Good nutrition builds healthy brains as well as healthy bodies, but your attitude matters as much as the food your child eats. Here are ideas for supporting good nutrition and supporting your child’s brain development.
Let your child win the food wars while making sure most of their available options are healthy. Some “superfoods” could help boost your child’s brainpower like salmon and other fatty fish, eggs, peanut butter, etc.
Take your child grocery shopping with you and support good eating habits at the same time. Insist that your child attend at least one family mealtime daily, but don’t bribe, coerce, coddle, or persuade them about what goes into their mouths.
Family dinner is an important touchstone for teens who are having trouble at school or elsewhere. Children use food for solace, stimulation, anger management, or boredom-relief. Try to keep your focus on being positive and supportive, especially at mealtime. Good nutrition matters to the brain as much as it does to the body. Enjoy your child for the wonderful human being they are, and try to let their food decisions be theirs.