7 foods that will improve your gaming!

1. Kebab with onions

"Onions are rich in sulphurcontaining antioxidants, which can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and the decline in memory and mental sharpness associated with aging," explains Carina Norris. While onions may be good for you, Carina goes on to point out that "many bought kebabs are loaded with saturated fat". Try grilling your own; lean meat is rich in protein.

2. Yazoo flavoured milk

This drink is packed with minerals and has a rehydrating effect, according to the advertising. "Milk is a nutritious food, a good source of protein, calcium, and B vitamins," accepts Carina. "But adding sugar and flavourings doesn’t enhance nutritional credentials. Sugar provides a rapid increase in blood sugar level, temporarily boosting performance, but the energy doesn’t last."

3. Nairn’s Oat Cakes

Swap crisps for oat cakes, and your attention span is likely to increase. Carina says: "Oat cakes are a source of slow-release energy. They’re a low Glycaemic Index (GI) food, which means that they drip-feed sugar into your bloodstream, keeping you going and enabling you to concentrate for longer."

4. Espresso coffee

"Caffeine increases alertness, sustains attention, and speeds up response to visual stimuli; great for all-night gaming sessions!" enthuses Carina. "But if you’re ‘coffee-habituated’, you may find your performance suffers when you go without. For most of us, three to four cups a day is fine."

5. Neurozan brain supplement

There are many supplements available that claim to boost concentration. Neurozan contains phosphatidylserine, Co-enzyme Q10, the Omega-3 DHA, antioxidants and amino acids, all of which are necessary for healthy brain function. Carina says, "You couldn’t expect this – or any other – supplement to boost your gaming scores. The best it could do is provide a ‘safety net’ if you weren’t getting enough of the nutrients from your diet."

6. Trident chewing gum

Trident claims that chewing gum improves your concentration. Carina is non-committal... "There’s quite a bit of scientific research on chewing gum, memory and attention, but the results are contradictory. Some studies say it helped with memory and attention; others didn’t. However, plenty of people chew gum to help them relax and stay focused – it works for them!"

7. African white tea

Nothing But Tea claims this contains the "highest quantity of the amino acid theanine… believed to naturally stimulate alpha brainwave activity, allowing an individual to feel relaxed while being fully awake." Carina says: "That’s quite a claim, and I’d want to see some evidence to support it. However, white tea is a very healthy drink."

For more information on nutrition, you can visit Carina Norris’ web site.