Essential fatty acids
These boost your intelligence as they are the key building blocks to a healthy brain.

There are 2 fatty acid families: omega-3 and omega-6, a balance of these 2 will improve the health and performance of your brain.

What you need

A healthy brain should have omega-3 and omega-6 in a ratio of around 1:1. Western diets, on average, have at least twenty times more omega-6 fats (from meat and dairy) than omega-3 fats - an unhealthy ratio of 1:20.

In order to balance your diet you need a steady intake of omega-3 and omega-6-rich foods.

Which foods supply the essential fatty acids - Omega-3 and Omega-6?

Fish:
High-fat, cold water fish eg salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, tuna (in small amounts) and herring. Fish should be wild rather than farmed.

Nuts and seeds:
Raw or dry-roasted nuts and seeds, especially walnuts, pumpkin and flax seeds.

Cold-pressed oils of these nuts and seeds and virgin olive oil.

Avocados

Fresh coconut

Meat, eggs and dairy products from free-range animals in moderation.

What to avoid

Trans fatty acids are found in foods such as french fries, margarine, crisps and anything else with partially hydrogenated oil.

Modern food processing techniques modify natural fats. The resulting modified fats or trans fatty acids are rarely found in nature. These fatty acids disrupt communication in the brain which in turn brings about cellular degeneration and diminished mental performance.