Food for Thought
As a parent, you want nothing more than your kids to grow up and live happy, healthy lives. You want to give them everything necessary in order for them to succeed and be the best they can be. One of the best ways to support them as they grow, is to make sure they're properly fed with good food and plenty of nutrients. This is because what your child eats, not only can positively impact their physical health, but also their brain. You may not know it, but food has the power to help or harm cognitive development. Read on to see just how food does this and simple ways to best support your kid as they grow.
What is Cognitive Development?
Cognitive development is the process by which human beings acquire, organize, and learn to use knowledge. Stanford Medicine defines cognitive development as “The growth of a child's ability to think and reason.” These cognitive abilities include tasks such as thinking, learning, remembering, memorizing, planning, imagining, organizing, and concentrating. The CDC states that “Although the brain continues to develop and change into adulthood, the first eight years can build a foundation for future learning, health, and life success.” Proper cognitive development is essential for children not only because it helps them in an academic sense, but because it helps them explore and pay attention to the people and world around them.
How Does a Healthy Diet Play a Role?
Proper nutrition found in a healthy diet can improve many brain functions, while a poor diet can have a negative effect on our cognitive functions. A healthy diet is the foundation of a happy brain. There is a direct relationship between the foods we eat and the functioning of our brains. Here are a few ways nutrition can affect a child’s brain:
1. Memory:
Memory is not only essential for your child as they learn new information in school, but also is beneficial in learning how to improve social interactions. A recent study done in 2020 sought to evaluate the effects of food supplementation in children, ages 15 months to seven years of age, on improving memory. Their method of research was conducted by dividing the children into three groups, each receiving different but isocaloric servings, five mornings out of the week for 23 weeks. They found that in children four years of age and younger, the children receiving the highest serving of polyphenols, omega 3’s, protein, and micronutrients, had increased their working memory.
2. Academic performance:
While memory plays an important role in academic performance, it doesn’t account for how the child actually learns the information and is able to critically think. To learn is to acquire knowledge or skills while to memorize is to commit something to memory. Research reveals that a healthy diet and adequate intake of nutrients improve academic achievement and test performance in children. One study looked to investigate the connections between the consumption of healthy versus unhealthful food groups, cognitive ability, and academic achievement in urban schoolchildren ages eight through ten. Results revealed that lower Math and English standardized test scores were linked to the consumption of unhealthy food groups, such as sweet and salty snacks and sugary beverages. A second study found that exposure to malnutrition during childhood was associated with lowered school attainment and test performance in adolescence/young adulthood.
3. Psychological well-being:
Psychological well-being refers to “a person’s cognitive and affective evaluation of his or her life which includes the subjective assessment of experiences associated with meaning and self-realization.” Simply, it is one’s mental state. Some studies have shown a correlation between nutritional status and psychological well-being. Studies suggest that improvements in childhood nutrition have a long-lasting impact into adulthood on outcomes related to psychosocial and cognitive functioning.
4. Concentration:
Lastly, concentration is another key component of cognitive development. Being malnourished affects your child’s ability to concentrate in school. Concentration allows you to make better use of your resources and approach problems more effectively. Likewise, it can play a role in disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A common symptom of ADHD in children and adults is the inability to focus at length on the task at hand. One study sought to evaluate the relationship between the levels of Vitamin D in kids who had been diagnosed with ADHD and find out how vitamin D supplementation affected cognitive performance in people who were vitamin D deficient. Their research showed that children with ADHD had a substantially higher diagnosis of vitamin D insufficiency and Vitamin D treatment improved their conceptual cognitive function, opposition, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Furthermore, girls are particularly at risk for developing iron-deficiency anemia, which can cause fatigue and lack of concentration, limiting their ability to succeed in school. A healthy diet or proper supplementation are both necessary requirements to help increased focus and concentration in young children.
4 Simple Ways to Implement Good Nutrition:
1. Start the day with a good breakfast:
Cut out the sugary breakfast cereals and pastries, and instead serve whole grain toast with eggs and avocado.
2. Pack a water bottle:
Sugar-sweetened beverages pack a ton of added sugar, calories, and not so much nutritional value.
3. Incorporate plenty of fruits and veggies:
Try a peanut butter and apple or cucumber and hummus combo in your kid’s lunch for extra nourishment.
4. Cook more meals at home:
Rather than resorting to take-out every night, try cooking meals at home to ensure your kid is getting a variety of different foods and nutrients in their diet.
The kitchen should be your starting place for setting your child up for success. Food is medicine and fuel for the body; aiding in its ability to function and perform the best it can. Proper nourishment can help improve cognitive abilities like memorization, academic performance, psychological well-being, and concentration. What better way to show our love as parents, than nourishing our children’s brain and body through healthy food and a variety of nutrients!
