The nutrition your child gets while in school can affect grades, behavior, and overall well-being.
Making sure your child is getting the nutrition they need can help a child focus, improve their reading, and make them happier.
Simple tips to improve your child’s school performance.
Studies have shown that poor nutrition in childhood can lead to a lower IQ and antisocial behavior. That can make an otherwise smart, healthy child crabby and unfocused at school and at home. All too often, when a child is having trouble in school, they are diagnosed with ADD and medicated. We think the problem has been solved. Perhaps taking a closer look at their eating habits will provide a natural answer to this problem.
- Give them a multivitamin: Taking a children’s multivitamin can fill most nutritional holes in the diet. Giving them a simple vitamin with breakfast can provide a wealth of nutrients to help them throughout their day at school. Most multivitamins formulated for children are easy for kids to take.
- Supplement with omega-3: Omega-3 supplementation appears to be an effective way to improve brain function in children. In fact, supplementing with both omega-3 EPA and DHA from fish oil has been shown in research studies to improve focus, learning, and even reading in children (an average dose of 500 mg EPA, 200 mg DHA/day). These days, most kids don’t get enough omega-3 in their diet because it’s not prevalent in the food supply anymore. Therefore, giving your child and ultra-purified omega-3 fish oil supplement is a smart choice. Click here to learn more about the best omega-3 supplement for school-aged children.
- Don’t be too concerned with fat: For a child of normal weight and activity levels, little focus should be placed on reducing fat content in the diet. These fats are necessary for a growing body, and are an important source of energy as well. If you believe that your child is at risk for being overweight, before you limit fats in the diet, limit sugars and other simple carbohydrates. It is normally sugary snacks and soft drinks that are causing weight gain and can also put your child at risk for developing diabetes.
- Promote a healthy lifestyle: It is important to promote a healthy lifestyle to your child at an early age. Being exposed to these things early can ensure that they maintain healthy habits for the rest of their life. This includes setting a good example through demonstrating the benefits of exercise and eating well. Children who have active, healthy parents tend to be active and healthy themselves. So set your kids on the path to healthy living early by promoting these wholesome habits!
Keeping these tips in mind while raising a baby can help ensure proper growth, and a healthy, happy child. A baby’s nutrient needs change quickly, however, so keeping track of your child’s nutrient needs as they grow can be a challenging, but mutually rewarding experience.
The experts agree that omega-3 fish oil is critical to learning, behavior, and development.
"...every child with ADD, bipolar or any other mood disorder should be on (omega-3 supplements)."
- Dr. John Ratey, Author of Driven to Distraction
"The single clearest trend in childhood diets has been the relative decline in fat as a percentage of total calories. It's the same thing that's happened with adult diets: We have gotten the message that all fat is bad. But It should be noted that some fats are very healthy, such as the fat in nuts, avocados, olive oil, and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon. When you cut all fat out of the diet, you miss out on healthy fats, too. "
- Dr. David Ludwig, M.D., PhD, Author of Ending the Food Fight
Do you have a question about omega-3 fish oil and learning, behavior, or development?
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