Are Your Kids Getting Every Advantage?

7 Discoveries Brain Researchers Say Can "Significantly" Increase A Child's Ability to Learn

Last month, I remember saying something like, “Summer ain’t over yet!”

Well . . .now it is. As a teacher, I have a certain sense about these things--an almost migratory instinct to return to school, drink strong coffee, and prepare for classes.

Which got me to thinking about a 3 credit graduate course I took last summer designed to “. . .introduce educators to links between brain research and success in the classroom.” It was a great class, and I learned a lot. Nutrition, as it turns out, is a powerful predictor of learning.

Consider the following, from Teaching With the Brain in Mind, by Eric Jensen:
“In the past decade or two, compelling studies have shown the clear effect of better nutrition. In fact, the long-term impact of nutritional supplements (given to children from birth to age 7) is significant. Not only did children who received supplements score higher in quantitative thought and expression, reading, and vocabulary 10 years later, but also, when researchers followed up with these children between the ages of 11 and 26, they had improved socioeconomic status compared to the control group. Research strongly indicates that improved nutrition leads to improved cognition.”

Jensen goes on to say that nutrition is an area where we can easily make a positive difference. Like saving money for retirement, a good early investment will have a positive and lasting effect throughout a child’s life. Talk about paying dividends!
“The foods we serve,” Jensen says, “are not just feeding a child’s daily energy requirements, they are shaping the child’s brain.

Researchers suggest the following for parents who want to give their children every opportunity to learn:

1. Sufficient protein is absolutely essential in the early years because, aside from water, the growing body is made of more protein than any other substance.

2. Minerals and trace elements, including iron, zinc, and selenium are essential to ensure proper mood regulation, reduce fatigue, and improve concentration.

3. Vitamins A, B, C and E are essential for brain maintenance, protective effects, vision, strength, and memory.

4. Essential fatty acids (EFA’s), especially omega 3 and 6 play an integral role in cell membrane function and the development of the brain and eyes.

5. To work fast, brain cells need a fatty coating called myelin. Deficiencies in protein, iron and selenium impair mylelination of axons, which reduces mental efficiency.

6. Although food sources (such as leafy green vegetables, salmon, nuts, and fresh fruits) are the best way to get the vitamins and minerals that support optimal brain function and development, supplements can help to make up for a diet that is lacking.

7. Hydration is important to the brain’s normal development and function. Water should be available throughout the day.