Most people know that we should be eating more fruit and vegetables. But most of us aren’t eating enough and we should be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Fruit and vegetables are brimming with fibre, plus a whole range of vitamins and minerals, and because they’re low in calories, they make an important and healthy addition to any diet. Scientific studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of getting illnesses, such as heart disease and some cancers.

For this reason, health authorities recommend that you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day – and it doesn’t matter whether they’re fresh, tinned, frozen, cooked, juiced or dried. If you buy tinned fruit or vegetables make sure that no sugar or artificial sweeteners have been added and buy organic where possible. Remember that potatoes don’t count because they’re a starchy food.

How much is a portion?

• One piece of medium-sized fruit – eg, an apple, peach, banana or orange
• One slice of large fruit, such as melon, mango or pineapple
• One handful of grapes or two handfuls of cherries or berry fruits
• One tablespoon of dried fruit
• A glass (roughly 100ml) of fruit or vegetable juice
• A small tin (roughly 200g) of fruit
• A side salad
• A serving (roughly 100g) of vegetables – eg, peas, boiled carrots or stir-fried broccoli
• The vegetables served in a portion of vegetable curry, lasagne, stir-fry or casserole

Fruit and vegetables should make up about a third of the food you eat each day, even more if you can manage it. And it’s also important to eat a variety. Five-a-day is a good, achievable target. If you count your portions each day it might help you to increase the amount you eat. And if you still find this hard to get your head around here are some tips on how to get your daily quota without too much preparation:

Juice
A glass of fruit or vegetable juice counts as one serving. However, as the juice doesn’t contain the pulp of the actual fruit, you can only count this once, no matter how many glasses of juice you consume.

Fruit with Cereal
If you have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, add a chopped banana or some strawberries for a fruity twist – there’s another one.

Sip on Soup
Here’s a healthy and cheap option for lunch. Make a big pot of homemade vegetable soup at the beginning of the week. Keep it in the fridge and dip in for lunch every day. Pack it full of any veggies you’ve got in the kitchen, as well as beans.

Cans Count
Fresh is obviously healthier but canned vegetables count as a portion so dig out those organic tinned beans and add some chickpeas or kidney beans to a salad, or throw a handful of diced carrots into a casserole. Frozen vegetables are also acceptable so there’s no excuse if there’s nothing fresh in the fridge.

Fruit Snacks
Carry a couple of pieces of fruit in your bag for a snack during the day. Use it as an excuse to try fruit you wouldn’t normally choose.

Salad Starter
Get into the habit of making yourself a side salad to eat with dinner. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just some leaves and sliced cucumber.

Stick to these tips and you should have no problem getting your five a day. Hopefully you’ll feel the benefits, especially through the colder months when everyone around you will be coughing and sneezing.

Memory lapses and fuzzy thinking happen to everyone now and again but if you find that you always forget where you put your keys it is easy to think you might be losing it.

Studies show that fluctuating oestrogen levels at the menopause can cause poor concentration but the ageing process and specifically the menopause probably has little to do with your memory. Check what you are eating, your exercise level, what drugs you are taking and your ability to sleep. These factors are more important than the menopause or even ageing in your ability to remember.

What you eat could be affecting your memory
You are what you eat, and that includes your brain. Food powers your body and fuels your brain. Whatever you eat and drink will affect your body and your brain in some way. If it doesn’t get fed properly your brain begins to slow down, resulting in memory loss, foggy thinking and poor concentration.

B vitamins:
Studies have shown that deficiencies of B-vitamins can lead to poor memory during the menopause. Make sure that your diet is sufficient in B vitamins – especially vitamin B5 found in food such as whole grains, whole rice, whole meal bread, legumes, broccoli and tomatoes. Vitamin B5 is essential for optimum functioning of your nervous system.

If lack of co-ordination is a real problem you may also want to supplement with an additional 50 mg of vitamin B5 a day on top of your multivitamin and mineral. A multi-vitamin and mineral should never replace a healthy diet but it is a good insurance policy. Without the right nutrients, your brain can’t function right.

Having a breakfast of coffee and a sugary cereal or its equivalent is a prescription for memory loss and poor concentration. (Caffeine and sugar give you a boost for a few minutes, then both start leaching vital nutrients from your body that you need to think clearly and you either have to have another “fix” or you go into a fuzzy thinking period.)

Iron:
Make sure your diet is sufficient in iron as low iron levels can be associated with memory problems and poor coordination.

