Foods That Help Children Learn

Most parents ensure their kids have the pens and books they need to do well at school, but children's brains and bodies also need the right fuel to learn properly. A link exists between the foods kids eat and how they learn, so parents who want to help children learn may want to give juvenile brains a boost by feeding them the right meals and snacks.

Brainy Breakfasts

• A young girl feeding her body and her brain

  People often say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but research also confirms it: According to a Tuft's University study, a healthy breakfast improves children's academic performance. The study showed that kids who ate a breakfast made up of complex carbohydrates and protein had improved memory and problem-solving skills and were more alert. This type of breakfast is digested slowly, keeping kids' energy levels stable all morning.

Excellent Eggs

• The University of North Carolina indicates that a diet rich in choline (found in eggs) may help kids produce new memory cells throughout their childhood. So feed eggs to kids who are learning tricky times tables or studying for spelling tests.

Good-For-You Fats

• Olive oil, nuts, avocado, salmon and tuna all contain omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats. Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a University of California, Los Angeles, professor of neurosurgery and physiological science who studies the effects of food on the brain, said children who ate more omega-3 fatty acids performed better in school, in reading and in spelling, and had fewer behavioral problems.

Blueberries: For Healthy Brains

• Many people might not believe that something so sweet and tasty could boost children's learning abilities, but a 2001 Tufts University study found that people's memory and learning abilities improved when they ate blueberries each day. The berries are rich in antioxidants, a key brain food.