3 Nutrients Essential for Your Child’s Brain Development

When it comes to your child’s brain development, nourishment is as important as having a positive stimulating environment. Since the brain is considered an important organ, you want to provide it with the most beneficial nutrients. Today we will explore some of the best nutrients and their food options to augment your child’s brain power.¹  

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid, and it is found basically in the nervous system: the spinal cord, skeletal muscle, and especially in the brain. It helps the development of your child’s brain by being a neurotransmitter, as in the efficiency of communication between functions and quality. For a brain to function well, it needs a good base, healthy cells, to do the job. If everything runs smoothly, your child will feel less stressed. Taurine can be sourced from breast milk early in their life and later on from mostly from meat protein.²

Meat Source – animal milk, viscera, or giblets (organ meat), lamb, clams, tilapia, local freshwater fish, and bird eggs

Kid’s Favorite Styles: Milk smoothies, stir fried giblets and veggies, sandwiches

Plant Based – Garlic, Shiitake mushrooms, Sea Moss (Gracilaria), nori, and parsley

Dish styles: mushroom soup, sushi, mixed salads, sandwiches, quiches

Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids

Fats like Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are essential for your child to stay self-aware and sharp. They help the brain by supporting its chemicals and quality of the cells itself (neurons). This is one of those nutrients where the better quality of it your child gets, the more benefits they reap.^{3, 4}

• A well-known Omega 3 fatty acid for supporting brain development in children is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the battery of brain function.^{3, 4}
  • Best source: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, Myanmar trout, sardines, walnuts, any fresh or processed soy product, organic eggs, canola oil

• Omega 6 functions similarly with the addition of also supporting your child’s brain on a gene level. For example, If you usually observe your child to be having constant attention issues or poor reading skills, Omega 6 therapy through food and supplements can improve those conditions.^{3, 4}
  • Best source: Fresh soybeans, corn, sunflower oil and seeds, tree nuts, avocado, peanut butter, red meat

If your child gets a balanced diet of plant and animal proteins while plant-based oils are used in cooking, they have the required amount of both Taurine and Fatty Acids. Natural food is the best option, but modern diets of children are short on these as parents go for convenience. Parents can seek to add child growing up milks that have been scientifically formulated, like the Similac Gain IQ range, for additional help with nutrition. Similac Gain IQ is a growing up milk with a unique combination of 10 Key Brain Nutrients, including DHA, AA, omega 3&6, taurine, choline, iron, zinc and vitamins B1, B12. As always, consult a Child Nutritionist before starting your child on a growing up milk and also find a nutrition plan that best caters to them.¹

For more information or if you would like a sample of Similac, please visit Similac Myanmar today.

Tips to Encourage Learning Among Children

Children are already enthusiastic about telling their tales with great passion, so why not as a parent make the most of it and help them cope and thrive? Not only their minds are quite impressionable, their physical brain is like a sponge for nutrients to power those very functions. These young years are best to work in new learning techniques and improve critical thinking skills with nutrients and supporting growing up milk (eg. Similac Gain) for maximum nourishment.^{4, 5}

Playing pretend has real life benefits

Letting a child play allows them to master independent thinking and choice making. Role playing favorite characters or cartoons allows them to tap into their memory and make logical connections with names, colors, shapes, and sounds. Provide toys and props, and play along by asking questions to help them develop their stories. ¹

Never too early for Critical & Logical thinking

Critical and logical thinking improves children’s comprehension of their environment. These skills are built off of daily interactions and making connections (eg. rain + umbrella = to not get wet). Motivate multiple solutions and respect their responses of definition of who, what, when, where, why and how from time to time. Organizing toys or their clothes by color or shape or by theme will help them recall their memory, compare, contrast, and improve thinking skills. Throughout all this, keep your feelings in check because your child is still learning and they will provide answers you do not agree with. Your child’s attitude is a reflection of yours, so resist immediate intervention and always ask for or provide alternate solutions.^{1, 2}

The importance of Good Nutrition

Good food goes hand in hand with  learned behavior. A child that is well nourished with brain supporting nutrients will be better focused and have stable energy levels. Best slots for supporting brain power are Fatty acids, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin C, and Protein. The good news is that these nutrients are already present in your child’s favorite nut snacks, seafood cutlets, bananas, pasta sauces, nut butters in jelly sandwiches, and citrus fruit juices.^{3, 4}

But as children are, they will refuse certain foods if they do not like it. For this parents must find growing up milk alternatives with good nutrition to help  For this Similac Gain has a unique combination of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid, the fattiest acid to improve brain function, immune cell strength), lutein, and natural vitamin E to support vision and brain development. Talk, teach, learn, and explore together with your child. Social interactions and what they are taught are as important as nutrition when it comes to helping them thrive.

