The 7 Foods to Boost Your Child’s Brain Power
Get your children ready for school with foods that support learning. Brain boosting foods support the neurotransmitters necessary for optimal focus, attention and energy.
Break the Fast
Breakfast is a critical meal for children, stimulating serotonin and regulating blood sugar. The wrong breakfast foods, however, can have the opposite effect. Start your child’s day with the following easy breakfast foods, guaranteed for learning success.
Eggs
High in protein, healthy fat and iron, eggs are a great early am brain booster. Making children eat eggs in the am can be challenging. My favorite secrets include egg pancakes, quiche, breakfast quesadillas with eggs and cheese or scrambled eggs with every child’s favorite; ketchup.
Yogurt
Another superfood, yogurt contains probiotics for good digestive support and up to 10 grams of protein. Choose plain yogurt and let your kids flavor it with a cereal of their choice, nuts, granola and honey. This is easy to carry in the car and should keep your child full until lunch. Watch for excessive sugar in cereals or in flavored yogurt.
Almond Butter
Pressed for time? Almond butter is an easy protein source. Simply spread 1 tbsp on an english muffin or toast, add your child’s favorite fruit and presto- an easy, portable breakfast for learning success.
Lunch & Snacks
Most children eat lunch in school, but some parents do find themselves packing lunches or snacks for the busy school day. Remember, energy for children drops at 12 nn and again at 2 pm. Send your child to school well prepared. Here are some quick and easy suggestions.
Carrots/Hummus
The perfect pairing, carrots are high in Vitamin A, while hummus provides an easy protein source.
Quinoa Salad
Higher protein than its sister grains, make the perfect quinoa salad by adding salt, oregano, pepper and any veggies that your child will eat to this mix. For added protein, tofu, tempeh or any meat can be added in as well. If your child cannot stand the taste of quinoa, consider substituting with wild rice instead. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and your child now has a high protein, high fiber lunch with an extra dose of healthy fat.
The Dream Sandwich
Nothing beats the easy staple; sandwiches. Build a better sandwich by trading up your bread for a whole grain, high fiber bread. Use nut butters or grilled meats, unprocessed cheese or or organic deli meat to vary the types of sandwiches. Add avocados, kale, spinach or romaine lettuce for added greens. For that extra punch, place on a panini press and send off to school.
Finally, if your child is in sports or after school activities, remember to send easy to carry snacks so that the snack machines don’t look that attractive. Fruits, nuts, protein bars or smoothies are better alternatives.
Want to Dive Deeper?
While these tips can help you boost your child’s brain power in the short-term, if you want to get to the root cause of their health issues, make an appointment with one of our pediatricians.
With a unique diagnostic process, we guide your child to their best self by connecting the dots of their health and history to shape a unique treatment plan because no two kiddos are the same. We lead you and your child in the implementation and monitor the results to optimize the plan according to their body’s needs.
So what will you find as a patient at our office?
- Longer appointments with your provider
- Advanced technology and integrative lab testing
- Conventional and holistic treatment options
- Personalized treatment plans
- Direct access to your provider
- A complete menu of traditional and holistic health and spa services
As you can see, at CentreSpringMD, we are committed to a new model of medicine with true patient centered, collaborative care – a safe place for you to refresh, relax, and rejuvenate.
