After searching for my car for half an hour on the wrong floor of Bulls Head car park, it occurred to me I ought to do something about my memory. People say that when you have a baby your memory deteriorates, and so far — so true. I guess this is largely due to the lack of sleep which is a chronic issue in our house.

Our little one keeps teasing us by sleeping through the night occasionally. Those nights should be a god-send, but of course I still wake up at 3 a.m. and make sure she's breathing. My own Mum likes to remind me that I didn't sleep a full night until I was three and a half — so this must be payback! However, if Chloe doesn't make it through the night consistently before then, it is safe to assume that my Bulls Head and other nonsensical antics will have seen me institutionalised.

Although I'm optimistic that long nights of sleep are right around the corner, I'm now maximising all my efforts to protect my memory, just in case.

One of the most important things I'm doing is making sure that I get enough Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) from my diet. EFAs — also known as Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 — are all crucial for supporting the nervous system, and as such are important for building the brain and supporting its function. EFA deficiency symptoms include a poor or deteriorating memory, but also the following: difficulty losing weight, irritability, dry skin, soft/brittle nails, cracked skin on heels/fingers, allergies, hair loss or dull hair, dry eyes, poor wound healing, aching joints, dandruff, fatigue, depression, high blood pressure, arthritis and PMS or painful breasts.

A huge number of the people I see are deficient in EFAs. One of the main causes actually comes from good intention — occurring when in an attempt to manage either weight or heart disease, people follow a low-fat diet. Although low-fat does of course mean cutting out the bad, saturated fat, it often excludes the good fats too. Yet the EFAs are crucial for optimizing metabolism and reducing blood pressure. Some research suggests that good fats can even help to breakdown and reduce the build up of damaging plaque on artery walls.

The sources of bad fat are fairly obvious: anything fried (KFC, chips etc), movie theatre popcorn, red meat (especially sausages and American bacon), full-fat dairy products, processed meals, take out meals and pizza are just some examples. Sources of good fat include fish, avocado, cold-pressed olive and seed oils, wheatgerm, seeds and nuts.

However, when adding good fats to your diet, it's crucial to remember two things. Firstly, portion size is important. Good fats do tend to be higher in calories, so don't go overboard — eat half an avocado (not the whole thing) and 1oz of nuts instead of a whole bag.

Secondly, the way these food are prepared is important too. As soon as you heat good fat to a high temperature, you damage the beneficial properties. This is why fried fish is a no-no and although I have yet to see someone deep-fry an avocado, I don't imagine it will be long!

Similarly, roasting nuts at a high temperature can ruin the EFA content so always opt for the raw option. Roasted peanuts are especially common, but whilst the saturated fat content is on a par with other nuts, the good fat they contain can be damaged in the cooking process. They are usually served salted too, which automatically makes them less healthy.

Also, although peanuts do have a good protein content, their nutritional profile is often over-rated.

As you can see from the chart, peanuts don't fare so well when compared to almonds or Brazils.

Almonds have more than three times the calcium and Brazils, more than double. In fact, almonds are the clear winner here, because calorie for calorie, they pack the most powerful nutritional punch. They are a great source of not only calcium, but magnesium, zinc and vitamin E too.

Now, although the saturated fat of Brazil nuts is comparatively high here, the Selenium content is astounding. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant and as such, it's worth including them in your diet. However as only two brazil nuts gives you your daily quota of Selenium, you can balance out the saturated fat content by making them part of a home-made nut mix.

While I'm not totally against trail mixes, they do tend to contain a lot of dried fruit, which racks up the sugar content considerably. Raw nuts and seeds can make a fantastically healthy snack, but if you need to have them with something sweet, try eating them with fresh fruit instead of dried. It's also easy to include them with whole-grain cereal, yoghurt and granola and on salads. For those of you who want to target Omega 3 fats especially, try walnuts, flax and pumpkin seeds!

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com