Back to School – A Healthy Diet Enhances Academic Performance
In
addition to helping your child with improved study habits and ensuring they get
plenty of sleep at night, a good healthy diet can overall improve your child’s
performance at school this year.
Each
night, you sit down with your child and go over the homework for the day. You
insist they read for at least 20 minutes each night. You tuck them in and help
them get plenty of rest so they can tackle the days ahead. Did you know that
ensuring they eat a quality diet is also an important strategy for helping your
kids succeed at school?
A
new study published in the European Journal of Nutrition has found that a diet
that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish over red meat and
sugary processed food was associated with improved reading skills in elementary
school.
Researchers
at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Jyvaskyla followed
161 children, aged 6 to 8 years old, through Grades 1, 2 and 3. Diet quality
was positively associated with higher reading skills in Grades 2 and 3,
independent of how they read in Grade 1
“Another
significant observation is that the associations of diet quality with reading
skills were also independent of many confounding factors, such as
socio-economic status, physical
activity, body adiposity, and physical fitness,” says Researcher Eero
Haapala, PhD.
Young
children are particularly adaptable to changes in diet. Once they get in their
teen years it is much harder, but can be done!
• Before
making changes, take a look at your family’s overall eating patterns. Remember
that family
dinners together (that include healthy meal options that everyone enjoys)
are key to improving the diet. Remember that if your kids see you eating
healthy, they are much more likely to follow along.
•
Choose one food you know can be improved – such as that boxed macaroni and
cheese for lunch – and create a homemade, non-processed version to try at home
together. Make homemade chicken nuggets and potato wedges instead of fast food
meals.
•
Start slowly by introducing
a new food each day or a couple of times a week. Include it as a side to
their usual favorites. Insist that they try at least one bite (better if they
try two or three!) Don’t worry if they don’t like the food right away. It can
take up to 10-15 exposures before a child is accepting of a new food.
•
Have your child go with you to the grocery store or farmers market to pick out
an interesting fruit or vegetable to try. Look up a kid-friendly recipe on
websites such as Super Healthy Kids.
•
Have your child help you in the kitchen. Or if you have a garden at home, be
sure your child helps with the tending and harvesting. If your child is
actively involved in food preparation, they are more likely to try new things.
•
Make healthy eating a game with a reward at the end. Fruit and
Veggies More Matters offers several games to challenge your children to eat
better.
Journal
Reference:
Eero
A. Haapala, et al. Diet quality and academic achievement: a prospective study
among primary school children. European Journal of Nutrition, 2016;
DOI:10.1007/s00394-016-1270-5
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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