As always, consult a Medical Professional or Child Nutritionist before adding any growing up milk alternatives to their daily nutritional regimen.^{4, 5}

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References:

1. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1290-developing-thinking-skills-from-24-36-months
2. https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/developing-critical-thinking-skills-in-children
3. https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/nutrition-adhd-kid-friendly-foods-enhance-focus
4. https://abbottfamily.com.sg/products/page/similac-2-fl-stage4
5. Auestad,Halter et al.2001,
6. Auestad,Scott et al.2003

Nutrition to Support Your Child’s Eye Health

Did you know that nutrition has a large impact on your child’s desire to learn and play? And that their immune system strength affects eyesight? There are many factors that play into how well your child does in the classroom. Besides encouraging studying and discipline, good nutrition and eye health are important for your child. Learn about the basics of important nutrients that support the eye, brain, and immunity and where to get them best from food and growing up milk options (eg. Similac Gain IQ).

Chronic Inflammation affects Eyesight

Just like sore joints causing mental irritation, any prolonged physical inflammation stresses particular cells and impedes function. If blood vessels are continuously inflamed, especially in the eye, a child can develop early vision impairment. Lasting redness, swelling, pain, fevers or fatigue are signs of illnesses. Provide support with vitamin B6, B12, Folic Acid, and Iron that increase immune cell quality and blood flow. Best found in lean red meat, whole grains, beans, and fortified foods.^{1, 2} 

Lutein, color of fruits for supporting the vision 

Lutein, the ingredient that gives plants their pigments, is a strong antioxidant that supports the macula of the eye. It is important for relaying information from the eye to the visual cortex in the brain, meaning it is what helps your child see. Lutein is found mostly in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, mustard leaves or tomatoes, eggs, corn, kiwi, grapes, and oranges.³

RRR Vitamin E, support for Brain and Eye development

Vitamin E or often listed as RRR or alpha–tocopherol, is a nutrient used by an area in the brain responsible for cognitive visual, learning, and auditory abilities. It is another powerful antioxidant that prevents cell oxidative stress, as well as longevity of nutrients vulnerable to oxidative damage. Since your child’s delicate eyes are faced with free radicals every day, this is an important nutrient so provide them with plenty of leafy vegetables, seafood, edible seeds, and cook with healthy vegetable oils.^{4, 5}

DHA, the vital fatty acids for cells

Docosahexaenoic acid is one of the most vital fatty acids for cells in a child’s body. Not only does it improve brain function, it supports immune cell strength, and reduces inflammation in the eye to improve functionality. Similar to Lutein, DHA is prone to oxidative stress, so absorption can be improved with vitamin E rich foods. Found mostly in fatty fish like tuna or salmon, DHA can be received from fortified food, milk or growing up milk alternatives, snacks, and eggs.^{2, 3, 5}

There are many factors that play into how well your child does in the classroom. due to circumstances, growing up milk alternatives can become a part of your child’s meals. For important nutrients like DHA, Similac Gain IQ can help. A unique combination of DHA, lutein, natural vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals that supports vision and brain development.

As always, consult a Medical Professional or Child Nutritionist before adding any growing up milk alternatives to their daily nutritional regimen.^{6, 7}

References:

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21089-uveitis-in-children-and-adolescents
2. https://nutrition.abbott/in/clinical-studies/optigro
3. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2017-09-08/5-nutrients-to-improve-your-kids-brain-health
4. https://www.eyesiteonwellness.com/improving-eyesight-with-a-capital-e-the-little-known-benefits-of-a-vitamin/

How Art and Play Support your Child’s Development

Even for adults, experiencing new things brings joy and intrigue, so imagine what it is like for a child who is just starting to explore. Playing and art are not only fun, but are essential contributions to their development of reading, decision making, and overall cognitive function. It is also essential for parents to partake in their child’s art and play journey by providing nurture, brain nutrients, nutrition alternatives (eg. Similac Gain) and by any other means possible.^{1, 5}   

How will it help my child’s literacy?

