3 superpower brain foods that kids like to eat

It can be really tricky to navigate the latest superfoods. The fact that there's always new ones popping up makes decisions even harder.

As parents, we want to give our kids the right food to make sure they're healthy. We want their food to make them strong. We want their food to make them clever and to help them to feel happy. But it can feel overwhelming when there's so much choice and conflicting information.

Plus....

Raise your hand if you've bought expensive healthy food, promising yourself that your family will eat differently. Keep it up if you've eaten it all yourself when the kids refuse.

The fact is, most food that is pushed as a superfood will be rejected by kids.

But you don't need the most expensive food or the latest fad to boost your child's mood and focus. There are some powerful simple ingredients hiding in most kitchens.

Here are 3 brain boosting foods that kids like to eat.

Blueberries

Of all fruit, berries are accepted by kids most often. Partly due to their manageable size (there's no stress to eat a huge fruit!) and partly because the bad ones are easy to spot (the squishy ones!), kids like berries.

Blueberries are a powerful little brain booster which have been shown to improve mood, memory and focus. The little blueberry has also been found to improve the way brain cells communicate with each other.

They're easy to add to a lunchbox (they don't squish like raspberries do!), added to yogurt, banana bread or pancakes, or simply placed in a bowl in the table to snack on.

Walnuts

This super nut even looks like a brain. Kids like the crunch of walnuts. They can be a little bitter eaten whole, so break up them and add as a crunchy topping onto yogurt, peanut butter or porridge. You can also blend them and add the powder to pancake mix. And you don't need much! Just a few nuts a day gives a powerful brain boost.

These little nuts have not only been found to improve memory and information processing, they've also been connected to improved test scores.

Eggs

As eggs are so versatile, it's easy to get them into your kid's diet. While the simple scrambled egg or an egg with soldiers is often the first thing we think of (cue your child asking for cereal!), the benefits of the egg are still there in a muffin or pancakes. Adding egg as an ingredient avoids the resistance to runny or mushy food.

Eggs have been found to help with concentration, which is why they're fantastic for breakfast. They've also been found to improve memory and support brain development in our children.

It's often the simple things that make a difference.

You don't need a huge amount of these foods to help your child to thrive. Instead, focus on adding them in regularly. A few blueberries here, an egg there and you're feeding your child's brain. Ready for more? In my Clever Nutrition program I guide you through ALL the food your child's brain is craving alongside the strategies to successfully add them in. No more second guessing yourself, and no more wasted food.

References

• Travica, N., D’Cunha, N.M., et al. (2020). The effect of blueberry interventions on cognitive performance and mood: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 85, pp.96–105. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.04.001.

• Chauhan, A. and Chauhan, V. (2020). Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health. Nutrients, 12(2), p.550. doi:10.3390/nu12020550.

• Julvez, J., Gignac, F., et al. (2021). Walnuts, Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, and Adolescent Brain Development: Protocol for the Walnuts Smart Snack Dietary Intervention Trial. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 9. doi:10.3389/fped.2021.593847.

• Wallace, T.C. (2018). A Comprehensive Review of Eggs, Choline, and Lutein on Cognition Across the Life-span. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 37(4), pp.269–285. doi:10.1080/07315724.2017.1423248.