We hear stories from our grandparents saying, “In our childhood, we used to consume foods full of nutrition but your children are not getting enough of it”. Whatever we hear from them is correct. The food we are feeding our children is helping neither in brain development nor in the development of overall health. More than the choice of food, it is the problem of the quality of food, and most of the times, there is nothing we can do about it as parents.
You must know that most part of the brain develops in your childhood. During the first 36 months of your child’s life, he or she understands how to think, how to play, how to stand, how to crawl, and other activities involving brain to a great extent. The brain development includes the ability to learn and behave. The important thing influencing the abilities is the food they eat.
The types of foods you are feeding your children influence the behavior of your child. If your child is having attention problems, first thing as a parent you need to check is, what food he or she is eating.
Food that is rich in anti-oxidants, Omega 3 fatty acids, choline, complex carbohydrates helps in developing the brain health of your children. Brain health development does not mean your kid will become another Einstein, but definitely will ensure that your kid will have a smart start for his or her rest of the life.
Table of Contents
Antioxidants
These types of nutrients will protect your kid’s brain from all kinds of wear and tear. Now the question is how you will find foods with antioxidants. The answer is simple, the more brightly the fruits are colored, the more antioxidants they have. Fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries are some of the fruits which are extremely high in antioxidants. In addition, nuts, seeds are some of the non-fruits that protect the brain from damage.
Though all these fruits and vegetables are available in the market, your kids will not be willing to consume all of them, as they do not understand the benefits associated. Parents have to be clever enough to blend the right combination of nutrients to the food of kid’s choice. For example, if your child is fond of yogurt, then toss the fruits with milk and yogurt and serve a cup of smoothie to your child. The idea behind the infusion is to keep the interest and the nutrients in your kid’s food. This technique is definitely going to work. Knowing your child’s choice is the key to the success.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
It is one of the most important nutrients for brain and eye development of your child. Omega 3 fatty acids help stabilize the mood of your child. You will find the nutrients in walnut, salmon, shrimp, flaxseeds, eggs, and yogurts. As a parent, you can blend walnuts and milk together and include them in your child’s diet or serve salmon in salads or sandwiches, whichever dish your kids like. Everything in excess gets boring, be it a world-famous dish or something else. Try different dishes with your child and see what do they like the most.
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Choline
This type of nutrients helps connect the brain with the rest of the body. Brain directs the body to walk, talk and behave from the birth of your child. You should not miss these nutrients from your child’s food. Eggs, yogurts, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower are rich in Choline. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, stir-fried broccoli, toss eggs, cauliflowers, and broccoli can be served to your child. See what combinations of food appeal them the most and feed them the best foods in the most attractive way possible.
Carbohydrates
All of us rely on foods rich in carbohydrates. As carbohydrates are a source of fuel. Carbohydrates are absorbed very easily in our body and help the body to function well. The main source of carbs is rice, pasta, noodle, bread etc. It should not be very difficult to include carbohydrates in your child’s diet. You can include them in breakfasts, lunch, dinner, snacks whenever you want. Just make sure that you do not make your child carb addicted. A balanced diet of carbohydrates with other nutrients is always good for your child’s brain development.
Overall, eggs, yogurts, fruits and some of the vegetables are rich in all types of nutrients contributing towards the brain development of your child. Most of the parents today do not focus on the full-fledged development of their toddler’s brain because of lack of awareness.
If you are not sure what is good food for your child’s brain development, see a nutritionist and ask for their views, research on the internet. Do not neglect the brain of upcoming leaders, writers, politicians. Help them grow and help grow the country as a whole.
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