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SCHOOL-ADETM NEWSLETTER
What you need to know to give your child the SCHOOL-ADETM advantage
Anytime is a good time to get your child ready for
the SCHOOL-ADE advantage. Here are some
nutritional tips to enhance your child’s behavior, and performance at school and
at home.
An ideal, nutritious breakfast contains a balance of complex carbohydrates and protein. Think
grains, plus dairy, plus fruits. Examples of balanced breakfasts are:
granola cereal, yogurt, a sliced apple
scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice
veggie omelet, bran muffin, fruit with yogurt
whole-grain pancakes or waffles topped with berries and/or yogurt, milk
whole-wheat zucchini pancakes topped with fruit, milk
french toast topped with fruit, orange juice or milk
low-fat cheese melted on toast with a piece of fruit
low-fat cream cheese on a whole-grain bagel, orange juice
peanut butter and banana slices on an english muffin, milk
For a breakfast-on-the-run smoothie, see "School-Ade."
Of course, it's what you eat not what you say that impresses a child most. By treating yourself to
a healthy breakfast, you model to your children that eating a healthy breakfast gives the whole
family a smart nutritional start.
Here is a Sears family recipe for a smoothie we give our children and ourselves for a quick and
nutritious breakfast as they are hurrying off to school and we are rushing off to work.
3 cups milk or soy beverage
11/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1-2 servings Juice Plus+® Complete or similar multinutrient supplement
one frozen banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., organic strawberries, papaya, mango)
2 tbsp. flax oil or 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
4 ounces tofu
2 tbsp. peanut butter (optional)
Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately after blending while the
mixture still has a bubbly milkshake-like consistency.
We formulated this recipe based on the principle of "synergy." The nutrients consumed
together enhance each other's benefits, so the whole nutritional effect is greater
than the sum of its parts. I have prescribed this recipe for several hundred school-children
and their parents, and we drink it ourselves four to five mornings a week. It's a powerful
performance booster for working parents and school-children.
Because fiber steadies the absorption of carbohydrates and therefore contributes to a steadier
blood sugar, we suggest using rich sources of fiber, such as flaxseed meal (i.e. ground flax seeds,
containing both the oil and fiber), although flax oil has a more palatable consistency than
flaxseed meal. For additional fiber, if you don't mind a grainier texture, add 1 tbsp. or more of oat bran.
SCHOOL-ADE QUICK
2 cups of milk or soy or rice beverage, or 1 cup milk and 1 cup yogurt
1 serving Juice Plus+® Complete
2 tsp. flax oil
1 small frozen banana, cut up
1/2 cup each of your favorite fruit, frozen (e.g., blueberries strawberries, papaya)
2 ice cubes if fruit is not frozen or if you want a lighter taste
Makes one 20-ounce serving.
(approximately 550 calories).
Breakfast science. "Breakfast" means just that: break the overnight fast. Eating breakfast
allows you to restock the energy stores that have been depleted overnight and begin the day with
a tank full of the right fuel. Sending yourself to work or your child to school without breakfast is
like trying to use a cordless power tool without ever recharging the battery. If you don't refuel
your child's body in the morning after an overnight fast, the child has to draw fuel from its own
energy stores until lunchtime. The stress hormones necessary to mobilize these energy reserves
may leave the child feeling irritable, tired, and unable to learn or behave well. If you want your
child to rise and shine rather than limp along sluggishly at school all morning, make sure your
child's day gets off to a nutritious start.
Throughout the brain, biochemical messengers called neurotransmitters help the brain make the
right connections. Food influences how these neurotransmitters operate. The more balanced the
breakfast, the more balanced the brain function. There are two types of proteins that affect
neurotransmitters: 1) neurostimulants, such as proteins containing tyrosine,
affecting the alertness transmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, and 2) calming proteins that
contain tryptophan, which relaxes the brain. A breakfast with the right
balance of both stimulating and calming foods starts the child off with a brain that is primed to
learn and emotions prepared to behave. Eating complex carbohydrates along with proteins helps
to usher the amino acids from these proteins into the brain, so that the neurotransmitters can
work better.
