Do's

• Use car safety belts when riding in a motor vehicle.

• Wear protective helmets . Use a helmet when using roller blades, playing contact sports like hockey, football, when bicycling and skateboarding. If you don't wear a helmet, you could seriously injure your brain.

• Eat right! Three balanced meals should do it. Brain food help carry nerve impulses and give energy to your nerve tissues. Here are some examples of brain food:

  • Milk, cheese and other dairy products

  • Fish

  • Beans, peas

  • Nuts

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables

  When you eat food high in carbohydrates like pasta, cookies and candy, it releases a chemical called serotonin inside your brain. The chemical makes you calm and sleepy. When you eat high protein foods like tofu, chicken, lean meats and dairy products it makes you more sharp and alert. So before you take a test you should eat high protein foods.

• You should get plenty of rest and sleep right. An 8 year old should sleep between 9-12 hours a day. Sleeping helps your body rest. When you sleep your brain activity slows down and goes on a rest mode so it can recharge.

• Practice stress relief by relaxation and exercise.

• Drink lots of water.

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Don'ts

• You should not do drugs.

  • Marijuana affects your ability to learn and concentrate, decreases your performance in school and destroys short term memory.

  • Cocaine can seriously damage your brain and can damage your memory cells. Did you know that cocaine can cause you to have a stroke? Stroke is when oxygen cannot reach a part of your brain because an artery leading to that area is blocked.

• Don't drink alcohol

  • Alcohol makes you lose your concentration, and slows down your reflexes.

  • People who abuse alcohol for a long time can permanently damage their brain cells.

  • If you drink and drive, you can get yourself killed or can have a serious brain injury.