Nutrition affects attention!
Experts warn about nutrition! Experts point out that the diet should be redefined after the summer vacation and recommend having breakfast at home. Emphasizing that children who do not eat breakfast and who have problems with healthy nutrition remain weak, get tired quickly and have difficulty concentrating, experts also give important advice on how the ideal lunchbox should be.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü stated that balanced and healthy nutrition is important in childhood.
There should be three main meals a day
Özden Örkçü stated that the primary school age covers children between the ages of 6 and 11 and said:
"This is the age when growth and development is the fastest; it is an important period in which lifelong behaviors are acquired. The fastest growth begins at the age of 10-12 in girls and 11-14 in boys. In such a period when the importance of nutrition is emphasized, parents have a great share.
- Drink 2 cups of milk a day
- Breakfast in the morning,
- Eat at least 3 main meals a day
- In a way that ensures that no junk food is eaten between meals
- A lunchbox should be prepared to provide adequate and balanced nutrition from different food groups.
A sandwich prepared at home is a good alternative
Özden Örkçü stated that more protein, vitamins and minerals are needed for the construction of new tissues and for energy during growth, and noted that first of all, a lunchbox that will direct children to junk food or unhealthy foods sold in canteens should be avoided. Özden Örkçü said, "If your child even wants a hamburger, your children cannot say no to a big meatball sandwich you can make at home. You can bake the potatoes of their favorite meatball potatoes without frying them and let them enjoy them in their lunchboxes."
What should be in the lunchbox?
Nutrition and diet expert Özden Örkçü also listed her suggestions for a healthy lunchbox as follows:
- Children who eat breakfast at home will be less likely to go to the canteen than those who do not.
- If it is to be started as a snack, 1-2 portions of fruit should be sliced and placed in their lunchboxes, and the transition to lunch can be made with milk and 1 handful of nuts.
- For lunch, the fast-food style that children love so much can be preferred, but it should be prepared in a healthy way. Homemade sandwiches can be a good meal. You can make a sandwich with a hamburger-sized meatball made at home. With freshly squeezed fruit juice on the side, you will also meet the need for vitamins, minerals and energy."
Why is a healthy breakfast important?
Noting that nutrition habits in children start in the family as in every subject, Örkçü said, "Children who have a breakfast habit made with boiled eggs, cheese, olives, walnuts, honey, molasses and greens instead of pastries and fried foods preferred for breakfast will be more inclined to use breakfast in this direction in the future."
The most basic meal Breakfast
Özden Örkçü stated that research has shown that children who do not eat breakfast and who are thought to have problems with healthy nutrition have problems in participating in class activities and added: "It has also been observed that these children are weak, get tired quickly, remain silent and passive, get distracted quickly, sometimes sleep during classes and get tired quickly because they are overweight. Therefore, breakfast is one of the essential meals at every age."
What should the ideal breakfast look like?
Özden Örkçü also listed the essentials of an ideal breakfast as follows:
- Do not skimp on eggs. Eggs are a must for breakfast.
- An egg weighing an average of 60 g contains 6 g of protein. Since egg protein is rich in essential amino acids, its biological value is accepted as 100 and is used as a standard for determining the quality of other foodstuffs. Egg protein, which has a high biological value, is shown as an "exemplary protein" source together with breast milk.
- You can make cheese omelette - vegetable omelette - menemen - French toast for your children to enjoy.
- Olives or nuts - almonds - walnuts - cashews should also be included in breakfast.
- Tahini-molasses or honey-cream can be given as much as 1 teaspoon even if the child has a weight problem.
- Seasonal greens should also be included in the breakfast table.
- Drinks should be prepared considering the seasonal changes. Cinnamon and ginger milks that strengthen the immune system of children or freshly squeezed fruit juices from fruits that are a source of vitamin C should be preferred.