Complex carbohydrates and proteins act like biochemical partners for enhancing learning and
behavior. This biochemical principle is called "synergy," meaning that the
combination of two nutrients works better than each one singly, sort of like 1 + 1 = 3.
Breakfast research. If your hectic household has a morning rush hour like the one in our home,
you may feel that you don't have time for a healthy breakfast. But consider what studies have
shown:
Breakfast eaters are likely to achieve higher grades, pay closer attention, participate
more in class discussions, and manage more complex academic problems than
breakfast skippers.
Breakfast skippers are more likely to be inattentive, sluggish, and make lower grades.
Breakfast skippers are more likely to show erratic eating patterns throughout the day,
eat less nutritious foods, and give into junk-food cravings. They may crave a mid-
morning sugar fix because they can't make it all the way to lunchtime on an empty
fuel tank.
Some children are more vulnerable to the effects of missing breakfast than others.
The effects on behavior and learning as a result of missing breakfast or eating a
breakfast that is not very nutritious vary from child to child.
Whether or not children eat breakfast affects their learning, but so does what they
eat. Children who eat a breakfast containing both complex carbohydrates and
proteins in equivalent amounts of calories tend to show better learning and
performance than children who eat primarily a high protein or a high carbohydrate
breakfast. Breakfasts high in carbohydrates with little protein seem to sedate
children rather than stimulate their brain to learn.
Children eating high calcium foods for breakfast (e.g., dairy products) showed
enhanced behavior and learning.
Morning stress increases the levels of stress hormones in
the bloodstream. This can affect behavior and learning in two ways. First, stress
hormones themselves can bother the brain. Secondly, stress hormones such as
cortisol increase carbohydrate craving throughout the day. The
food choices that result may affect behavior and learning in children who are
sensitive to the ups and downs of blood sugar levels. Try to send your child off to
school with a calm attitude, as well as a good breakfast.
Breakfast sets the pattern for nutritious eating throughout the rest of the day. When
children miss breakfast to save time or to cut calories, they set themselves up for
erratic binging and possibly overeating the rest of the day.
How you think, act, and learn is affected not only by the types of food you eat, but also by how
the food is prepared, how and when you eat it, and what foods you eat together.
Care about your carbs. The brain is a sugar hog, a carbo-craver, utilizing 20 percent of the
body's carbohydrate supply. Yet it's a smart hog, being selective about the type of sugars it
craves and how it processes them. It prefers a nice steady supply. When the brain receives a
steady supply of sugar for fuel, it chugs along smoothly at a steady pace. But when levels of
sugar in the blood fluctuate, the brain doesn't get its steady fuel supply and behavior and learning
become more erratic. Blood sugar levels depend on what kinds of food are coming into the body.
Some carbohydrates calm behavior, others excite it.
Beware of sugar blues. Most scientists discount the
relationship between sugar and behavior, especially when Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
(ADHD) is blamed on sugar in the child's diet . In a 1995 paper
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers analyzed the results
of sixteen different studies in which children were given foods containing lots of sugar and their
behavior compared with a control group. The analysis concluded that sugar had no impact on
behavior. Try explaining this to a mother whose child goes wild after eating a Twinkie.
Researchers tend to discount parents' observations, believing that they have been conditioned by
media reports and other parents to expect their children's behavior to deteriorate after sugary
snacks.
