The beginning of the new school year is an ideal time to think about the vital role of nutrition on your child’s brain function and mental alertness.

The human brain has high energy and nutrient needs. Poor diets with nutritional insufficiency can alter brain chemistry and function, cause changes in memory, impair thinking, limit problem solving ability, and affect mood and sleep patterns. Deficiencies in overall nutritional intake; energy-causing nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats; as well as vitamins and minerals can all impair brain function. It is commonly understood that you are what you eat, and your brain can only function as well as the foods that feed it permit.

The process of feeding the brain contains several steps, and optimal nutrition is needed to facilitate this process at every step. First, nutrients must enter the body – if you don’t eat them, they won’t be available to the brain. Once in the digestive tract, they must be absorbed through the cells lining the intestines and transported through blood vessels into the bloodstream. From there, they need to survive the process of metabolizing in the liver, and then cross the blood-brain barrier into brain tissue.  Optimal nutritional products survive this process better than poor, nutritionally compromised products – those that are overly processed, lacking in “whole” ingredients, full of additives and preservatives, unhealthy fats and sugar.

The start of the school year is a perfect time to take steps to assure that your child’s diet is optimal for learning, concentration, problem-solving, mood control, and sleep regulation. As the pace of the school year intensifies (and as parents get more tired!), the allure of ready-made meals and quick snack are harder to resist. Get organized now with a plan for healthy eating for this school year! You will be impressed at how well you and your children will feel and function on an optimally nutritional diet.

First the don’ts – the list of foods that should be eliminated, or eliminated as nearly as possible, from your family diet. AVOID:

• All processed, prepared and fast foods
• Preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, MSG (monosodium glutamate) – this includes luncheon meats, most hot dogs, margarine, candy, ketchup, soda pop, instant noodles, popsicles, packaged foods, and many other products
• Nutrasweet, aspartame, sucralose and all other sugar replacement products – these are invariably in all “sugar free” products as well as many others
• All highly processed carbohydrates – simply put, AVOID ALL WHITE STUFF. This includes white flours, white sugar, white rice, white bread, and white pasta.
• Deep fried foods
• All foods with transfats and hydrogenated fats – these are commonly found in cookies, crackers, fried snacks, and prepared baked goods. Also avoid vegetable oils and margarine.
• Soda drinks

Here are some ideas to improve your family’s nutritional profile:

Breakfast

Make a family commitment to eating breakfast – together if possible. Make this a meal event. Starting the day with a low glycemic meal will benefit everyone. Too many children start their days with a high glycemic breakfast with few healthy fats, proteins, fruits and vegetables. This will spike blood sugar levels, causing hyperactive behavior, then cause a crash within a few hours, resulting in a child with low blood sugar and lots of adrenaline in his/her bloodstream. Such a child will be jittery, have difficulty sitting still, and find concentrating very challenging.

Instead, a breakfast rich in protein, fruits and vegetables, with a small amount of whole grains will provide energy to get through school, work, and/or chores. Eggs, home-made oatmeal, fruit smoothies, unsweetened yogurt with fruit and home-made granola, healthy pancakes or muffins full of fruit and grains (and low in sugar) are some of the many ideas for a healthy start to the day.

Lunch

Make a list of lunches your child likes and compose this list together. Stay away from processed meats, white bread, and sugary snacks. Think about roll-ups in whole wheat tortilla shells; soups and salads; pita triangles with vegetables and dips; hard-boiled eggs; stuffed celery sticks, etc.

A wide mouth thermos is a great purchase – the previous night’s leftovers can be heated up and sent to school this way.

Fruit smoothies with protein powder are a good choice for children who won’t take the time to eat a proper lunch.

Snacks

Stock your refrigerator and cupboard with healthy snacks – nuts, dried fruit, carrots and celery, cheese, apples, honey, rice cakes, whole wheat crackers, hummus, yogurts, salsa, home-made trail mix etc.

Dinner

An ideal dinner plate is one that has a palm-size piece of protein (preferably grass fed, organically raised meat or chicken, or non farmed fish); a palm size portion of non-white grains; and an assortment of vegetables and fruits. The larger the range of colors on your plate, the larger the range of phytochemicals you are introducing into your body, and the more nutritional goodness.

Other ideas and habits

Start baking, preferably with your child. Make your own granola, granola bars, muffins, and cookies, using whole grains, lots of nuts, coconut, dried fruit, and honey wherever possible. Remember that you’re trying to avoid processed carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour. Carbohydrates must be complex, and full of nature’s brown goodness, and therefore limited in how much they have been processed. The more processed the grain, the higher it is on the glycemic index, and the less its nutritional value. Try replacing brown for white – in rice, pasta, cereals, crackers, and bagels. You will be surprised at how quickly your family will get used to this change.

Wheat is a complicated topic; while a “whole food,” it is one that many people cannot tolerate well. There is confusion between gluten intolerance and wheat sensitivity that requires an article in its own right. Leave it to say that wheat can cause inflammation and brain fogginess for many. Exploring your child’s sensitivity to wheat is something you may want to do with your natural health practitioner.

Eat 12 to 15 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. A “portion” may be an apple snack, a few cut carrots, a handful of raisins, a ¼ cup of peas with dinner, etc.

Eat organic food whenever possible. Organic foods are free of pesticides, sewer sludge, antibiotics, and growth hormones – these can cause harm to anyone, but are especially dangerous for young children.  Many of these unwanted extras are neurotoxic – meaning they have direct impact on brain function. Organic food is more expensive, however, so prioritize your organic purchases to include all meats and dairy products, root vegetables, and soft fruits like strawberries and grapes.

Changing eating patterns is a family project. Everyone must participate. It is likely to affect your shopping and cooking patterns as well. It is difficult to go down familiar grocery aisles and select differently. Try going to the farmer’s markets this fall and stock your house with fresh fruits and vegetables. Use these as the basis for your meals. Think about Sunday cooking projects – preparing baked goods and snacks for the week.

Eating healthfully requires more thought, planning, and preparation – start now to change your habits. You will be doing your child’s brain and body (as well as your own) a huge favour!

Beth Landau-Halpern is a Toronto-based homeopath who trained in homeopathy in London UK, after a first career as a dancer. She loves the deep connection she feels with the clients she works with and knows that listening well is a necessary aspect of healing.  Beth treats patients of all ages and sizes, for all sorts of disorders, but has a special interest in treating children with ADHD and Autism. She is currently training as a CEASE therapist – one of only a few Canadian homeopaths certified in this effective homeopathic approach to treating autism.  In addition to private practice, Beth teaches classes in homeopathy geared towards family health and wellness.  For more information, visit Beth at her websites: http://blh-homeopath.com and http://adhdhomeopath.com.