Can you name the 50 state capitols? I could in 5th grade. Today is a different story, however. I'd probably remember about 35 of them or so. Just chalk it up to the arbitrary filing system of the human intellect. Being able (or not being able) to recall such facts clearly are indicative of this fact, but in some cases it could be due to a decline in our overall brain function.

To help remedy such a decline, nature has provided us with several brain-boosting foods, many of which are available at your local supermarket.

You would think that we, as a nation, would remember every fact and figure since the dawn of time, given the amount of coffee we consume. It's key nutrient, caffeine, can improve concentration and reaction time. Also, studies from the French National Institute of Medical Research of Montpelier (which is also the capitol of Vermont -- booyah) found that drinking caffeine daily may help aging adults better remember names and words.

Packed with protein, lentils make for a great, healthy meal. But, it's the folic acid they contain that may cause people to have better recall ability than those who are deficient in this B vitamin. And, similarly to caffeine, people who have high blood levels of this B vitamin may see less decline in their verbal skills as they age.

While eating them in pancakes is delicious, blueberries are far healthier when eaten as-is. Taste aside, eating these high-antioxidant berries in any fashion will help combat free radicals and inflammation of brain tissue, thereby helping to ensure that cognitive function remains strong.

I wonder if eating these foods will help me remember those other 15 state capitols. I tell you, it's always the Carolinas that get me. Raleigh ... and ... argh!! Forget it.



你能说出50州的议会大厦都叫什么名吗？我5年级的时候就会了。但是今天要说的不是这件事。我可能还记得35个左右。只是随意的记录在了人类智力的文件系统中。能否清楚的想起这些事，就表明了以上这个事实，但是在某些情况下，可能要归因于我们整个大脑功能的衰退。

为治疗这种衰退，大自然为我们提供了几种能够增强大脑的食物，其中很多都可以在你当地的超市中买到。

你可能会认为，我们这个民族，如果喝足够多的咖啡，会记得开天辟地以来的每件事和图形。咖啡因非常有营养，又能改善集中注意力的时间和反应时间。同时，位于蒙彼利埃的法国国家医疗研究所（蒙彼利埃同时也是佛蒙特的首府，嘘，呵呵）发现，每天喝咖啡因饮料能够帮助年纪大的人记住更多的名字和单词。

小扁豆含有蛋白质，可以做成很好的健康食品。但是，其中含有的叶酸可能让食用者比缺乏这类B族维生素的人群有更好的记忆力。血液中含有较高含量的B族维生素的人，可能不像同龄人语言能力下降的那么快。

蓝莓加入簿烤饼中很好吃，但是生吃更加健康。除了味道，以任何方式食用这种抗氧化剂较高的浆果，都可以帮助抵抗自由基和大脑组织炎症，从而有助于确保认知功能仍然强健。

我想知道，吃这些食物是否能帮助我记住另外15个州议会大厦。我跟你说吧，每次都卡在卡罗莱纳上面。一个是Raleigh，一个是argh！！还是忘了它吧。

• 6小时掌握学英语的秘诀！——点击看答案
• 专治男女记不住单词的秘密