So we're back to the "science" of common sense - and basically physiology. Different sugars
affect the brain in different ways, so it is only logical to conclude that certain sugars can
adversely affect the thinking and actions of some children. The sugars at fault include glucose,
dextrose, and sucrose, and the highly refined, highly processed "junk sugars" found in candy,
icings, syrups, packaged baked goods, and table sugar. These sugars enter the bloodstream
quickly, reaching high levels in a short time. This triggers the release of large amounts of
insulin, the hormone needed to escort the sugars into the body's cells. These sugars are used
rapidly, and when they're all used up, the blood sugar level plunges to a sugar low, or
hypoglycemia . The low blood sugar triggers the release of adrenal
hormones (called a "sugar high") that squeezes stored sugar from the liver, sending blood sugar
levels back up. This blood sugar roller-coaster affects moods and concentration in some children
and adults, leading to "sugar highs"and "sugar blues." The ups and downs of blood sugar and
adrenal hormones can also stimulate neurotransmitter imbalance, causing the child to feel
fidgety, irritable, inattentive, and even sleepy.
The best sugars for the brain are complex carbohydrates, or what grandmother termed "starches".
Starches and fruit sugars (fructose) do not cause the roller-coaster mood swings that the junk
sugars do. The molecules in complex carbs are long, so it takes longer for the intestines to break
them down into the simple sugars the body can use. Thus, they provide a time-release source of
steady energy rather than a sudden surge followed by a sudden drop.
Eat brain-friendly carbs. The rate at which sugar from a particular food enters brain cells
and other cells of the body is called the "glycemic index" (GI) of a
particular food. Foods with a high glycemic index stimulate the pancreas to secrete a lot of
insulin , which causes the sugar to quickly empty from the blood into the cells;
this produces the ups and downs of blood sugar and the roller coaster behavior that goes with
them. Foods with a low glycemic index do not push the pancreas to secrete so much insulin, so
the blood sugar tends to be steadier. Feeding your child carbohydrate foods with a low glycemic
index is one way of helping him control his behavior and performance in school or at play.
Foods with the best brain sugars include the following:
Fruits: grapefruit, apples, cherries, oranges, and grapes have a low glycemic index.
Fruits have a lower G.I. than fruit juices, because the fiber in the fruit slows the
absorption of the fruit sugar. A whole apple will be more brain-friendly than apple
juice; a whole orange better than orange juice. Freshly-made juice containing a lot
of pulp is more brain-friendly than filtered juice.
Cereals and grains: oatmeal and bran have the lowest G.I. Other foods with a
favorable G.I. are spaghetti and rice. Corn flakes and sugar-coated cereals have
higher G.I.s.
Vegetables and legumes: Legumes, such as soybeans, kidney beans, chick peas, and
lentils have the lowest glycemic index of any food. Potatoes and carrots have a
much higher G.I.
Dairy products: Milk and yogurt have low glycemic indexes, slightly higher than
legumes, but lower than fruits. Plain yogurt has a lower glycemic index than yogurt
with fruit preserves or added sugar.
The company a food keeps and how it is prepared also affects the G.I., or how fast and steady the
sugar enters the brain.
A food with a high glycemic index, such as juice, candy, or a sweet treat is better
consumed with or right after a meal because the company of other foods slows the
entry of sugar into the bloodstream, and therefore the brain. Indulging in highly-
sugared snacks between meals is likely to hinder learning and behavior.
Fat can slow the absorption of sugars, which is why the sugar in ice cream would
have a lower glycemic index than sugar in non-fat yogurt.
Because salads contain mostly foods with a low glycemic index, they are an
excellent school lunch, contributing to maximum mental performance. Especially
good are salads containing cruciferous vegetables and beans, chickpeas, and other
legumes.
Eating foods with a low glycemic index along with highly-sugared foods lessens the
effects of the fast-acting sugars on the blood sugar.
Encourage grazing. We have noticed that children's behavior often
deteriorates in the late morning and late afternoon, or three to four hours after a meal - whether
the child has ADHD or not. Children simply run out of fuel. When blood-sugar levels go down,
stress hormones kick in to raise it up again, but this can cause behavioral problems and
diminished concentration. To smooth out the blood-sugar mood swings, try the fine art of
grazing. Let your child nibble, or graze, on nutritious foods throughout the day. Make them
easily accessible in a lunch pack at school. (Smart teachers allow even upper-grade children to
have a mid-morning snack.) Carry snacks with you when you are away from home. While at
home, keep a supply of healthy snacks readily available in the pantry or refrigerator.
