Learning is an important activity that can enhance your quality of life and lead to many new opportunities. Anyone who spends time in school or other learning environments should fill up on healthy snacks that help promote proper brain function and provide energy. Knowing what snacks to eat and how they influence your learning will get you started toward choosing the best foods.
Encourage Concentration
Hunger prevents you from being able to concentrate as you should to get the most out of what you are learning. Kerry Curtiss Williams notes in her book, "Elementary Classroom Management," that students who are given short snack breaks have an easier time understanding what they are learning. It is essential that the snacks you consume be healthy because sugar and fat will slow your learning by causing you to feel tired and distracted. Try wheat crackers with peanut butter, string cheese, apple or orange slices or carrot and celery sticks because they are nutritious and promote concentration.
Provide Energy
If you are tired, it is more difficult for you to process information, which will prevent sufficient understanding of the subject matter. Judith Sharlin and Sari Edelstein report in their book, "Essentials of Life Cycle Nutrition," that a nutritious snack will boost your metabolism so that you are able to focus on learning as well as apply what you learn to tasks, homework and other assignments. Energy will also encourage you to think more deeply about the material so that you can ask questions and gain more understanding. Try yogurt with berries or almonds with a fresh apple.
Boost Brain Function
The more efficiently your brain is able to function, the more you learn and remember. Certain foods may boost brain function. Your brain needs specific nutrients to work the way it is supposed to, David Perlmutter and Carol Colman report in "The Better Brain Book." Foods with unsaturated fats, such as almonds and walnuts, are effective snacks because your brain is made of fat and needs good fats to work properly. Raw berries or broccoli are also good brain snacks.
Keep You Healthy
Eating healthy snacks can keep your immune system strong so that you spend less time sick and away from the classroom or other learning environment. Williams notes that students who feel good are more likely to learn and remember more than students who feel sick. Fresh fruits and vegetables, air-popped popcorn, yogurt, nuts and seeds are all healthy snacks that provide the nutrients your body needs to feel healthy. Sugary snacks, such as candy or cookies, can cause your body to feel sick even if you are not truly fighting a virus, which may lead to an inability to process what you are learning.
References
- "Elementary Classroom Management"; Kerry Curtiss Williams; 2009
- "Essentials of Life Cycle Nutrition"; Judith Sharlin and Sari Edelstein; 2008
- "The Better Brain Book: The Best Tools for Improving Memory and Sharpness and Preventing Aging of the Brain"; David Perlmutter and Carol Colman; 2005
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