Let's begin with the research:
"We are a product of what we eat and absorb. Food cravings and addictions are a real biomedical problem. One known food addiction is to sugar. Sugar can be a contributor to learning disabilities, hyperactivity and it affects the educational process. Learning requires optimal health and brain function. When a child eats inadequately or consumes foods deficient in proper nutrients, the possibilities for learning disabilities increase. With the belief that food affects behavior, memory and learning ability, diet and nutrition may be a contributing factor and assist with the remedy of a learning disability, ADD or ADHD. Sugar affects a child’s ability to pay attention and can contribute to symptoms of being overactive and irritable."Taken from "The Sugar Connection to Learning" by Nancy Guberti (Gem Learning)
Well...Where's the proof?
A study completed by UCLA has concluded that sugar does, in fact, impair the brain's ability to focus and could do significant damage to one's memory.
"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."
Sources of fructose in the Western diet include cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid sweetener. The syrup is widely added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food. The average American consumes roughly 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Gomez-Pinilla and study co-author Rahul Agrawal, a UCLA visiting postdoctoral fellow from India, studied two groups of rats that each consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks. The second group also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which protects against damage to the synapses — the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning.
The animals were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twice daily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The UCLA team tested how well the rats were able to navigate the maze, which contained numerous holes but only one exit. The scientists placed visual landmarks in the maze to help the rats learn and remember the way.
Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats' ability to recall the route and escape the maze. What they saw surprised them.
"The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than the rats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids," Gomez-Pinilla said. "The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
The DHA-deprived rats also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synaptic function in the brain. A closer look at the rats' brain tissue suggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence the brain cells.
"Because insulin can penetrate the blood–brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said.
He suspects that fructose is the culprit behind the DHA-deficient rats' brain dysfunction. Eating too much fructose could block insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar for the energy required for processing thoughts and emotions.
What Now?
Whether your child is a straight A student who never gets in trouble (lucky!), one who struggles with schoolwork and behavior, or falls somewhere in the middle; a daily dose of too much sugar can negatively affect him/her both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Good news! It's not too late to begin packing a healthy lunch that models good eating habits for your little one. Here are some super simple steps to making it happen along with some quick and easy lunchbox ideas!
1. PLAN AHEAD! This is the most important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Make a menu for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners when making a grocery list and stick to it at the store.
2. While making your lunchbox menu, try to think about what fruits and veggies your child likes that are just as quick and easy as throwing in a pack of fruit snacks. Then, be sure his/her lunchbox contains some kind of lean protein in the form of beef jerky, deli turkey, left over grilled chicken breast, etc. If a sandwich is the way to go for your child, be sure to get whole grain bread. They may fight you on it at first, but eventually, they won't even know the difference.
3. Let your child help pack his/her lunch box so they feel like they have some say in this new way of eating. If you made a healthy menu and stuck to it at the store, there won't be any junk food options to choose from. Be sure to pack lunches the night before so there is no rushing around in the morning that leads to stress, which will, inevitably, lead to you throwing in the towel.
Lunchbox ALWAYS's, SOMETIMES's, and NEVER's
ALWAYS include in your child's lunchbox:
- Fruit--try to stay away from always sending the same thing or your child will get bored
- Veggies of some kind (this can be a tough one--try celery with a thin layer almond butter and raisins, cucumber slices with hummus, or fresh, whole carrots peeled and cut into sticks with guacamole. Try to avoid sending processed dipping sauces such as Ranch dressing.)
- Lean Protein--beef jerky, grilled chicken, or deli meat
- A "Snacky" type item (still healthy, though) so they don't think you've gone totally bonkers!--pistachios, almonds, peanuts, popcorn, greek yogurt, and cheese sticks are all yummy, healthy options!
SOMETIMES include in your child's lunchbox:
- A dessert item that still has some nutritional value--a square of dark chocolate, cookies (2 maximum), graham crackers, etc.
- A healthier option of crackers or chips (not to be included if you have already packed a "carb" item from the "Snacky" list above)--baked chips, NutThins, veggie chips, sweet potato chips, etc. (reduced fat is not a healthier option-read the labels--YUCK)
- Bread--always whole grain
NEVER include in your child's lunchbox:
- Traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white or wheat bread (327 calories and 32 grams of sugar! Wow! That's a LOT!). Try sugar free, fruit only jam with almond butter instead.
- More than 1 packaged, processed quick snack that comes in an individual serving
- Lunchables--I understand that these are so easy to grab and go. Next time you pick one up to put it in the cart at the grocery store, check out how long the list of ingredients is on the side. If you can't read it, you shouldn't eat it! The amount of sodium in some of them is enough for your ENTIRE day!
- Sodas or other sugary drinks--Capri Suns, Gatorade, Powerade, Soda, Kool-Aid, etc. Try flavored water or let them get some milk from the cafeteria!
- Fruit roll-ups, fruit snacks, Fruit By The Foot, or other sugary "fruit" items--these are nothing but food dyes and sugar! NOT a healthy choice for your kiddo. There are some that are made with real fruit and nothing but real fruit! You can even see the seeds in them!
- Nutella--although marketed as a healthier option, it is extremely high in fat, calories, and sugar (21 grams of sugar, 200 calories, and 11 grams of fat in just 2 tablespoons!).
- More than 1 dessert item--training your child to believe that dessert comes after every meal is a dangerous habit.
If you have any questions or need suggestions, e-mails are always welcome! As always, thank you for participating in your child's future.
