E9

Catherine McCain

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Speak Up

Giving our body the right fuel can make a significant difference between being alert and ready for challenges, or being ready for a nap. Food can be a tool we can use to our advantage, or it can be a hindrance.

There are some great ways to help nourish our minds and boost our children's memory, concentration and reading skills.

Breakfast is key. Skipping breakfast or eating a really refined one can be a quick step down the wrong avenue.

Our body can only go on adrenaline for so long before it starts to falter. Kids who skip breakfast tend to be more sluggish, less attentive, and weight loss can be more of a challenge.

Our brain demands almost one-third of all our calories, and we will start to falter if we haven't received any fuel after an evening fast.

Ideal breakfast foods should include a combination of carbohydrate and protein for the best time-released energy that will carry us through the morning.

This could be whole grain cereal with nuts, a bowl of cooked oatmeal, or maybe a grilled cheese sandwich. The carbohydrates not only provide our brain with its preferred energy source of sugar, but it also is a source of acetylcholine which is involved in our memory.

Eggs and nuts offer some interesting attributes since both contain valuable protein along with choline which is involved in learning and memory. Scrambled eggs, French toast made with whole grain bread, or some nut butter spread on whole grain bread with a banana can be a great start to the day. Chase it with a glass of milk and you have all the food groups covered.

One significant gap in our children's diet is their intake of omega three fatty acids.

This essential nutrient plays a key role in reading, memory, and attention spans in addition to improving our mood, vision, and immune system.

Researchers have realized there are six different types of omega three fatty acids and the brain function is affected most dramatically by the DHA form (docohexanoic acid).

This unique form is found plentiful in fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and sardines.

Experts encourage 300 mg of this fat daily while surveys intake Canadian children are only averaging 50-100 mg so we are often falling short.

Fish can be a rich source of this valuable nutrient, but just be cautious since they can also be a source of mercury in our diet.

Most seafood contains low levels of mercury, in addition to light tuna (not white), haddock, halibut and sardines. There are vegetarian supplements as well; just be sure to choose one rich in DHA.

Water is another key player that often gets overlooked, but is an important player in maintaining our energy levels, as well as supporting our immune system. Water is obviously the calorie-free option, but milk, juices and even soup count.

Do we need to give our children multivitamins? Unlike adults, children can go through stages of rapid growth where the demand for nutrients can be quite high.

Sometimes a balanced multivitamin and mineral supplement can be a wise investment if they are a picky eater. But normally, during stages of rapid growth, the child's appetite surges in order to meet the demands.

A multivitamin and mineral supplement may provide a good source of iron for teenage girls if they are not meat eaters.

A vegetarian diet can be an extremely healthy way of eating but it does put additional requirement for iron since the plant based form of this nutrient is not as well absorbed as the animal-based sources.

The main supplement we most often recommend tends to be the DHA supplements especially if the children are not likely to eat one to two servings of fish per week.

Catherine McCain, RD, BSc, MBA, is a consulting dietitian in private practice at a Fredericton physiotherapy clinic. She can be reached at 457-2722.