Proper nutrition is not only important for proper development of the body and all its systems, but also the function of the brain. The best approach is to get in the habit of feeding your children a healthy breakfast, and certainly a healthy lunch and dinner. We recommend adding Juice Plus+ for additional nutrients from a variety of fruits and vegetables because most kids, like adults, don't get enough good nutrition from those foods (there is also a Juice Plus+ Chewable for kids who can't yet swallow capsules).
Developing healthy eating habits is important because as kids get old enough to start making their own decisions at school, you want them trained to choose nutritious foods. With the childhood obesity epidemic being addressed by the First Lady, parents have to be the ones who not only set a good example, but also make sure their kids are getting the nutrients they need for development.
Up to the age of ten mothers are in control and need to be sure their daughters eat a good breakfast. But once they get to secondary school, kids tend to make their own decisions on food. Parental advice becomes annoying and less influential, and girls tend to copy their peers. Even celebrities in the media have a BIG influence on girls, especially those whose diet habits are covered and talked about.
There are many reasons that girls need a nutritious diet at this stage, specifically iron and calcium which can be found in several different foods. This all comes at a time when nutrition is most important, and when the habits that have been taught are going to be in place for some time to come. The nutrients that are consumed on a daily basis will also have an influence on a child's grades in school. Why and how? Because of the influence that nutrition has on the brain's function --
Depending on what technology reigned supreme at the time, the human brain has been compared to a telegraph, a TV and a computer.
But it's also a three-pound, flesh-and-blood human organ, and with 100 billion neurons, a very demanding one at that. Even though it comprises only 2 percent of the body's weight, it consumes 20 percent of its oxygen and a majority of its blood sugar.
It makes sense that a biochemical factory that complicated will work best with proper care and feeding, even in young and healthy college students.
The brain starts out with some built-in advantages. Not only is it encased in a sturdy skull, but a set of cells known as the blood-brain barrier keeps many bacteria and other harmful substances out of the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord.
The brain also gets first dibs on a lot of vitamins and nutrients, says Simon Evans, a University of Michigan neuroscientist who wrote the book "BrainFit for Life: A User's Guide to Life-Long Brain Health and Fitness."
Even so, college students still need to pay attention to their diets, exercise and sleep patterns, all of which play key roles in basic brain health, Dr. Evans says. (read more...)
Bottom Line: The future health and success of our children is highly dependent on the health of their diet. There is no substitute for eating plenty of raw whole food fruits and vegtables. That should be the focus of the First Lady's efforts and for parents who are concerned about the future of their children. The ripple effect of getting more families eating a healthy diet can be, and hopefully will be, huge. A comment that was made by the FL: it will take a generation, is sure to be true. Only time will tell.
The Health & Wellness Institute
Official Juice Plus+ Independent Distributor
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