A fulfilling lifestyle involves both physical and mental well-being. If overall health is focused upon at the right time, it can lead to a better future. To ensure overall good health, focus on your little one’s nutrition intake from an early age. In addition to foods that ensure proper physical development, it is also important to add child brain development food in your little one’s diet.
Brain development food items help improve your children’s memory, brain function, and concentration. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has proved how our brain absorbs most of the nutrients we eat daily. It is the most hungry organ that takes up a lot of healthy nutrients to function properly.
Brain Development Food for Kids
When we talk of brain foods, these include vital minerals and vitamins for child brain development. Let us take a look at the top 10 healthiest foods that you can include in your kids’ diet to make them stronger, fitter, and healthier:
1. Eggs
Eggs are amongst the healthiest brain foods that you can give to your child. They also improve your little one’s immunity. If you are looking for brain development food for 1 year baby, you can easily include eggs, as you can server them after 6 months. The best form would be boiled eggs. For a baby less than one-year-old, it is best to start with just the mashed egg yolk to avoid any allergic reactions. As the baby grows, you can give the whole egg.
Eggs are rich in several nutrients, including vitamins B6, B12, protein, folate, selenium, and choline. They also keep your child full and energetic for a very long period of time. This way, they will refrain from craving junk foods and sweets during most of the day. You can even consider eggs as the best brain development food for 3 year baby – a time when he/she starts going to school and learns many new things.
2. Berries
Berries are rich in anthocyanins and are highly beneficial brain development food for 2 year baby and onwards. Anthocyanins are extremely beneficial plant-based nutrients that help your child’s brain health in multiple ways. They have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects that protect the brain from inflammation. They also promote the production of new nerve cells and the expression of proteins.
You can give berries to your child once you are sure they will not swallow them whole. Toddlers tend to love these squishy and sweet fruits.
3. Green Vegetables
Vitamins for brain development are extremely essential when it comes to children. Green vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and kale are rich in vitamins and minerals and therefore must be made a part of your child’s daily diet.
They also contain brain-protecting carotenoids, folate, and flavonoids and are great to develop your little one’s cognitive abilities. Vegetables are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin that are accumulated in the retina and promote good eyesight.
4. Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are essential brain foods that contain essential vitamins for child brain development. However, you must ensure that your little one is older than one year before you start giving them nuts and seeds.
To start with, you can add almond and seed powder to your child’s meals. Slowly, as the little one starts to chew well, hand out a mix of dry fruits and seeds in a daily platter. Nuts contain essential nutrients such as folate, iron, protein, vitamins, and zinc that improve your child’s overall health by boosting their immune system and brain function.
5. Whole Grains
Whole grains contain vitamins, dairy minerals, and fibre that promote a good immune system. Give your child paranthas, noodles, pasta, or breakfast cereals at the beginning of the day so that it keeps them energetic throughout the day. They can control hunger hormones.
6. Milk and Yoghurt
Milk is an ideal and the best child brain development food, irrespective of a child’s age, giving your child a glass of milk and a bowl of yoghurt with some fruits and an egg at the breakfast can be extremely beneficial for the brain health of your kid. Containing iodine, milk and milk-based products promote good memory health and cognitive health.
7. Oatmeal
Oats are rich in fibre, vitamin B, zinc, potassium, and vitamin E. It is a great child brain development food. You can either serve oats with milk, sliced almonds, and honey or make delicious oats-Dalia khichdi for dinner. You can also serve oats with peanut butter, honey, milk, and a few slices of apple for a quick snack.
8. Iron-Based Foods
Several diseases are caused by iron deficiency in children across the globe. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is also associated with lack of iron in children’s bodies. Include more iron-based foods in your kids’ diet to boost their brain and memory function. Seafood, beans, spinach, poultry, and meat are some options that you can easily add to your child’s diet to make sure they get enough iron on a daily basis from food.
9. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter can be the best brain development food for 1 year baby. If your child does not have allergies, you can slowly introduce peanut butter to them by serving a small amount with breakfast as cookie toppings or inside evening sandwiches. Peanuts are rich in vitamins, calories, protein, and fiber.
Refrain from giving whole peanuts to children under 4 years. Add some peanut butter to their diet by spreading them on top of biscuits or slices of bread at breakfast.
10. Seafood
Seafood must be introduced once your child is a year old. Fish boiled in turmeric water is in fact a great food for toddlers. It helps boost memory function and enhances IQ. The seafood good for kids includes – salmon fish, herring, trout, and sardines. Seafood is high in omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, and iodine. Zinc is needed in kids’ bodies for cell production and development. Iodine is required for proper thyroid function.
Conclusion
In order to make sure your child gets all the necessary nutrients from their diet, make sure you add the above-mentioned child brain development food items to their diet plan. Try to prevent their consumption of junk food as much as possible and replace their snacks with nuts, seeds, yoghurt, and other nutritional foods.
