As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat!” Check out Tutor Doctor’s nutrition tips for better learning.
Eating healthy can be confusing
If you’re a parent now, there’s a decent chance you grew up in the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s. Many of us were introduced to the “food pyramid” in our early years and were explicitly told to follow a diet heavy in grains and carbohydrates. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best advice.
As it turns out, carbs do not provide lasting energy. The food pyramid previously encouraged a diet heavy in breads, cereal, rice, and pastas. Today, nutritionists know better – according to Scientific American, “more and more research showed that the USDA pyramid was grossly flawed. By promoting the consumption of all complex carbohydrates and eschewing all fats and oils, the pyramid provided misleading guidance. In short, not all fats are bad for you, and by no means are all complex carbohydrates good for you.”
In other words, “eating healthy” isn’t as easy as you might think. For instance, carbohydrates are a vital food source that serve as the body’s main fuel supply. At the same time, carbohydrates also contribute to overeating, weight gain, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Here’s another example. Fats are obviously bad for you, right? Yet mediterranean people, despite having a diet high in fats and oils – statistically outlive the rest of the planet.
The contradictory nature of these findings is well known to experts, with National Library of Medicine researchers concluding “In the era of evidence-based medicine, the Mediterranean diet represents the gold standard in preventive medicine, probably due to the harmonic combination of many elements with antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties, which overwhelm any single nutrient or food item. The whole seems more important than the sum of its parts.”
So, what exactly is going on here?
Eating healthy is harder today
When it comes down to it, eating real food is the key. We live in an era of processed foods – and look, we’re not trying to judge. We get it. Fast food tastes good, pre-packaged meals are easy, and sugary treats make our kids happy. There are undoubtedly going to be times where you cannot avoid processed foods, and that’s okay. Our best advice for parents is to make your best effort to avoid these foods when you can – especially at home.
Nutrition tips for better learning
Cooking from scratch isn’t easy, and we’re certainly not trying to suggest that parents should spend hours meticulously planning out every single one of their child’s meals on a nightly basis. Luckily, healthy foods are incredibly easy to prepare because many of them require no prep work whatsoever!
Here are some of the top healthy (and affordable!) snacks we know elementary school kids love:
- Finger fruits like tangerine “cutie” oranges, easy to peel
- Melon fruits that can be cut into bite-size pieces
- Bananas (possibly the easiest packable lunch box item!)
- Baby carrots, a serving of which contains a whopping 73% of your daily vitamin A
- Celery sticks with peanut butter (add raisins for the classic “ants on a log” snack!)
- Nuts, trail mix, and cheese
Not sure what to pack for lunch tomorrow? Check out Tutor Doctor’s healthy lunch tips for kids!
Don’t forget to stay hydrated
We can’t talk about nutrition without mentioning hydration! This one is easy – avoid sugary drinks. The reality is that 50% of Americans live on soda and energy drinks, with research indicating most people simply don’t consume enough water. That’s right – plain old H20 is your best friend!
Whether it’s a Stanley cup or a Hydroflask, it’s important to make sure your child has an adequate source of clean, filtered drinking water available to them at all times.
