Boosting Your Child's Brain Power

A new study published in the Journal of School Health (2008;78:209-15), found that a high-quality diet is linked to a higher level of academic performance in school children.

Children who had the highest diet quality scores and therefore the healthy diets were 41% less likely to fail a standard literacy test than children with the lowest diet quality scores (indicating a poor diet). Variety and adequate nutrition were linked to academic performance, and children who ate more fruits and vegetables and fewer calories from fat did better on the test.

Previous research has shown that eating a healthy breakfast can help children do better in school. Other studies have found that being overweight has a negative impact on academic performance. So, both healthy eating and physical exercise might have the best effect on raising achievement in school.