It happens to everyone once in a while: you missed breakfast or skipped lunch and, in a few hours, you are feeling it. You may be distracted by hunger, unable to concentrate, or even feeling grouchy. Kids experience the same symptoms from skipping meals, and it can affect their behaviour and ability to concentrate.

When a child’s brain and body get the right nutrition, there is a marked difference in the child’s mood, ability to focus, and capacity to learn. One way to help your child choose healthy foods is to eat healthy, regular meals yourself. Kids will want to mimic what they see you do. Having a well-balanced diet and eating regular meals can help prevent that distracted, grumpy feeling. Growing children require more calories per body weight than adults do, so healthy snacks are very important to help them meet their energy needs throughout the day. Make sure you have nutritious snacks on hand when crunched for time or the day hasn’t gone as planned.

Cognitive development is all about brain health. Cognition refers to activities of the brain such as thinking and reasoning. The brain is nearly 90% its final size by the time a child is 3 years old. Your child’s memory, ability to learn language, perform tasks, reason, concentrate, solve problems, and more depend on cognitive development.

Many important nutrients work together to contribute to a healthy brain:

• DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid, supports the normal physical development of the brain and eyes.
• Folate, a B vitamin, is a factor in the normal early development of the fetal brain.
• Vitamin E is a dietary antioxidant that protects the fat in body tissues from oxidation, a process that can damage cells.

DHA is the most prominent fatty acid in the brain,² and since the body does not produce enough on its own, kids need to consume it in the diet to meet the body’s needs. We can get DHA from foods such as fatty fish, seafood, and Omega-3 fortified foods.

The immune system protects your child from disease and infection. It may surprise you to know that between 70 and 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive system. Hence, digestive health is critical to maintaining a healthy immune system.

Dietary fiber plays an important role in supporting a healthy digestive system. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre helps reduce total blood cholesterol levels. It is found in foods such as oats, legumes, and some fruits and vegetables. Insoluble fibre promotes regularity by increasing stool bulk, or “roughage”, and is found in whole grains and some vegetables and fruits. These two types of fibre work together in the digestive tract to support immune health.

Emerging science shows a strong link between nutrition and academic performance.

Breakfast is especially important for kids attending school. Studies have shown that consuming breakfast had a positive impact on children’s attention at school.⁵ Eating breakfast foods high in dietary fibre can help kids to feel full longer and therefore not be distracted by hunger later in the morning, helping improve attention and focus on schoolwork.

However, it’s not just whether a child is hungry that affects school performance. Research indicates the quality of foods children eat also impacts cognition. A Canadian study (The Children’s Lifestyle and School-performance Study) looked at the impact of overall diet quality on school performance in 5th graders and found that diet quality was associated with better academic performance.⁶ This highlights the importance and impact of consuming a variety of nutrient-rich foods, not only on your child’s health but also on their academic performance.