There has been the odd recipe posted on this website claiming to be “brain food” – as a student brain food is very important to me and as we’re getting closer to the end of term and the inevitable horrifying 2 months that is “exam period” I can do with all the help I can get!
When my sister and I started taking important exams like GCSE’s (SAT’s didn’t count!) my Mum started giving us a type of Omega 3 tablet called “Eye-Q” (at least that’s what my memory tells me it was called…). The idea is that these tablets boost your brain power! Seeing as I achieved 6 A*’s, 3 A’s and 2 B’s in my GCSE’s we figured they worked…along came A Levels and what do you know 3 A’s – some of my module results were even 100%! So…fishy oils = brain power right?! The idea that fish is brain food can’t be wrong can it!?
I thought I would do a little research into this long standing idea! After watching a programme on television the other day that dispelled lots of cooking myths (E.g. a glass of wine in a spag bol will get burnt off during the cooking process and meringue can be made if a little egg yolk gets into your egg whites) I thought I’d find out if fish really is brain food!
After a little time spent on Google there is a whole RANGE of evidence that suggests the claim is really true!
The BBC Good Food website states: “The essential omega-3 fatty acids - found in oily fish, as well as fish oil, walnut oil and flaxseeds (linseeds) - are high in DHA, fatty acid crucial to the health of our nervous system. Low DHA levels have been linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and memory loss. Fish also contains iodine, which is known to improve mental clarity.” So far so good!
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN also confirms the theory! 
“Experts agree that, even in small quantities, fish can have a significant positive impact in improving the quality of dietary protein by complementing the essential amino acids that are often present in low quantities in vegetable-based diets.
But recent research shows that fish is much more than just an alternative source of animal protein. Fish oils in fatty fish are the richest source of a type of fat that is vital to normal brain development in unborn babies and infants. Without adequate amounts of these fatty acids, normal brain development does not take place.”
So good news! I can now claim without fear of being sued (always in the back of any good law students mind…) that this recipe…is brain food!
Another good thing for all of you budding geniuses is that fish can be bought extremely cheaply! I got two cod fillets for just £1.30, that’s just 65p a portion, and they were a really good size! Buying real fish is much cheaper than forking out a tenner for the “magic-make-you-clever” tablets I mentioned earlier, so why not give this recipe a go and see if it helps your mental performance.
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