It is well known that good nutrition is important for building strong bones and muscles and functioning at peak performance. However, not all children get optimal nutrition in their daily diets. This can be from not having access to healthy options or being picky and refusing to eat their vegetables. As kids grow and develop, what are the impacts of poor nutrition not just on physical health but on learning and school performance?
School Readiness
Many toddlers are picky eaters and are happier to conduct a hunger strike rather than eat what’s offered. While your 3-year-old may not devour salmon and broccoli, keep trying! According to Central Michigan University, “Poor dietary patterns in the first five years of life can impair a child’s learning ability and school readiness. Luckily, the opposite is also true – that diets rich in whole fruits, grains and vegetables are associated with better cognitive function and school readiness in early childhood.” University of Utah Health also states that children with poor nutrition are less likely to be ready to start kindergarten than their nourished peers.
Academic Performance
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne states that poor childhood nutrition can lead to a range of issue. These include interrupted sleep, poor concentration, altered emotional and psychological development, behavior problems and – not surprisingly – difficulties at school.
“There is pretty solid evidence that children who are hungry are not able to focus, so they have a low attention span, behavioral issues, discipline issues in the school,” said Sibylle Kranz, an associate professor of kinesiology and a registered dietitian nutritionist at the University of Virginia. “Having children who are well- fed and not hungry makes a difference in their individual performance, and also how much they are contributing to or disrupting the classroom situation.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? Children who aren’t properly fueled can be irritable, lethargic, unable to focus and disruptive to the entire classroom. Not only does it affect their own academic performance, but they may be negatively impacting other students’ learning experiences.
Combatting Poor Nutrition
Central Michigan University shows that the inverse is also true. “Increased access to nutritious food is associated with better education outcomes (attendance, behavior, grades, test performance, graduation rates). Education, and especially high school graduation, benefits individuals’ long-term health. It has been associated with reducing the risk of later life chronic health conditions and increasing life expectancy. Further, these long-term health benefits may be particularly strong among individuals belonging to minoritized groups.” It’s a trickle effect. Solid nutrition in childhood allows children to be prepared to take on academic challenges. As they grow, their educational wins also set them up for adult success and better overall health in later years.
Prepare your child for academic and life success by providing nutritious foods at every meal. Offer a variety of meats, seafoods, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains and dairy, taking care to not be too dominant in one area (as in, not eating only yogurt and cheese!). They may not like everything that is offered (spoiler alert – they won’t!) but keep offering it. Limit processed foods and added sugars. Their diet isn’t likely to be “perfect,” but fueling those brains and bodies with nutrient-dense foods and adequate hydration will help them be a super star in the classroom and beyond!
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