Did you know? If the body’s hydration levels drop by up to 2%, it disables kids from processing information and focusing on their work.
If a child continues to eat poorly, they may become obese and reduce their physical and mental capacity and development. Some studies have showcased that these kids may even fail to advance to the next grade or even find it difficult to get a job in the future. Health risks are also going to be a threat in the future.
Considering these effects, advocates of child health and healthy eating campaign to have parents and schools change their child’s diet. While studies are still divided on how diets, good nutrition, and performance can be linked together, current data suggest that good nutrition has a lot of positive effects for students.
Here are three major ways nutrition can assist in a child’s achievement and performance in school
Better Nutrition Helps Boost Brain Function
According to existing studies on nutrition conducted by biology scientists and our biology tutors, it is said that nutrition levels of students can strongly influence their mental capacity.
For instance, iron deficiency can affect the body’s creation of dopamine, which enables signals to be transmitted easily throughout the body and improve memory retention. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as vitamin E, iodine, zinc, thiamine and others can disable mental concentration, decision-making and memory creation.
By increasing one’s nutritional levels, as well as introducing amino acids and carbohydrates in the body, it enables children to improve their cognitive abilities, as well as their analytical abilities. Intelligence levels also increase if children take in nutrients from nutrient-rich foods and drinks.
Having a Balanced Diet Helps Improve Behavior and Learning Environment
Aside from improving one’s brain development and function, good nutrition through a balanced diet can help a student become ready for their lessons. Not only will the students be healthier, good nutrition would reduce the chances of the child from becoming absent in school and focus better.
Vitamin and nutrient deficiency, as well as malnutrition, are noted to cause behavioral problems and disable them from focusing completely during their classes. However, this can be prevented by feeding your kids with a balanced diet filled with protein, carbohydrates, and fiber.
Since your child will be able to focus better during their classes, it will reduce the onset of disruptions in the class and improve their learning environment.
Supporting good diet quality ensures positive school outcomes
Several studies, as well as experts, also point out that having a good and balanced diet can help improve school outcomes for students. Researchers show through their studies that kids who get high-quality diets perform better during their exams and they have the best health as compared to those who do not eat properly.
Other studies suggest that proper diet enables kids to improve their awareness and focus since their mind is active and ready to take in new information. Good health also ensures that they will not miss any class.
One study even showed that stopping the sale of junk food and soft drinks in cafeterias have greatly improved the school’s overall behavior and reduced the onset of disciplinary action or tardiness.
Ways to Help Improve Your Child’s Nutrition Levels
While studies are still underway to show the importance of having a good and balanced diet for kids, there are ways to help your child improve their nutrition. Many parents agonize when it comes to feeding their kids healthy meals because of the things they hear about it and sometimes, the way they taste and how it is prepared.
Fortunately, here are some tips you can try out to start helping your child develop a healthy eating habit:
1. Introduce the benefits of water and fresh fruit juices
Sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks are bad for the body even if they taste great. Soda, for instance, has a lot of calories and sugar, which may trigger sugar rush and other related ailments if it is taken in huge quantities daily. When packing your child’s lunch box, fill their drinks bottle with water and teach them to drink a lot of water every day. Water enables the body to stay hydrated and it doesn’t have other chemicals bad for the health.
You can also alternate water with fresh fruit juices which are naturally squeezed. Naturally squeezed fruit juices or smoothies retain the nutrition content of the fruit so it is perfectly healthy.
2. Eat Whole Grains
Instead of buying cereals, pasta, and bread made from white flour, buy whole wheat ones instead. Whole wheat comes with a lot of vitamins and nutrients, which can help the body replenish its supplies. It also has high fiber content, which cleanses the body of toxins and other harmful chemicals.
3. Keep them active
You should also ensure that your child constantly moves around to exercise their body. You can enroll them to dance lessons or introduce them to active games like biking, jump rope or tag to help their body flex its muscles. Leaving them stationary can induce obesity and other health complications.
4. Do Not Skip Breakfast
You should introduce to your kids the importance of taking breakfast every day because this meal kickstarts the body’s metabolism and promotes energy production. If they skip this meal, their bodies will not be able to move easily throughout the day until they get their lunch or snacks. If your kids do not have time to wait for breakfast, you can prepare their meals in advance or add fruits or protein-rich snacks they can munch on so they won’t go hungry.
5. Avoid fast or processed foods
Although it is difficult to avoid fast foods or processed foods completely, it is advisable that parents avoid picking it even if they are pressed for time. Processed or fast foods have high calorie, sugar and chemical content, which can be bad for the body in huge quantities. If your kids are hungry, offer them fruits or fresh vegetables.
Top Tip: You should make it a habit to look into the nutritional labels of the food you purchase during grocery time. If you find an ingredient which is hard to read or pronounce, you should skip it. Organic counterparts are available in grocery shops so pick those instead.
6. Do not buy junk food for home consumption
If your child cannot see it at home, they would not be enticed to try it out.
This same thinking is applicable to junk foods. When they do not see any junk foods at home, they can immediately determine that it is bad to try out or eat in high quantities. If your kids need a snack, encourage them to eat fresh snacks. Of course, you cannot keep out junk food entirely. You can encourage your kids to do their best in eating healthy and only eat junk food in moderation or during special occasions.
Final Thoughts
Every child has the capacity to perform spectacularly in every aspect of their life if their bodies and minds are properly honed and developed. If we do not give them good nutrition to support their body’s performance and development, we are disabling our kids to reach their 100%. We are also depriving them of understanding crucial lessons that they can apply in the future.
By revising their meals and putting in healthier options, we are giving them an irreplaceable advantage throughout the day and even for their future since a healthy body also reduces the onset of diseases.
Start the healthy habit today and begin a new eating lifestyle for the entire family.
To understand how a good diet will affect the performance of your child’s studies, here are more articles:
The Importance of Breakfast Before School for Children in Singapore
Super-Easy Food Hacks That Will Improve Your Concentration, Memory, & Mood
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