It’s well established that nutrition and learning go hand in hand.
A healthy diet supplies key nutrients that support brain functions such as memory, concentration, reasoning and language.
A child’s brain grows rapidly during the first few years of life and it continues to develop through adolescence, underscoring the importance of proper nutrition during the school years.
Eating nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day sustains healthy brain development and also helps prevent hunger and midday energy slumps, which can deplete attention and focus.
Our brains rely on a steady intake of many nutrients to think and learn, especially carbohydrates, iron, choline, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
The following foods can help fuel young brains, and older ones too. Consider adding them to your regular menu.
Oats
A breakfast of hot oatmeal, baked oatmeal or overnight oats supplies brain cells with much-needed carbohydrates. Once digested, carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose, an essential fuel the brain depends on.
Steel-cut and rolled oats also have low glycemic index values. This means they cause a slower and more gradual rise in blood glucose, providing the brain with a sustained source of energy.
A 2007 randomized controlled trial found that, among six- to 11-year-old children, declines in attention and memory throughout the morning were significantly reduced by eating a low glycemic breakfast cereal compared to a high glycemic cereal (e.g., refined ready-to-eat cereals).
Breakfast belongs on the back-to-school menu
Eggs
Whole eggs are one of the best dietary source of choline, a vitamin-B-like nutrient that’s vital for proper brain functioning. It’s used to build strong brain cell membranes and produce acetylcholine, a brain chemical important for memory and mood.
Choline is important for early brain development and higher intakes have also been associated with better memory performance in healthy adults.
Daily choline requirements range from 250 to 550 mg, depending on age and sex. One large egg yolk provides 147 mg of the nutrient.
Fuel kids for the school day with a breakfast egg burrito, scrambled eggs and whole grain toast or a homemade breakfast sandwich. Or add a sliced hardboiled egg to a bento box lunch.
Other decent sources of choline include edamame, chicken, beef, tuna, red potatoes, green peas, milk and yogurt.
Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that protect brain cells from harmful free radicals. Research also suggests that anthocyanins increase blood flow to and activate brain areas that control attention, memory and language.
Blend fresh or frozen berries with milk for a breakfast or after-school smoothie. Add fresh berries to school lunches, toss them into a green salad or stir them into pancake and waffle batters. Red grapes are a good source of anthocyanins too.
Pumpkin seeds
Also called pepitas, pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc and iron, minerals essential for normal brain function.
Zinc enhances the survival of brain cells and aids the communication between them, especially between brain cells involved in memory and learning.
Iron is needed to transport oxygen to brain cells. It’s also used to make the brain chemical acetylcholine.
Sprinkle pumpkin seeds, raw or toasted, over soups, salads and oatmeal, toss into granola or mix into muffin batters. Enjoy them as a snack on their own or added to a homemade trail mix.
You’ll also find zinc in milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs and fortified foods such as non-dairy milks, cashews, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal and other whole grains.
Lean beef, edamame, lentils, quinoa, cashews and sunflower seeds are other good sources of iron. So is cooked spinach, which is also an outstanding source of lutein, a phytochemical thought to help improve cognitive function across the lifespan.
Low on iron? Add these foods to your diet
Salmon
Omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential for brain development and function. DHA makes up a large proportion of brain cell membranes, keeping them flexible so memory messages can pass easily between brain cells.
Consuming omega-3 fatty acids has also been associated with improved learning, memory, cognitive well-being and blood flow in the brain.
Gram for gram, salmon delivers more omega-3 fatty acids than most types of oily fish. It’s also one of the few foods provides a decent amount of vitamin D, a nutrient that influences the growth and development of brain cells.
Aim to include salmon in your family’s diet twice a week. Canned salmon and smoked salmon count too.
Trout, Arctic char, sardines and albacore tuna are also good sources of omega-3 fats.
Albacore tuna that states “product of/processed in Canada” is low in mercury.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieBeckRD