Exams means studies and sleepless nights. And, in the process, parents quite often have the tendency to overlook a child’s diet. Even the healthy eating kids end up munching quite a lot on junk foods. Colas and aerated drinks and coffee become their companion to keep them awake through the sleepless nights. But are these habits really good? Well, no. Here are some changes you could incorporate in your child’s diet to help them combat exams better.
1. Start The Day With A Glass of Milk
Milk along with a banana or any fruit would pep up the energy levels immediately. You could even soak almonds the previous night, crush them, and add them to milk for a tastier drink. Ensure that the child drinks this within half an hour of waking up so that his sugar levels won’t come crashing later during the day.
[ Read: How Nutritious Is Chocolate Milk For Breakfast? ]
2. Never Skip The Breakfast
Breakfast is the most vital meal of any day. Keep it slightly heavy, packed with adequate proportions of whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats to provide them with the much required steady supply of energy during their preparations. Oatmeal porridge is a great breakfast option. Spice it and flavor it the way your kids likes to keep them full.
[ Read: How Healthy Breakfast Energizes Your Day ]
3. Change The Number of Meals To 5 From 3
Divide the meals into small portions, serving them every 3 hours. This literally means you are not feeding your kids three large meals. You are breaking down the same as breakfast, lunch, and dinner with two snack times in between each meal. Fresh fruits, milkshakes, nuts, soups, veggie salads, and smoothies are nutritious options to keep the kids awake and energetic throughout the day.
4. Convince Them To Drink Water
Water is an important element of any healthy diet as it ensures proper digestion and circulation. Offer them half a glass of lukewarm water every 60 minutes to ensure that they remain hydrated throughout the day.
[ Read: How To Increase Your Water Intake ]
5. Say No To Junk Foods
Junk foods are laden with sugar and trans fat, two elements that are known to have adverse impacts on the memory power and concentration of the kids. Kids do have the temptation to munch on biscuits and candies throughout the day as these foods give them an instant energy surge when they feel drained. However, when you take a deeper look, you would realize that the energy is just a spontaneous one and lasts hardly for few minutes. One of the best ways to prevent kids from eating junk during exam is not to buy them. Or, if you have any, throw them into the garbage.
[ Read: How Eating Junk Food Effects Child’s Health ]
6. Do Not Eat From Restaurants
Restaurant foods could taste yummier for kids. But they are not healthy for the kids. There are studies that suggest that the foods from restaurants are not as fresh as the one you cook at home. Plus, they will contain chemicals such as Monosodium Glucomate that are known to be harmful for the brain. In addition, your kid could even suffer food poisoning, vomiting, and diarrhea. So refrain from eating outside before and during the exams.
7. Include Antioxidant Rich Foods In The Diet
Foods rich in the antioxidant vitamins A, E, and C are quite beneficial, especially during the exams. So choose to include carrots, eggs, dark leafy greens, and fresh fruits in the diet to improve their memory power and boost their performance levels.
[ Read: How To Get Rid of a Poor Memory ]
8. Include Proteins And Healthy Fats
Proteins and fats are essential elements of any balanced diet as they give you energy and help in recuperating from a tedious situation quicker. You could include Omega 3 fatty acid rich foods such as salmon and sesame seeds in their diet to improve the functioning of the brain and boost memory. Low fat grass fed butter and coconut oil are also examples of healthy fats. Eggs, lentils, beans, peas, cottage cheese, tofu, leafy greens, and poultry are great sources of protein.
[ Read: How Much Protein Do We Actually Need? ]
Make these changes in your child’s diet right away and help him put up a better performance in his exams.