A hungry child is not able to perform as well academically as a well-fed child. Simply feeding your child any kind of food cannot guarantee that he will perform well in the classroom and on tests. However, Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen, authors of "Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It," suggest that certain low-fat foods may improve your child's test taking skills.
Bananas
Bananas contain a nutritious balance of potassium and sodium, which is essential for the regulation of your child's blood pressure, reports Andreas Moritz, author of "Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation." Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium, making them an appropriate low-fat food choice for your child to consume before taking a test. Healthy blood pressure enables your child to remain alert so that he can concentrate on the test and do his best work.
Broccoli
Alex A. Lluch and Helen Eckmann, authors of "Simple Principles to Excel at School," suggest that broccoli may improve academic performance because it contains a variety of vitamins and minerals that support the brain. B-vitamins and vitamin C, which broccoli contains, help improve the function of your child's brain so she is able to concentrate and apply what she has learned to the test she is taking. Other foods that contain these important nutrients include spinach, cantaloupe, berries and tomatoes. Lluch and Eckmann recommend adding these foods to your child's diet in the days before a big test to help increase her chances of doing well.
Salmon
Salmon is a low-fat source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help increase your child's brain power so he may perform better on a test. Omega-3 fatty acids have been hailed as brain food because they enable the brain to function more efficiently and effectively. Salmon is one of the best sources for omega-3s and it is low enough in fat that it can be included in your child's diet several times a week. Lluch and Eckman recommend that your child eat salmon as far as two weeks before a big test to help prepare the brain for top performance.
References
- "Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It"; Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen; 2004
- "Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation"; Andreas Moritz; 2007
- "Simple Principles to Excel at School"; Alex A. Lluch and Helen Eckmann; 2008
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