Breakfast

Many studies have shown that children who don't eat breakfast have shorter attention spans and achieve lower test scores than those who eat breakfast.

Research from Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that skipping breakfast has been linked to tiredness at school, obesity and poorer school performance.

According to 2003 research, students who have fizzy drinks and sugary snacks for breakfast performed at the level of a 70-year-old in tests of memory and attention.

And research from the University of Ulster found that beans on toast provided the steadiest supply of energy, resulting in higher test scores.

Fish

Our brain is made up of about 60 per cent fat. Research suggests that the omega 3 fats found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines help improve memory.

Eggs and nuts

These contain choline which is needed for making new memory cells in our brain - and the more cells we have, the better our memory.

Fruits and vegetables

Packed with vitamins and minerals, these help protect our immune system and keep us healthy.

Recent studies have found that eating more blue or purple and red fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, raisins, eggplant, figs, plums, red apples, tomatoes, red peppers, strawberries and watermelon, can help boost memory function.

Water

Most of us don't drink enough water throughout the day. Dehydration can affect concentration, making you feel irritable, restless and lacking in energy, preventing you from memorising facts and figures.

Having too little water in your body makes you feel hungry even if you're not, which means you're more likely to snack on sugary and fatty foods.

Exercise

Studies have shown that simply walking for half an hour three times a week can improve your ability to learn and concentrate by 15 per cent.

There is further evidence from the University of Exeter that schoolchildren who exercised three or four times a week get higher than average exam grades at age 10 and 11, especially boys. It's likely that aerobic exercise gets extra oxygen to the brain and hence boosts mental abilities.

A study at the Salk Institute, California, in 2000 found that exercise promotes the growth of new brain cells in adults.

Pak Wayne's diary

Breakfast: None

Snack: Vegetable sticks or a burger

Lunch: Chicken baguette or tuna salad

After school: Fruit

Dinner: Chinese-style meal with rice, soup, meat and vegetables

Exercise: PE lessons at school, badminton after school and swimming during summer