on caffeinated drinks and sugary junk food to help them get through the long nights that frequently involve little to no sleep. Students make these last-ditch efforts in an attempt to improve their studying and memory retention: however, there have been other solutions found to the study retention problems that do not include stuffing yourself with unnecessary junk.  There are lists that researches have complied that fill the whole spectrum for all types of individuals.

For those individuals who like having fish for dinner, you’re in luck. Fish is the primary source of components that affect your vision, and brain power. The Omega-3 in fish helps to improve energy, increase learning ability, improve problem solving skills, and help with memory retention. Some fish best for these benefits are herring, salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, anchovies, sardines, and other cold-water fish.
Some students would rather keep to their regular meats: as such, one can always add some fruits to your daily dietary routine. It has been seen that colorful and citrus-filled fruits were the best for increasing blood flow and quick memory retrieval. Avocado is seen for being the best fruit to help with the blood flow is the avocado.  As for the quick recall of memory fruits, such as cantaloupes, watermelon, tomato, plums, pineapples, oranges, apples, grapes, kiwifruits, peaches, and cherries, are seen as the best.

Then there are those students that actually enjoy eating their vegetables. Those leafy greens and healthy veggies actually help to promote good brain power and maintain a good memory which is especially important for testing during finals.  Some of these helpful vegetables are among the most common we see at the market. Such vegetables include: cabbage, turnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, mushrooms, onions, okra, water cress, and several others.

One brain food that might have students somewhat shocked is chocolate. Chocolate is not only seen for helping your brain, but also as a mood enhancer. Having a positive attitude when studying and testing can be good to help you be at easy and calmly recall what u have learned/retained.  Milk chocolate has been shown to help improve visual and verbal memory, and boost impulse control and reaction time.

There are many more foods that can help you study for the big tests such as milk and other calcium rich foods help with alertness and memory, nuts help to improve mood and memory, seeds help with memory and cognitive function, meats are great for iron (which help with concentration), and many others. Hopefully students will be able to find the brain food that will help with their studying endeavors. Good luck to all on finals!