Here's a trick from the Sears' family kitchen for the preschool child. Prepare a nibble tray. Use
an ice cube tray, a muffin tin, or a compartmentalized plastic dish and fill each section with bite-
size portions of colorful and nutritious foods. Give the foods fun names, such as avocado boats
(a quarter of an avocado sectioned lengthwise), banana or cooked carrot wheels, broccoli trees,
cheese blocks, little O's (O-shaped cereal), canoe eggs (hard-boiled eggs cut lengthwise in
wedges), moons (peeled apple slices, thinly spread with peanut butter), or shells and worms
(different shapes of pasta).
Don't forget that children love to dip. Reserve one or two compartments in the tray for your
child's favorite dips, such as yogurt or guacamole (without the spices). Encourage the child to sit
and nibble from the tray frequently throughout the day, especially late in the morning and in the
mid-to-late afternoon, when the fuel from the previous meal begins to wear off. Shorten the
spacing between feedings and you are less likely to have spacey children.
Perk up your proteins. Proteins in the diet affect brain performance because they provide
the amino acids from which neurotransmitters are made. Think of neurotransmitters as biochemical messengers that carry signals from one brain cell to
another. The better you feed these messengers, the more efficiently they deliver the goods.
Some neurotransmitters are neuron turn-ons that perk up the brain. Others have a calming or
sedative effect.
The two important amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine,
are precursors of neurotransmitters, the substances from which neurotransmitters are made.
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning the body does not make tryptophan; it must be
gotten from the diet. Tyrosine, on the other hand, is not an essential amino acid because the
body can make it if there is not enough in the diet. So, it seems that dietary deficiency is more
likely to affect tryptophan than tyrosine. These two amino acids influence the four top
neurotransmitters - serotonin, which is made from the amino acid
tryptophan, and dopamine, epinephrine, and
norepinephrine, which are made from the amino acid tyrosine.
Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that relaxes the brain, the other three, collectively known as
catecholamines, are neurotransmitters that rev up the brain. Popular anti-depressant drugs called
SRI's (serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), Prozac, for example, work by increasing
the amounts of serotonin in the brain. Since carbohydrates favor serotonin production, perhaps
carbo-cravers self-medicate to increase their own serotonin.
Two factors influence whether the brain perks up or slows down following a meal: the ratio of
protein to carbohydrate, and the ratio of the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine. High
protein, low carbohydrate, high tyrosine foods that are likely to jumpstart the brain are seafood,
soy, meat, eggs, and dairy. High carbohydrate, low protein, high tryptophan foods that are likely
to relax the brain include: chocolate, pastries and desserts, bean burritos, nuts and seeds (e.g.,
almonds, filberts, sunflower and sesame seeds), and legumes. (For a detailed discussion of how
different amino acids in food perk up or slow down the brain, see Food for Sleep).
Pick the right carb-protein partnership. Brain performance following a meal is also
affected by the carbohydrates consumed with the protein. Carbohydrates stimulate the release of
insulin, which helps more tryptophan to enter the brain where it makes more serotonin. The more
simple sugars in the meal, the more serotonin is produced, and the more the brain is sedated.
Complex carbohydrates - slower insulin-release sugars - on the other hand, will cause less
drastic serotonin production. A high calorie meal will contribute even more to serotonin
production, leading to "serotonin slump." (See related section, Lethargic After
Lunch). Eating too much at any meal, regardless of the carbohydrate or protein content,
seems to diminish mental performance. So, to perk up the brain, eat a meal that is:
High in tyrosine-containing proteins.
Moderate in the amount of sugars, containing mainly complex carbohydrates.
Relatively low in calories.
