Brain foods
DR. GOULDA Downer, adviser to the National Black Child Development Institute in the US, says a resounding yes to the question of whether some foods can make children smarter.
Nutrient-rich foods play an essential part in development of the mind and scholastic achievement as well as athletic performance, she said in the August 1998 issue of Essence Magazine.
Smart eating begins with a healthy breakfast because our brain needs fuel in the morning to keep us attentive and sharp.
Dr. Janice Stuff of the Children's Nutrition Research Centre of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston provides some guidelines:
Carbohydrates: Children need extra fuel for growing therefore, about half their calories should come from grains, fruits, vegetables and other complex carbohydrates.
Proteins: We can't store protein so we need a daily supply from sources like lean meat, chicken, fish, chick peas, eggs, beans and tofu.
Fats: Children younger than two should not be placed on a low-fat diet. They need fat for the rapid development of their body and brain. Between three and five they should get close to one-third of their calories from fat. Select sources like whole milk, nuts and vegetables like avocados (pears).
Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamins have an impact on children's energy, vision and memory. Minerals such as iron and calcium are also crucial to a child's physical and mental growth.
Deep coloured vegetables and fruits provide an excellent source for both. Aim for three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits. Include greens, citrus, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and mangoes.
Junk food damages the brain scientists
HAMBURGERS AND French fries don't just clog the arteries, say scientists at the University of Toronto; they clog the mind, too. Research on rats suggests that eating too much animal or vegetable fat in childhood can impair memory and concentration by preventing the brain taking up the glucose needed for healthy performance.
The scientists fed one-month-old rats a diet in which 40 per cent of their calorie intake came from fat. A control group was fed the standard lab diet in which only 10 per cent of calories were from fat. When the rats were four months old the equivalent of late adolescence -- they were trained to perform a task involving understanding and memory. The researchers found that the rats on the high-fat diet performed much more poorly than the lean rats.
"High-fat diets impair performance on virtually all our measures," Professor Gordon Winocur told the New Scientist. "Many teenagers derive 40 per cent of their calories from fat -- which could lead to their developing brains being permanently
damaged."
- Courtesy The
Week Magazine
Help!
A reader asked: What can I do?
My seven-year-old son has suddenly started to chunk out. He says he's hungry 10 minutes after he eats, for example, and when it comes to fruits and vegetables, he prefers not to get involved. I notice that he tends to like starchy foods breads, biscuits, rice and, inevitably, he's an ice cream man.
Some people say if I don't head him off this path now, we're only asking for trouble. Others say he'll grow it out.
Dr. Heather Little-White,
Food, Nutrition and Lifestyle responds:
Your seven-year-old son is a growing child, likely to be energetic, so it's natural for him to "chunk out". He enjoys starchy foods because they provide energy as will the sweet foods such as ice cream.
Do not allow too much of the sweet foods such as jams, jellies, candies and pastries (which are really empty calories) as snacks. Introduce fruit and fruit juices. Be careful of how much foods with refined sugar you feed your child.
He needs to eat complex carbohydrates since these also contain fibre and other nutrients like vitamins and minerals. He needs to have balanced meals with all the essential nutrients.
Excessive amounts of calories from carbohydrate sources will get converted into body fat and will lead to childhood obesity. Of course, some parents think that it is cute for their child to be pleasingly plump but this poses serious health risks.
Find creative and attractive ways to make vegetable consumption interesting for your son. Offer him a wide variety of his favourite foods combining them with fruits and vegetables, starting with small portions. Make mealtime a pleasing experience, not forcing him to eat what he does not like. Supervise eating time and make it into a time for mother and son bonding.
