Brain foods aid excellence
Apr 18, 2004
NUTRITION<br><br>To both school administrators and students, please pay special attention to this article because, it written for the purpose of enhancement of the brain function and memory.
NUTRITION
To both school administrators and students, please pay special attention to this article because, it written for the purpose of enhancement of the brain function and memory.
Many students get so driven during examination seasons that they even forget to eat, or substitute junk foods such as white bread, buns, biscuits, cake and sodas for meals.
Such practices are detrimental to memory and thinking capacity.
To function at optimal capacity, the brain needs a steady flow of energy which it gets from the foods you eat.
If you do not receive the nutrition you need to make energy, your brain is the first to suffer. This is true because, unlike your liver and muscles, which store energy for later retrieval, the brain has no energy storage capacity.
Hence, if you skip meals the glucose level in your blood drops - the brain uses only glucose as a source of energy.
When the glucose level drops, you are likely to become: Less alert, irritable, confused and you may experience a reduction in thinking and reasoning abilities.
Avoid junk foods. They provide a quick boost in blood sugar levels and you may experience an uplift in the mood and energy.
But the energy gets used up very quickly followed by a drop in blood sugar levels. When this happens your thinking and concentration is likely to be adversely affected.
Avoid or take sparingly of beverages containing caffeine for example, coffee, tea, soda, and caffeine candy. While it is a popular practice for students to use caffeine as a means of staying up late to cram, caffeine may cause poor sleep, nervousness, irritability and the need to urinate frequently.
Do yourself a favour, by taking time to eat and avoiding junk foods, you can enhance your overall exam performance.
Here is a list of the top 10 super brain foods that contain vitamins and minerals that are known to be memory boosters:
-Fish, eggs, soyabeans and soyabean products, whole wheat bread, chicken without skin, non-fat beef, ripe bananas, milk or yoghurt and avocado.
-In addition to the super brain foods, include in your diet: leafy green vegetables, green peas, carrots, pumpkin and pumpkin flower seeds and cabbage.
green pepper, oranges, lemon, tangerines, and some flower seeds.
Suggestions on how you may include the super brain foods in the students diet: -
* Pack some roasted soyabeans for a mid morning snack.
* Serve soya + maize, or soya + millet porridge prepared with milk + 1 ripe banana.
* Pack 1 boiled egg for a late afternoon snack.
* Serve 1 egg + whole wheat bread + 1 ripe banana for breakfast.
* Serve1/2 avocado with supper.
* Give your child a cup of milk or yoghurt before bed time
* Eat a ripe banana whenever hungry.
To keep the brain adequately supplied with energy, you need to eat 5 small low calorie meals throughout the day. This means breakfast, lunch, super and three snacks in between.
Word of caution: avoid heavy starch meals such as cassava, posho and rice just before exams; starchy foods are likely to make you feel sleepy. Instead eat low calorie light protein meals.
Here are some examples:
Meal one - Take a peanut butter sandwich prepared with 2 slices of whole wheat bread + 1 tablespoon of peanut butter + 1 ripe banana + a glass of clean boiled water.
Meal two _ Or 1 medium size fish + avocado salad prepared by cutting up 1/2 avocado + 1 tomato + a few drops of lemon juice.
Meal three _ Or a small piece of roasted sweet potato + 1 glass of milk or yogurt + 1 ripe banana.
By the way, pack 1 large bottle of clean boiled drinking water for your child. And remind him or her to take a drink of it throughout the day. This is important because, your child could get dehydrated.
Dehydration can cause tiredness and mental confusion.
To both school administrators and students, please pay special attention to this article because, it written for the purpose of enhancement of the brain function and memory.
Many students get so driven during examination seasons that they even forget to eat, or substitute junk foods such as white bread, buns, biscuits, cake and sodas for meals.
Such practices are detrimental to memory and thinking capacity.
To function at optimal capacity, the brain needs a steady flow of energy which it gets from the foods you eat.
If you do not receive the nutrition you need to make energy, your brain is the first to suffer. This is true because, unlike your liver and muscles, which store energy for later retrieval, the brain has no energy storage capacity.
Hence, if you skip meals the glucose level in your blood drops - the brain uses only glucose as a source of energy.
When the glucose level drops, you are likely to become: Less alert, irritable, confused and you may experience a reduction in thinking and reasoning abilities.
Avoid junk foods. They provide a quick boost in blood sugar levels and you may experience an uplift in the mood and energy.
But the energy gets used up very quickly followed by a drop in blood sugar levels. When this happens your thinking and concentration is likely to be adversely affected.
Avoid or take sparingly of beverages containing caffeine for example, coffee, tea, soda, and caffeine candy. While it is a popular practice for students to use caffeine as a means of staying up late to cram, caffeine may cause poor sleep, nervousness, irritability and the need to urinate frequently.
Do yourself a favour, by taking time to eat and avoiding junk foods, you can enhance your overall exam performance.
Here is a list of the top 10 super brain foods that contain vitamins and minerals that are known to be memory boosters:
-Fish, eggs, soyabeans and soyabean products, whole wheat bread, chicken without skin, non-fat beef, ripe bananas, milk or yoghurt and avocado.
-In addition to the super brain foods, include in your diet: leafy green vegetables, green peas, carrots, pumpkin and pumpkin flower seeds and cabbage.
green pepper, oranges, lemon, tangerines, and some flower seeds.
Suggestions on how you may include the super brain foods in the students diet: -
* Pack some roasted soyabeans for a mid morning snack.
* Serve soya + maize, or soya + millet porridge prepared with milk + 1 ripe banana.
* Pack 1 boiled egg for a late afternoon snack.
* Serve 1 egg + whole wheat bread + 1 ripe banana for breakfast.
* Serve1/2 avocado with supper.
* Give your child a cup of milk or yoghurt before bed time
* Eat a ripe banana whenever hungry.
To keep the brain adequately supplied with energy, you need to eat 5 small low calorie meals throughout the day. This means breakfast, lunch, super and three snacks in between.
Word of caution: avoid heavy starch meals such as cassava, posho and rice just before exams; starchy foods are likely to make you feel sleepy. Instead eat low calorie light protein meals.
Here are some examples:
Meal one - Take a peanut butter sandwich prepared with 2 slices of whole wheat bread + 1 tablespoon of peanut butter + 1 ripe banana + a glass of clean boiled water.
Meal two _ Or 1 medium size fish + avocado salad prepared by cutting up 1/2 avocado + 1 tomato + a few drops of lemon juice.
Meal three _ Or a small piece of roasted sweet potato + 1 glass of milk or yogurt + 1 ripe banana.
By the way, pack 1 large bottle of clean boiled drinking water for your child. And remind him or her to take a drink of it throughout the day. This is important because, your child could get dehydrated.
Dehydration can cause tiredness and mental confusion.