HEALTH COUNSEL: HOW TO HAVE A BRILLIANT MEMORY

Foods to remember:  Foods rich in vitamin B have an essential aminoacid which helps the memory. Eggs, liver, cabbage and soya beans are all sources, as is the nutritional supplement lecithin. (The good news is ice cream contains lecithin!). 

Eat iron- rich foods to help the brain's oxygen supply. Iron is also a component of vital neurotransmitters and its absortion is enhanced if you get plenty of vitamin C. Cut down on fats-- a fatty diet impairs the blood supply to capillaries in the brain, slowing down memory function.

Keep blood sugar levels steady: The electricity in the brain is permanently on, even when you're asleep and it's fuelled by glucose-- it takes two-thirds of the body requirement. Dr. David Benton of University College, Swansea, found that higher blood glucose levels produced a 10 - 15 per cent improvement in performance during a memory test. But it is important to keep blood sugar stable. This is best done through a high fibre diet with sufficient protein and lots of fruit and vegetables, in up to six small meals a day. Crash diets and skipping meals can make you absent-minded, while the instant high from sugary snacks is cancelled out by a big downer afterwards.

You can memorise to music: The right environment can help us remember things. According to researh, classical music puts people in "concert" state-- physically passive, mentally alert-- ideal for registering facts and events. And negative noisy distractions can block information uptake. But one woman's Mozart is another woman's Meatloaf, so reggae with homework could be just right for some students.

Remembering names: To retain information, you must first understand it, which is why we never remember how the video works. You also need the right information. If someone else always does it, why remember? If names are a nightmare, listen carefully when introduced, make sure you've heard correctly. Repeat the name in conversation, look at the person, link the face to the name. Association is what does it. We can all remember the shape of Italy because it looks like a boot. But what about the shape of Chile?

Things you hear are more memorable than things you read: Research has shown that our "sensory" memory finds it easier to retain information that the brain hears than information that it sees. So if you want to memorise a list, for example, it may help to have someone read it aloud to you.

Depression and smoking affect your memory:  Poor health affects the physical workings of  your memory, and this includes depression, a major cause of memory loss. Alcohol, even in small amounts, will interfere with your ability to process new information. Nicotine has the same effect. Caffeine, like glucose, gives a short-term lift, but leads to fatigue, and is addictive, so drink coffee and tea sparingly.

Relax to remember: Information is retained well when it's associated with an emotion or experience, but anxiety narrows your attention span so these memory cues can be missed. Stress does serious damage at retrieval time too-- that's what mental blocks and exam nerves are all about. When your memory blocks, just relax. "It will come to me in a minute" almost always works, as the neural pathways re-open. Sometimes we deliberately "forget" things because they're unpleasant-- they're in the memory, but the brain refuses access. Or too much stress leads to information overload. Take a deep breath. Remind yourself what you need. Dump the rest by practising a stress reduction technique such as yoga or meditation. This really works.

Physical exercise improves memory: A good memory is partly inherited-- but it needs regular stimulation. Think of the brain as a muscle. Mental exercise like reading, crosswords and puzzles sharpen it up. And some experts think physical exercise is more vital for the mind than the body. One 10-week jogging study demonstrated improvements in brain function. A main cause of memory loss in the elderly is thought to be their inactivity. We lose thousands of neurones daily, but this only adds up to about 1 billion brain cells out of a total of 15 billion by the age of 70.