To relax, or even sedate the brain, eat a meal that is:
High in tryptophan-containing proteins.
High in carbohydrates.
High in calories.
You can plan your meals according to how you use your brain during the day. A low-calorie,
high-protein meal that also contains complex carbohydrates makes you more alert and would be
perfect for breakfast and lunch. A higher calorie, higher carbohydrate, lower protein meal could
help you relax and fall asleep in the evening.
Skip the dessert at lunchtime if you have a lot of work or learning to do in the afternoon. If you
want to be alert after the evening meal, save dessert for a before-bedtime snack.
The balance between calories, carbohydrates, and protein in a meal affects different people in
different ways. This is not an exact science. You need to figure out what combinations work the
best for you, giving you energy and alertness when you need it. Keeping a diary of what you eat
and how you feel can help you make corrections. For parents, careful observation of your
school-age child is important when you're trying to figure out what foods enhance behavior and
school performance, and which foods make it worse. This is a challenging game, but one that
every home nutritionist can play.
Feed your brain the right fats. There are two windows of time in
which the brain is especially sensitive to nutrition: the first two years of life for a growing baby
and the last couple decades of life for a senior citizen. Both growing and aging brains need
nutritious fats.
Feeding baby brains. The most rapid brain growth occurs during the first year of
life, with the infant's brain tripling in size by the first birthday. During this stage of
rapid central nervous system growth, the brain uses sixty percent of the total energy
consumed by the infant, and the brain itself is sixty percent fat. Fats are major
components of the brain cell membrane and the myelin sheath around each nerve.
So, it makes sense that getting enough fat and the right kinds of fat can greatly affect
brain development and performance. In fact, during the first year, around fifty
percent of an infant's daily calories come from fat. Mother Nature knows how
important fat is for babies; she provides around fifty percent of the calories in
mother's milk as fat.
Best fats for growing brains. It's not only the amount of fat that's important for
growing brains, it's the type of fat. Different species provide different types of fat in
their milk, fine-tuned to the needs of that particular animal. For example, mother
cows provide milk that is high in saturated fats and low in brain-building fats, such
as DHA. This helps their calves grow rapidly, though it may not do much for their
brains. In adult cows, the brain is small compared with the body. Cows don't have
to do a lot of thinking to survive. In human infants, the brain grows faster than the
body. Highly developed brains are important to human beings, so human milk is low
in body-building saturated fats and rich in brain-building fats, such as DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid), an omega 3 fatty acid.
DHA is the primary structural component of brain tissue,
so it stands to reason that a deficiency of DHA in the diet could translate into a deficiency in
brain function. In fact, research is increasingly recognizing the possibility that DHA has a
crucial influence on neurotransmitters in the brain, helping brain cells better communicate with
each other. Asian cultures have long appreciated the brain-building effects of DHA. In Japan,
DHA is considered such an important "health food" that it is used as a nutritional supplement to
enrich some foods, and students frequently take DHA pills before
examinations.
When your child is older and eating solid food, make sure they are getting enough of the essential vitamins and nutrients by giving them fruit based Little Champions Multivitamins.
Just how important is DHA for brain development? Consider these research findings:
Infants who have low amounts of DHA in their diet have reduced brain development and
diminished visual acuity.
The increased intelligence and academic performance of breastfed compared with formula-
fed infants has been attributed in part to the increased DHA content of human milk.
Cultures whose diet is high in omega 3 fatty acids (such as the Eskimos who eat a lot of fish)
have a lower incidence of degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, such as
multiple sclerosis .
Experimental animals whose diets are low in DHA have been found to have smaller brains
and delayed central-nervous-system development.
Some children with poor school performance because of ADD, have been shown to have
insufficient essential fatty acids in their diet. (See A.D.D. - A Nutritional Deficiency)
NUTRITIP:
Fat Food for Growing Brains
While a baby is in the womb, the brain grows more rapidly than in any other
stage of infant or child development. And during the first year after birth, the
brain continues to grow rapidly, tripling in size by an infant's first birthday.