Alcohol and drugs:
Alcohol, wide swings in blood sugar (due to chocolate, sweets, cake and other sugary foods) and some drugs can cause memory loss. Some people are intolerant to wheat products (bread, pasta, cereals, cakes, biscuits and other processed foods) and that can lead to memory loss and fuzzy thinking, not to mention headaches and bloating. Eating an all carbohydrate meal, pasta with tomato sauce, for example, can dampen your memory. Add a protein such as tuna or beans to your pasta.

Cut down on sugar:
Refined sugars “turn off” the brain and that’s not a good idea when you want a clear mind and a good memory. Check labels of canned and frozen foods for added sugar and avoid those that list any type of sugar from fructose to cane or brown sugar.

Omega-3 fatty acids:
A diet rich in the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenioc acid (DHA) has been found to significantly reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, a study published in the November 2006 issue of Archives of Neurology found that people with the highest levels of DHA in their blood were 47 per cent less likely to develop age-related cognitive diseases, compared to those people with lower levels of DHA.

The best food sources of DHA are omega-3 enriched eggs and seafood and fish, especially cold-water fish, such as mackerel, salmon and herring. A great way to enrich your diet with DHA is by eating a four- or five-ounce serving of fish two to three times a week. To give yourself a quick boost while you are sorting out your diet, you could add a good DHA/EPA supplement such as the BioCare EPA which I use in the clinic.

Fruit and vegetable juices:
Fruit and vegetable juices have also been found to protect against the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Findings published in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Medicine found that a daily glass of juice is enough to make a difference. Study participants who drank fruit or vegetable juice a few times a week were 76 per cent less likely to develop the disease compared with individuals who drank less than one glass a week.

Drink up:
Water is vital for a healthy brain and that’s why you get headaches and can’t concentrate properly if you are dehydrated. The solution: make sure you drink around eight glasses of water a day (1 and a half litres or two and three quarter pints) to stay hydrated; more if you are exercising. One way to ensure you are drinking enough is to fill a bottle with your targeted amount and drink it throughout the day. If the container is empty by bedtime, you’ll know you have achieved your goal.

Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink either as thirst is the first sign of dehydration. Herbal teas also count towards your target but ordinary black tea and coffee do not.

Fibre:
Putting the right food in helps, but it’s important to get it out too. Don’t you just feel better and think clearer once your system has had a good clear out? That’s why fibre should be nominated as the unsung brain food hero. Constipation causes toxins to be re-circulated into the bloodstream and triggers headaches, fatigue and low libido.

If you are eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day you are well on your way towards your fibre intake. You can get the rest from complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereals, nuts and seeds. Do not add bran to food as this is a refined food and actually irritates the gut. It is better to eat bran in the form that nature intended – in other words, as part of the whole grain itself (wheat or oats, for example).

Meal timing:
It seems it’s not only the foods we eat that play a critical role in maintaining regular brain function, but also when we eat them. Skipping meals and eating at irregular times can affect short-term brain function. Going for long periods between meals deprives the brain of the nutrients and energy it needs to function properly. As a result, brain functions such as memory, concentration and mood can be affected. To optimize your brainpower, eat meals at regular times and have a healthy snack, such as a handful of nuts or piece of fruit, between meals to provide a steady supply of energy to the brain.

Importance of breakfast:
There is increasing evidence that breakfast may be the most important meal of the day for our brains. Studies have shown that when students are given a healthy breakfast, it has a positive effect on cognitive function related to memory, test grades, creative ideas and school attendance. Breakfast kick-starts our metabolism and brain function at the start of the day. Eat a breakfast to fuel brainpower by choosing foods that are high in fibre and are nutrient dense, such as whole grains and fruits.

In a nutshell
Memory loss is not an inevitable consequence of the menopause or ageing and, whatever age you are healthy eating combined with regular exercise and a good night’s sleep will not only help you manage your weight and protect against heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis, it will also protect and improve your brain health.

(Food for thought concludes next month with my top 12 brain foods, herbs and supplements.)

People who are depressed, overly stressed, cynical and distrustful of others may have a greater risk of developing heart disease than those who have a more positive outlook, a new report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests.

Upbeat people have healthier hearts because they’re less likely to adopt unhealthy eating habits such as smoking and overeating, say researchers from the University of Michigan. People who were distrustful and cynical were at the greatest risk of becoming ill. Proof indeed that you should always look on the bright side of life!