The crucial brain foods all children need

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire The first 1,000 days of life are crucial for brain development — and food plays an important role. The ways that the brain develops during pregnancy and during the first two years of life are like scaffolding: they literally define how the brain will work for the rest of a person’s life. Nerves grow and connect and get covered with myelin, creating the systems that decide how a child — and the adult she becomes — thinks and feels. Those connections and changes affect sensory systems, learning, memory, attention, processing speed, the ability to control impulses and mood, and even the ability to multitask or plan. Those connections and changes cannot be undone, either. How the brain begins is how it stays. The environment a child lives in, and how they are loved and nurtured, is crucial for these connections and changes. Breastfeeding can also make a big difference, not just because breast milk is the perfect first food but also because of the close contact with the mother that is part of breastfeeding. There are also certain nutrients that are necessary for healthy brain development. These nutrients include: Protein. Protein can be found in meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, nuts and seeds, as well as dairy. Zinc. The food that has the most zinc, interestingly, is oysters — but it’s also found in many meats, fish, dairy products, and nuts. Iron. Meats, beans and lentils, fortified cereals and breads, dark le...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Brain and cognitive health Children's Health Healthy Eating Parenting Pregnancy Source Type: blogs