Brain Foods Your Kids Need

By Sarah Mahoney

11 edibles that boost brain function, enhance memory, and improve concentration.

For years, athletes have eaten to win. Is it possible for kids to eat to learn?

You bet, and some foods go straight to the head of the class. Leading nutrition researchers are learning more every day about the power certain foods have on growing bodies. Not only can these nutrition all-stars help build better brains, but they can also supply school-age children with the focus needed to navigate their time tables, sit still during story time, and still have energy for a fierce game of freeze tag.

Okay, maybe they're not your kids' favorite foods--yet. But if you're willing to be patient and offer them regularly, they soon will be: "With kids, nutrition is all about structure and consistency. Once new foods become predictable, they'll come around," says Susan L. Johnson, PhD, director of the Children's Eating Laboratory at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

The Best Breakfasts

Breakfast is critical for school-age kids. Research has shown that breakfast-eaters do better academically and have fewer behavior problems than breakfast-skippers. (As many as 37% of American kids routinely blow off this meal, reports the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor University.)

But high-sugar foods set kids up for a midmorning energy crash--right when they're likely to be in the middle of the more demanding classes, like math or reading. Ideal breakfasts offer protein and complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Some studies have found that such breakfasts not only keep kids' energy levels stable all morning, but also improve motor coordination, says Steven Zeisel, MD, a researcher at Duke University.

Eggs
Choline (a vitamin-like substance that is plentiful in eggs, but also found in nuts) is vital for the creation of memory stem cells, formed deep within our brains. The more cells we have, the better our memories. It's a nutrient experts have long recognized as vital for pregnant and lactating women, because so much brain development occurs in infants.

But the big news, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, is that extra choline also seems to help adolescent rodents remember better, too, says Zeisel, indicating that a choline-rich diet may aid new memory cell production throughout childhood. (Because humans and rodents are so similar biologically, researchers reason, comparable results may occur in humans.)

Turn up the appeal
Even kids who hate eggs will go for French toast; use whole wheat bread, and top with sliced fruit. (Warning: Because eggs can cause allergic reactions in infants, babies should not be given egg yolks until 8 months, and egg whites until 1 year, according to the USDA.)

Oatmeal
Tufts University and Quaker Oats gave kids between ages 9 and 11 a choice of oatmeal, cold cereal, or no breakfast at all, and then tested their memory at school over several weeks. The oatmeal-eaters performed significantly better on spatial-memory tasks (children were tested on map skills). Researchers believe it is because oatmeal--a whole grain that is high in fiber--digests slowly, providing kids with a steady stream of energy, as well as giving them protein.