NEW GLASGOW – What your children eat for breakfast or pack in their lunchboxes can effect their learning, says a local nutritionist.
Kelly Cavan, nutritionist with the Pictou County District Health Authority, said feeding the brain the right foods can make a difference when it comes to a child’s ability to learn and be more attentive in class.
“It’s interesting, but not a lot of study has been done on kids,” she said. “Most of the research comes from the breakfast programs at the schools that show nutrition is the link to learning. Being well nourished leads to better behaviour, improved attendance and better learning.”
She said a large majority of the schools in the county have breakfast programs that allow students to grab a nutritious bite to eat before heading off to class. Many of the programs offer juice, muffins, cereals while others have hot meals.
“If you have a high-sugary breakfast, your blood sugar spikes up and down and you become tired mid-way through the morning,” she said. “If you eat a high-carbohydrate breakfast such as oatmeal or fibre, you body will digest this slower and you will not get that spike.”
She said breakfast should be made up of fruit, whole grain carbohydrates and dairy.
Another thing that affects how a person’s brain works is iron deficiency, she said, adding this can be a common problem in younger children because a lot of kids don’t like to eat a lot of meat.
“It is linked to memory that affects verbal learning,” she said.
She said a lot of iron-fortified cereals are on the market while oatmeal and cream of wheat are also good options. If your child isn’t fond of such foods, give them a multi-vitamin that has some iron in it.
“Children need under 10 mg a day but it is better absorbed if it is taken with vitamin C,” she said. “So give them a glass of orange juice when they are having their breakfast or taking their vitamin.”
She said there has been a lot of study on the effects of omega-3 and how it relates to the brain. Omega-3 can be found in fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel as well as flaxseed and nuts.
Cavan said studies have shown that people who eat two or three fatty fish meals a week may lower their risk of dementia and early testing shows positive results in relation to helping children with attention deficit disorders.
One more thing that can really affect how a child’s brain functions is caffeine, she said.
“Studies show caffeine will cause children to be more anxious and it impacts their sleep which will impact their learning,” she said, adding its best for children to stay away from soda and energy drinks.
