It’s easy to feel tired and sluggish at this time of year and if you’re anything like us you could find your concentration levels slip pretty rapidly (particularly on a Friday…). But, there’s no need to invest in expensive supplements or OD on caffeine, because a slight change in your diet could be all it takes to boost your brain power and leave you raring to go.

There are plenty of foods out there that are said to enhance mental agility and concentration levels, being the perfect solution if you’re starting to feel like you’re running on empty. Wholegrains can be particularly beneficial and it can be easy to fit them in—opt for wholegrain bread instead of white for your lunchtime sandwich, have porridge for breakfast instead of sugary cereal and swap your regular rice and pasta for their wholegrain alternatives—voila!

Oily fish is also high on the list of brain-boosting foods, with salmon, mackerel and the like being high in essential fatty acids and iodine, both essential for our nervous system with iodine being known to help enhance mental clarity. Berries, and in particular acai berries and blueberries, are also essential as they’re packed with antioxidants and vitamins with tomatoes being in a similar vein—all of them superfoods in every sense of the word. Nuts and seeds should also be included with pumpkin seeds and walnuts being especially beneficial, and of course remember your leafy green vegetables with broccoli being packed with vitamin K for increased cognitive function and brain power.

It needn’t even take much to incorporate these foods into your daily diet—a couple of food swaps, a sprinkle of seeds on your morning cereal, a vitamin-packed main meal and even a berry-licious smoothie could be all it takes to experience the benefits, and the best part about adopting a healthier lifestyle is that many of the foods mentioned have fantastic long-term brain-enhancing effects. Studies show that diseases such as Alzheimer’s could be slowed down and even prevented with the help of optimum nutrition, and with many of these foods being pretty damned tasty anyway you’ve got nothing to lose. So what are you waiting for? Add a few extra items to your shopping list and you’ll be buzzing before you know it.