Better diet = better grades!

Food for thought…

A new study published in the Journal of School Health reveals that children with healthy diets perform better in school than children with unhealthy diets.

Led by Paul J Veugelers, MSc, PhD, of the University of Alberta, researchers surveyed around 5000 Canadian fifth-grade students and their parents as part of the Children’s Lifestyle and School-Performance Study.
When the children were given literacy tests, students with an increased fruit and vegetable intake and less caloric intake from fat were significantly less likely to fail the assessment, while children whose diets were higher in saturated fats did less well.

“We demonstrated that above and beyond socioeconomic factors, diet quality is important to academic performance,” the authors conclude. “These findings support the broader implementation and investment in effective school nutrition programs that have the potential to improve student’s diet quality, academic performance, and, over the long term, their health.”

The American Heart Association recommends this eating pattern for families:

• Energy (calories) should be adequate to support growth and development and to reach or maintain desirable body weight.
• Eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars.
• Keep total fat intake between 30-35% of calories for children 2-3 years of age and between 25-35% of calories for children and adolescents 4-18 years of age, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.
• Choose a variety of foods to get enough carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients.
• Eat only enough calories to maintain a healthy weight for your height and build. Be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.
• Serve whole-grain/high-fiber breads and cereals rather than refined grain products. Look for ‘whole grain’ as the first ingredient on the food label and make at least half your grain servings whole grain. Recommended grain intake ranges from 2 ounces per day for a 1 year old to 7 ounces per day for a 14-18-year-old boy.
• Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, while limiting juice intake. • Each meal should contain at least one fruit or vegetable. Children’s recommended fruit intake ranges from 1 cup per day at 1-3 years, to 2 cups for a 14-18-year-old boy. Recommended vegetable intake ranges from ¾ cup a day at 1 year old, to 3 cups for a 14-18-year-old boy.
• Regularly serve fish as an entrée but avoid commercially fried fish.
• Serve fat-free and low-fat dairy foods From ages 1-8, children need 2 cups of milk or its equivalent each day. Children aged 9-18 need 3 cups.
• Don’t overfeed Estimated calories needed by children range from 900 per day for a 1 year old to 1,800 for a 14-18-year-old girl and 2,200 for a 14-18-year-old boy.

This eating pattern supports a child's normal growth and development. It provides enough total energy and meets or exceeds the recommended daily allowances for all nutrients for children and adolescents, including iron and calcium.

 

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