HOW TO BUILD A HEALTHY BRAIN

HOW DO I BUILD A HEALTHY BRAIN?
Here we will look at how to grow healthy brains
vital for a smart and happy kid.
Follow these Four Golden Rules.

★Balanced blood sugar

★Ensure essential fats

★Vitamins and minerals

★Avoid anti-nutrients and eliminate allergies

BALANCED BLOOD SUGAR
Why is balance so important?
Sugar is your brain's super fuel. But you have
to make sure your child is getting the RIGHT
TYPES and RIGHT AMOUNT at the RIGHT
TIME.
Too much ‘fast’ sugar means a blood sugar
high and hyperactivity. The excess sugar in the
blood gets dumped into storage as abdominal
fat. Eating little and often helps keep your
child’s energy and concentration even.
Too much sugar and your child may be
hyperactive and find it hard to concentrate.
Too little and they may feel tired, irritable
and find it hard to concentrate.

How to balance blood sugar?
Go for foods with slow releasing sugars.
Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.
This will help to maintain your blood sugar
levels, and prevent highs and lows.
Combine protein with carbohydrate
Protein slows down the absorption of sugars
found in carbohydrates.

ENSURE ESSENTIAL FATS
Why is a fat head a smart head?
60% of a dried brain weight is fat, it is no
wonder deficiencies in specific kinds of fats
can have huge repercussions on intelligence
and behaviour.
If your child is having 3 portions of oily fish
and a daily portion of seeds they should be
getting a good level to help their brains
develop and boost IQ.

How do I give my child all the essential fats
they need?
Eat plenty of seeds and nuts
You can grind and sprinkle them on cereal,
soups and salads.
Eat cold-water carnivorous fish 2 or 3 times a
week
This includes sardines, mackerel, herring, kipper
or wild/organic salmon.
Choose fish oil and starflower or evening
primrose oil to supplement fats
Avoid deep fried, browned and processed foods

VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Why does your child need vitamins and
minerals?
Vitamins and minerals are the intelligent
nutrients that keep the brain in tune. They are
key to building and rebuilding the brain. They
mainly come from fruit, vegetables and
wholefoods and can be supplemented for
optimum brain performance. Studies giving
children supplements show improved IQ.

How do I ensure that my child is having
enough?
Make sure that they eat at least 5 portions of
fruit and vegetables a day
Choose wholefoods, not refined foods
Give them a chewable multi-vitamin and
mineral supplements.

AVOID ANTI-NUTRIENTS & ELIMINATE
FOOD ALLERGENS
Which foods rob your child's brain of
nutrients?
Anti-nutrients are substances that knock out
essential brain-friendly nutrients. Some
children develop an allergy or intolerance
against particular foods.

How do I avoid anti-nutrients?
Refined sugar: These are essentially
carbohydrates robbed of essential nutrients.
Damaged fats: These come from fried foods
and hydrogenated fats.
Chemical food additives: Especially colourings.
Food intolerances can be detected by a pin
prick blood test (see www.yorktest.com ) or
speak to your GP.
Alternatively you could try eliminating a food
group you think your child is allergic to, and re
assessing they're mood and behaviour weekly.