Nurture your child’s nutrition

With the start of school quickly approaching, it’s time to start planning to make the year great. You may be making lists and shopping for school supplies, but have you taken the time to think about your child’s nutrition?  

Proper nutrition plays a large role in your child’s positive outcomes in the classroom. In fact, one study shows that students with better nutrition were better able to learn new information, had better behavior in the classroom, and had fewer absences. To make sure you set your child up for success, let’s dive into some basic nutrition concepts we can use to improve their energy, concentration, and overall well-being. 

Create balanced meals and snacks 

To optimize your child’s performance, it is imperative they get the right balance of nutrients in their diet. A balanced meal/snack should include a few key nutrients: protein, healthy fats, and high-fiber carbohydrates. Proper protein intake helps the body build muscle, produce hormones, and strengthen bones. Healthy fats boost brain function by building a substance called myelin that allows for faster and clearer communication between brain cells. Carbohydrates are the body’s “fast fuel” source, and choosing carbohydrate foods higher in fiber can also promote a healthy gut. To see examples of each and make sure you create balanced meals, check out the table below. 

Don’t skip breakfast 

We often hear breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that is especially true for growing minds. Studies show students who skip breakfast showed increased errors, had slower memory recall, were more hyperactive, and had more attention problems than students who eat breakfast consistently. Whether your child eats breakfast at home or at school, it’s important to make sure they start their day with some brain fuel to help them stay concentrated. 

Snacks should be encouraged 

Children who are experiencing hunger score lower in areas including concentration, behavior, and attendance compared to children who were not experiencing hunger. Making sure your child has healthy snacks available will make sure they have fuel available throughout the day and prevent them from getting too hungry in between meals. Students who ate unhealthy snacks (snacks high in saturated fat, sugar, and/or salt) have been shown to lower the odds of good academic performance. When packing snacks for your child, remember to make them balanced! Healthy snacks should contain protein or healthy fats paired with high-fiber carbohydrates.