including lower risk of many forms of cancer as well as other chronic health problems. Some dietary habits may do more to enhance learning than others. One important step is to make sure your child gets breakfast. Studies generally show that, without breakfast, children have more trouble concentrating and less speed and accuracy retrieving information from memory. If breakfast at home isn't possible, school breakfast programs may be an alternative. If time is a problem, move bedtime back 15 minutes so breakfast and a good night's sleep both are doable. If your children aren't hungry in the morning, look at their evening eating habits. Studies in adults have found that eating large amounts in the evening is associated with the lack of an appetite in the morning. When breakfast is eaten, nighttime hunger and eating tend to decrease and, after about two weeks, breakfast is often a much-enjoyed meal.
For children uninterested in traditional breakfast foods, offer a toasted cheese sandwich and applesauce, peanut butter and banana on a bagel, a waffle topped with fruit and yogurt, or a smoothie made of fruit and milk, yogurt or tofu. Children need a good lunch to continue learning well through the afternoon. If your child takes a lunch to school, use the basic formula of combining some grain product (bread, pasta, crackers, pretzels), some protein (meat, dairy, nuts or seeds), and some fruits or vegetables (or both). Make sure they like the fruits, vegetables and protein foods you include so they will eat them rather than trade them away. A lunch loaded with fruit "punch" and a variety of sweets is not likely to enhance a child's learning afterward. There is little proof that too much sugar causes hyperactivity and learning disabilities. But when children fill up on sweets, a surge of energy is followed by a blood sugar drop, leaving them little fuel to learn the rest of the day. Consider caffeine, too, which is so abundant today in soft drinks and certain chewing gums, nutrition bars and even bottled water.
Because of children's smaller size, caffeine hits them two or three times harder than it does adults. They might have trouble sitting still and concentrating on learning tasks. If consumed in the evening, caffeine can make it more difficult for a child to fall asleep and sleep soundly, and that clearly impairs learning. Some experts recommend parents reserve caffeinated products for weekends only, or at least limit the amount and time of day when they are consumed.
Nutrition Notes is provided as a public service by the American Institute for Cancer Research.