So, it would make sense for a pregnant and lactating mother to supplement her
diet with brain-building nutrients, primarily the omega 3 fatty acids found in
fish and flax oil (one tablespoon of flax oil daily, four ounces of tuna or
salmon three times a week). In fact, some nutritionists recommend that
pregnant and lactating women take 200 milligrams of DHA supplements a day.
Smart fats. Besides being found in human milk, DHA appears in
high levels in coldwater fish: sardines, salmon, and albacore tuna. Besides fish oils, vegetable
oils (primarily flaxseed, soy, and canola) are also rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids, with
flaxseed oil being the best. The two F's, fish and flax, are the top brain-building foods for
growing children, and adults.
Dumb fats. Avoid factory fats, which are biochemically-altered fats recognized by the words
"hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the fine print on the
package label. The hydrogenation process produces trans fatty acids
which may affect brain function and health in two ways. The trans fats enter the cells of the
central nervous system where they may compete with the action of natural fats, so that the nerves
in the brain don't function as well as they were designed to. Also, hydrogenation turns
unsaturated fats into saturated fats, in which the fat molecules pack together tightly, like lard.
Brain researchers worry that the same type of packing could occur in blood vessels,
compromising the blood flow to the brain. Avoiding hydrogenated fats is especially important
for the growing brains of children, since children who fill up on these undesirable fats are likely
to eat less of the omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the brain. (For more about the effects of
hydrogenated fats on health and well-being, see Hydrogenated Fats)
NUTRITIP: Feeding Senior Brains
Once upon a time it was believed that the brain doesn't grow as people get
older. New research, however, has shown that the brain cells continue to
branch out and make connections throughout a person's life. Eating the right
diet can help the brain make the right connections - at all ages.
Consider vitamin supplements. Studies indicate that schoolchildren whose diets are
supplemented with vitamins and minerals to insure that they received the standard recommended
dietary allowances showed improved learning and scored higher on intelligence tests. Here are
some of the vitamins which have been shown to affect behavior and learning:
Vitamin C is required by the brain to make neurotransmitters. In fact, the brain has a
special vitamin C "pump" that draws extra vitamin C out of the blood and
concentrates it in the brain.
Vitamin B12 is vital to maintaining healthy myelin, the tissue that covers and
insulates nerve tissue.
Vitamin B6 deficiency causes hyper-irritability and fatigue.
Folic acid deficiency seems to affect neurotransmitter function, resulting in
symptoms associated with depression.
Insure enough iron. The symptoms of iron deficiency include
irritability and diminished mental alertness. Studies show that when the iron level of students
increases, they concentrate better and learn better. Iron is necessary for healthy brain tissue and
for adequate neurotransmitter function.
Care about calcium. Calcium is not only important to growing
bones, but also to growing brains. Children with calcium deficiency may show impaired
behavior and learning. In his book Feeding the Brain: How Foods Affect Children (Plenum,
1989), Dr. C. Keith Conners reports that children who were more hyperactive had significantly
lower calcium intakes than less hyperactive children. Other studies have shown that school
children in the habit of skipping breakfast exhibit calmer behavior when given milk in the
morning. (See Brainy Breakfasts for Growing Brains)
Don't forget fiber. An apple a day may keep the A.D.D. doctor
away. While fiber is not directly involved in brain function, it does influence how other nutrients
affect the brain. Soluble fiber, such as fruit pectin, helps lower the glycemic index of foods,
thereby having a stabilizing effect on blood sugar. As we discussed above, the more stable the
blood sugar, the better the brain functions. A bowl of bran for breakfast and an apple as a mid-
morning snack keep brains working at top form until lunchtime.
Some foods help the brain work better, some foods drag down brain performance. Be smart and
feed your children foods that will make them smart (and also eat these foods yourself, too).
AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers
of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice
on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual
needs.
