Thursday, January 17, 2008

Mental Nutrition--Eating Well Means Smarter Children

Author: Team at Meal Plans 101

Article:
It's that time of year again. Alarms are sounding off in homes
everywhere--and that can only mean one thing--children are
heading back to school. Did you know the foods you feed your
children can make or break their mental performance in school?
There are very specific tips and tools that can help your
youngster (and, really, adults too) how to optimize both mental
and physical performance. While I can't promise straight A's, I
can promise that the food you provide for your family can
absolutely improve the likelihood of them doing well. Food is
fuel. Would you put mud in the tank of a race car? Well feeding
your body junk food is like putting mud in the gas tank--it
won't translate to optimal performance. Here are a few things
that will along with some quick dinner ideas, since time is of
the essence.

PLAN AHEAD!

There is no telling what your day will be like, so it's crucial
to pack food for a typical day ahead of time; doing so the night
before schools is ideal. It's not easy to be the gatekeeper,
making sure everyone gets to school or work on time. We know the
routine all too well--running around, trying to make sure every
last thing is done before the family is out the door. Remember
you should eat every few hours to get the necessary glucose and
other nutrients to your head.

Second, eat breakfast. If success is your goal, you won't get
there without breakfast. Don't have time in the morning--make
it, because this is clearly the most important meal of the day!
Not hungry after just rolling out of bed--too bad. It doesn't
take more than 3 minutes to eat a piece of fruit, swallow down a
yogurt, or whip up a meal replacement powder with frozen fruit.
Oh yeah, and don't think about a drive thru unless you also plan
to stop to put mud in your gas tank to effectively fuel your
car.

Keep in mind that there are also specific foods that are loaded
with nutrients; fruit in general is great, but dark berries in
particular have been shown to pack a super nutrient punch.
Having some protein at each meal may help keep you stay alert at
your desk as well. Remember too that glucose is the brains
primary food; low carb diets will keep you in a fog all day, so
don't forget the whole grains as well.

Finally, omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for brain development
and mental performance. Eating well throughout the day is
important, but it's often dinner that trips us up with schedules
that don't make life easy. Give this quick dinner idea a try and
you'll soon rival Einstein's mental clarity.

Cerebral Culinary Cuisine 4 oz grilled wild salmon 1 medium
sized sweet potato or yam 1 cup steamed broccoli

If you want more quick dinner ideas, check out
http://www.mealplans101.com to get a FREE 16 week transformation
e-course that provides tips from industry experts, allows you to
create your own meal plans, or offers an upgrade to get 60 meal
plans created by two of the industry's leading registered
dietitians. Go get it right now at http://www.mealplans101.com





About the author:
Christopher R. Mohr, PhD, RD and Jayson Hunter, RD, CSCS are two
of the industry's leading nutrition experts. They created
http://www.mealplans101.com to provide the most effective, yet
simple meal planning software to date.

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