An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but a plate of vegetables can keep your memory strong at old age. A recent study has shown that elderly people who eat 2.8 plates of vegetables a day prevent loss of memory and deterioration of mental abilities by 40% as opposed to others who only eat 1 plate a day over a 6 year period.

"This is very encouraging news that may help us retain our cognitive abilities as we age," study author Martha Clare Morris of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said in a telephone interview.

She said that a possible explanation for vegetable preventing memory loss is that vegetables contain high amounts of vitamin E, which is linked with better brain function.

You can find Vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals. So start now, get your daily allowance of this memory magic stuff before you start forgetting how to get home.