What to eat to learn better, or ... what is the "genius diet"?

Not every student needs to have excellent grades, but almost everyone is anxious to ensure that learning does not cause any problems. This can be helped by enriching the daily menu with foods that have an excellent effect on the brain and facilitate the absorption of knowledge. What to eat to learn better.

Without systematic study, it is impossible to achieve perfect learning results - even if you are a small genius. Natural talent and outstanding abilities are not enough if we do not ensure that the young organism of students can regenerate quickly and quickly absorb new information. What's the easiest way to make your slightly lazy mind after holidays razor sharp?

In addition to a sufficient amount of sleep, rest, as well as a huge dose of patience, emotional support and parental love, it is better not to forget about what often seems the most obvious, i.e. ... what most often ends up on our kids' plates.

It is worth taking a closer look at what we feed our little ones. Focusing on choosing the right foods can make learning easier for our children and make it easier for them to think during lessons.

What should not be missing from the menu of an exemplary student? What kind of food is better to avoid? Here are some foods to include in kids 'and teens' menus to help improve their brain function and give them more chances to earn the best grades.

Pupil's diet. What to eat to learn better?

Natural porridge with cinnamon instead of ready-made breakfast cereals full of sugar

Are you aware that even one serving of highly processed and extremely sweet breakfast cereals, which are commonly advertised as a healthy breakfast meal, can make your child consume up to ... 4.6 kg of sugar in a year?

A much better choice for a morning meal is porridge, which lowers cholesterol, is an excellent source of fiber and beta-glucans, and has a beneficial effect on the lipid metabolism, helping to lower blood sugar levels and preventing constipation. It quickly satisfies hunger and makes us feel full for a long time, not wanting to snack.

However, it is worth checking if your child is allergic to nickel, because most oat flakes available on our market contain this allergenic ingredient (often leading to skin rashes).

And if your little one has memory problems and learning difficulties, adding a pinch of cinnamon to the porridge may help, which, according to research findings, supports concentration (improves neuroplasticity of neurons) and can help people who forget something often.

Foods rich in vitamin B12

Low levels of vitamin B12 may impair the cognitive functions of the brain, as proven in the American Journal of Nutrition.

It turns out that B12 can slow down the aging process of the brain, and its deficiency has a direct impact on how efficiently we think and how quickly we associate facts - which is of great importance for everyone who learns every day and must absorb a lot of knowledge.

Due to the fact that this vitamin occurs naturally in animal products (mainly meat, fish, poultry, milk and dairy products), too little of this nutrient in the diet is usually observed in vegans and vegetarians.

Plain water instead of sugary sodas

Are you aware that in children between 4 and 10 years of age, glucose is absorbed 2 times faster than in 16-year-olds (which has been proven by CT scans)?

Must Read: How to motivate yourself to exercise outdoors? Learn 6 ways

The most harmful influence on the increase in blood glucose levels have sweet carbonated drinks, which should definitely be avoided by young children (also due to the condition of the oral cavity, which, due to excess sugar, breaks down quickly and causes tooth decay). Contrary to appearances, it is also worth paying attention to fruit juices, which may also contain additional sugar.

It is best to give children plain water without any added flavor. It is worth taking care that the little ones do not get dehydrated. Without proper fluid replenishment, it will be harder for them to think and absorb new knowledge. The brain likes to be well hydrated.

Fruit instead of highly processed sweets

Bread with chocolate cream - especially ready-made and full of harmful mineral oils - is not a good idea for a meal for children (even if it adds a lot of energy). It is much better to equip the little ones with healthy snacks - bananas full of potassium or apples with a low glycemic index, which help regulate blood sugar levels.

It is worth realizing that sweet taste can become addicted very quickly, so young people should be supplied mainly with natural sources of sugar derived from plants, and not highly processed products.

Healthy fatty acids

If we want to pour the proverbial oil into students' heads, it is worth ensuring that ... it is of the highest quality. Children and adolescents should often reach e.g. to avocado, which is not only a real vitamin bomb, but also an excellent source of monounsaturated fats (with a very good proportion of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids).

Omega-3 fatty acids (not only those present in fish)

Unsaturated fatty acids (omega 3: EPA and DHA and omega-6: AA or arachidonic acid) play an extremely important role in the development of the brain of young people. They are also not indifferent to their sense of sight.

The diet of children and adolescents should not lack the most valuable sources of these acids - apart from fish, it is worth including in their diet ... flaxseed, which is one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Probiotics are valuable to our digestive system

It is worth remembering that the intestines are our second brain - our mental state and well-being depend on how our microbiome functions.

Research shows that even in people over 65 years of age who consumed probiotics for 12 weeks, there was a marked improvement in concentration compared to the rest of the subjects who were given a placebo.

Silage

If we want our children to be healthy and have no problems with learning, it is worth feeding them with silage, which strengthens the body's natural immunity and protects against attacks of pathogenic microorganisms.

Green tea

It has been known for years that green tea is one of the healthiest products on Earth. It also has an excellent effect on our brain, it not only increases the activity of brain waves, but also improves the functioning of neurotransmitters present in the brain, such as dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), glycine or GABA (acid γ-aminobutyric acid).

Green tea greatly supports memory, facilitates learning and remembering information, and in addition reduces oxidative stress and "calms down" the nervous system, making it easier for us to control anxiety and focus only on what is most important at the moment.

Healthy smoothies (preferably with spinach) for stressed students

Spinach - the favorite vegetable of the famous sailor Popeye - is not only a valuable source of iron, folic acid and many minerals and vitamins, but also perfectly copes with stress, which often cannot be dealt with by students. Thanks to the magnesium it contains, it works well on the nervous system, facilitates relaxation, has calming properties and reduces the susceptibility to emotional tension that is difficult to deal with in adolescence.

High-quality chocolate

The last component of the "genius diet" is by no means the least important. Contrary to appearances, it is not worth forbidding students to eat chocolate - especially if it has a high cocoa content, thanks to which you can stimulate brain waves to work intensively.

It turns out that most scientists who won the Nobel Prize say that during their breakthrough discoveries, they consumed much more chocolate than usual, and the highest number of laureates of this prestigious award comes from countries with the highest consumption of chocolate per capita in the world.