When children play, they begin to associate certain sounds to objects, attach images to words, and later use those associations to express themselves. A child’s actions always have some sort of expression or play in them, and with some help adding more words and art will widen their memory and recall to express through art or action or stimulate their speech development.^{1, 2}

Will it help my child’s decision-making skills?

When you give your child multiple tools, colors, and toys, your child will be able to tell you what they like and not what you think they should like. Be open minded and focus on the process, not the product for your child on using items for a purpose it was not intended for. For example, if your child uses a stick as a pencil, but no marks are made and it breaks, provide them with a crayon or an actual pencil. They will then see how it is easier to use and will learn to see you as a source of help also.^{1, 3}

How does it help my child’s cognitive development?

While your child is playing, they will use motor skills, speech, hearing, eyes, and other senses to test their limits. It will then later be integrated into their core memory and applied anywhere else they see fit. They will also learn causes, effects, and be able to use their planning skills when they try to express. You can help stimulate their minds by asking them to draw something they have seen before or have them express an activity they did through art.^{1, 2, 3}

Why will key nutrients best support my child?

Snack time is one of your child’s favorite times of the day, so provide them with nutritious choices. Fatty acids (Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Linoleic acid, eg. cauliflower, cheese, rice) are required for the brain to grow, giving it strength to learn and store information. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine, eg. coconut, chocolate, nuts) will help turn food into energy for the brain, thus supporting your child’s cognitive functions. Vitamin C & E (eg. avocado, multigrain, citrus fruits) are antioxidants and they prevent inflammation and stress, while giving it the ability to go on longer through tough mental processes. Since supporting a child’s mind is important through their early years, sometimes real food alone may not be enough. That is why child nutritional supplements like Similac Gain, through many years of research, have developed an exclusive EyeQ Plus™ nutrition system to deliver the best brain nutrients possible. With no palm oil and made with healthy vegetable fat, not only will your child’s brain be well nourished, they will have a comfortable gut to continue to create art, learn, and grow up happy.^{1, 4, 5} 

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References:

1. https://simmom.in/feediq/power-of-play-in-child-brain-stimulation-techniques
2. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_art_of_creating_why_art_is_important_for_early_childhood_development
3. https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/five-essentials-meaningful-play
4. https://www.thelunchmob.co/8-brain-food-snacks-to-boost-your-kids-memory/
5. https://abbottfamily.com.sg/products/page/similac-2-fl-stage4

How self-confidence can help kids learn better

Healthily, the more confident a child is about something, it can greatly improve their memory skills. When they have confidence in their ability to remember things, they are known to excel in academia, compared to other children with lack self-confidence. Low self-esteem in children may lead to short-term memory difficulties, and induce state of nervousness and anxiety. They would either act out disproportionately to a difficult situation, or may not even speak out at all.

So it’s important that you try your best every now and then to boost your children’s confidence. Their little fresh brains are always curious so start instilling a healthy form of confidence to prepare them for the future.

Just like for adults, Positivity matters!

Encourage and praise your child, when appropriate, when he or she makes an effort to remember what they have learnt. Appropriate positive reinforcement always helps so do not, if you can, obsess over their forgetfulness, or judge them harshly on their competency. Just like in adults, providing constructive criticism with appropriate wording is better than bringing them down for being wrong.

Instilling organization

As an adult, we always find it hard to stay organized so how will a very active child’s mind stay on track? For their benefit later in life, especially school, be it organizing their pencil case, or clothes in their closet, teaching them organizational skills will help greatly. Color coding notes, books and notebooks kept in different shelf space, and down to even keeping different writing utensils for different subjects, will first of all, stop them from making a mess or losing things.

Coping with stress

If you yourself deal with stress in a non positive way, you child may take after you whether you like it or not. For that reason, try not to display that behaviour often in front of them and show them alternative ways to cope with stress and anger caused by not remembering things. Stress and inappropriate emotions resulting from stress can sometimes hamper their confidence, as well as their memory and learning skills.

Overconfidence

If you do not like this type of overconfidence in an adult, it should be corrected in a child too. Make sure that your child doesn’t become over-confident about what he remembers because it can cause conflicts with other children and stress. If they are overly confident in what they believe to be true, once they are belittled into feeling wrong about that fact, it can seriously cause discouragement in your child.

Reference(s):

1. https://abbottfamily.com.sg/articles/pre-school/self-confidence#