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New research shows that
even mild under-nutrition can prevent learning. Malnutrition can
even affect learning before slowing down growth.
Here are some facts about
poor nutrition and learning:
- Under-nutrition increases
how often and how long a child may be sick. In addition to being
absent from school, illness limits learning as sick children do
not interact well with others.
- Under-nourished children
lack things that make healthy children successful. Poorly nourished
children tend to be less physically active, less curious, less
attentive, less independent, less responsive socially, and more
anxious. These traits keep them from developing reading, verbal,
and physical skills, among others.
- Iron deficiency and
anemia occur among large numbers of children. Anemic children
do not do well on math, reading, vocabulary, problem-solving,
or psychological tests. Even mild iron deficiency causes fatigue
and a shortened attention span.
Feeling hungry, perhaps
from missed meals, affects learning. Hungry children tend to be
irritable, disinterested in learning, nervous, timid passive, and
unable to concentrate.
Tips for Parents
- Be flexible. For variety
substitute different foods from the same food pyramid group. If
your child prefers carrots, or peaches to apricots that is great.
All fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals (a variety
is important however so that a variety of vitamins and minerals
are eaten).
- Keep offering different
fruits and vegetables, even if they are rejected at first. Usually
a child will try a new food if they are served without them being
forced to eat it.
- Encourage your child
to experiment with different tastes and textures. Children learn
about foods by tasting, touching, and smelling. Offer your child
different shape, sizes and textures of foods to stimulate interest.
Let the child help fix foods into a variety of sizes or shapes.
- Do not worry about
how much your child eats at a single meal or even in a single
day. Over a week, the choices should even out - and provide a
balance of nutrients that best meet his or her needs.
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