Smart kids can have trouble learning too. What they’re studying can be too advanced for them, or too easy (as in boring). They can have trouble understanding the terminology of the subject they are studying or they can require more practical exercises to ensure they are able to demonstrate and use what they are learning. Children, and even adults, can have difficulty with learning and remembering when their bodies and brains aren’t properly nourished.
The brain is a very demanding organ, requiring a lot of energy to ensure proper functioning. However, just eating a lot of calories will not result in greater brainpower or higher marks. The choice of foods and nutrients one consumes has a great deal to do with alertness, mental “agility” and ability to focus. So it is important to consume brain supportive nutrients. It is also essential to spot and handle food allergies or intolerances, as such reactions can cause a wide variety of undesirable symptoms including attention and learning difficulties.
The RIGHT Nutrients for a Healthy Brain
According to the book, “Is your child’s brain starving? Food not drugs for life and learning”, there are several common factors in most children who have been labelled as having learning difficulties or disorders. Most of these kids have food allergies or intolerances and nearly all of them have ‘leaky gut syndrome’.” Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances are common.
Also uncovered was that these children were often overloaded with toxins and had compromised immune systems. All of these conditions improve with optimum nutrition. But can the average parent expect to become a nutrition expert to help their child do better at school and in life? It isn’t as difficult as it might sound.
Brain-critical nutrients
Research has established that a child’s brain development requires specific amounts of the following important nutrients:
Protein
Protein contains the key amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine that help the brain function. They support the action of the key neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are important for attentiveness, task completion and the ability to remain calm when appropriate. Conditions such as ADD/ADHD can be related to low production of some neurotransmitters derived from specific amino acids.
Minerals
The minerals needed for optimum brain function, include iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium, as well as trace minerals, such as chromium, selenium, manganese, molybdenum and copper. Research shows that magnesium can reduce irritability and hyperactivity in children with attention disorders. Iron is needed, not only to build blood cells, but also by the brain. Children with iron deficiencies demonstrate impaired intellectual performance.
Antioxidants
Antioxidant nutrients can mop up the free radicals that interfere with brain performance. The brains of children with cognitive or behavioural problems are often under oxidative stress. Vitamins C and E, beta carotene and the phytonutrients in grape seed, milk thistle and unique fruit extracts are the key antioxidants. Grape seed, for example, is one of the most stable and effective natural antioxidants currently available. It helps protect the brain from oxidation.
B vitamins
A good balance of B vitamins is necessary for a vast range of functions in the body, particularly energy production. The brain consumes about 20 percent of the body’s energy, so adequate intake of B vitamins is vital for optimal brain performance.
Fatty acids
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are also brain-critical nutrients. Research by Dr. J. Stordy showed that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids improved mood, attention and alertness among young boys labelled as having attention disorders.
Gastrointestinal intensive care nutrients
Did you know that a child’s compromised learning and behaviour often starts in the gut? Surprising? Leaky gut syndrome is an unhealthy condition in which the lower intestine becomes porous, allowing undigested food particles, parasites, and toxins to flow through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. The immune system responds by creating antibodies, which in themselves can cause food allergies and other health problems.
There are specific ingredients, including B vitamins (especially pantothenic acid), vitamins A, E, and C, minerals (particularly zinc), enzymes (pepzyme), prebiotics (FOS) and probiotics to help heal the gut and to bind toxins. This healing action helps to eliminate parasites, ease food allergies and correct nutritional reactions that affect the brain.
Detoxification nutrients
Can toxins affect your child’s learning? Definitely. The degrading of the environment may have a lot to do with the deterioration of our ability to focus and learn. Water, air and the foods we eat absorb toxins from a poisoned environment, and we in turn consume these chemicals and compounds that can irritate sensitive body systems, contributing to compromised learning and behaviour.
That’s why natural detoxification agents, such as milk thistle, L-glutamine, N-acetyl-cysteine, D-glucaric acid, inorganic sulfate and fibre help the body cleanse itself of the toxic load. Milk thistle extract protects the liver from toxic stress, increases production of glutathione in the liver and, along with lecithin, results in more efficient flow of bile from the liver.
Fibre from guar gum, oat bran, and rice protein, stimulates the output of toxins from the liver. These unique fibres act like a sponge, binding and neutralizing the toxins so they can be harmlessly excreted.
Immune system nutrients
Infections, stress, toxic antigens, and nutritional deficiencies can lower immune system response, especially in children. Zinc, selenium and vitamins (such as vitamins A, C and the B complex) are just some of the many nutrients that provide immune system support.
References:
- Lyon, Michael, Healing the Hyperactive Brain, Focused Publishing, 2000
- Lyon, Michael, Is your child’s brain starving? Food not drugs for life and learning, Mind Publishing Ltd., 2002