Foods that Make Your Baby Smarter

The basis of your baby’s future intelligence is set during pregnancy. First of all, he or she will get from you the intelligence gene and from the food you eat will receive nutrients that can boost the development of the nervous system.

The future mom should eat foods that contain protein, choline and Omega-3s. Proteins promote healthy brain and muscle development, choline helps into the development of the hippocampus, brain’s  memory center, and Omega 3 acids may boost child’d IQ (Frances Largeman-Roth- “Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom’s Healthy Eating Guide”). You can take protein, choline and Omega 3 acids from string cheese, peanut butter, lean chicken, milk, egg yolks, wheat germ and cauliflower, salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna.

To encourage you to eat fish, you should know that researchers found that infants born to mothers with higher blood levels of the omega-3 fatty at delivery had advanced levels of attention spans well into their second year of life. The recommended serving per week is 12 ounces. Too much may increase mercury poisoning, which nobody wants for their unborn child.

Once your child is born breastfeeding is the best option to make him smarter. According to the results of an Australian study (Institute for Child Health Research), children who were breastfed for six months or more outscored their formula-fed classmates in tests of reading, writing and math at age 10. Boys got even higher scores. The link between breastfeeding and later intelligence is not too clear, but researchers suspect that omega-3 fatty acids contained by the breast milk, are, again, the reason for an optimal brain growth. Some kind of emotional intelligence is also developed during the process of breastfeeding, and this kind of intelligence will help your child to express a more adaptive behavior in his future life.

After the first year of life, you have already introduced your baby to the most of solid foods, so things will get much easier, because there is a wide range of brain foods that you can offer to your child to help him get smarter. Keep in mind that during the first three years of life, the human brains triples in weight and establishes about 1,000 trillion nerve connections. To provide the necessary energy and the material support of this huge development, you should include into your child diet brain builder foods packed with complex carbohydrates and proteins, iron, zinc, vitamins C, B6 and B12.

A top of the best good brain foods to feed your children might include: whole grains, berries, green leafy vegetables as spinach, nuts, eggs, salmon and milk.

Whole grains – As a source of complex carbohydrates, they are the main source of fuel for the brain. Most whole grains are rich in B-complex vitamins that promote brain health by protecting nerve tissue against oxidation. The B- group of vitamins also helps by enhancing memory.

Berries – Blueberry, blackberry, strawberry… Any berry. Berries create brain cell connections. They are among the highest antioxidant foods. That means not only will these foods make kids smarter, they’ll help them live longer.

Spinach (green leafy vegetables) – Popeye’s “superfood” is very high in magnesium and potassium content which maintain the electrical conductivity of brain that affect the higher brain function like memory and learning. It is also high in vitamins B6 and E, and folate content.

Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E. Raw or roasted doesn’t matter, they help your child’s brain work better.

Eggs – Children have a developing memory center, which is forming during the first 6 years of life. Choline is an important nutrient in this process. One yolk has about 200 milligrams of choline, which meets or nearly meets the needs of children up to 8 years. Eggs also contain iron, folate, vitamin A and D (if enhanced), which are important for normal growth and development.

Salmon – One of the best brain foods for kids, salmon is swimming with omega-3s, which are associated with brain growth and mental performance.

Milk – This bone-boosting drink can help improve your child’s brain health by providing proteins, carbohydrates, and some fats, along with vitamins D and B, which are essential for neural development.

Eating habits are learned behaviors, so what your child learns to eat early in life sticks with him  into adulthood, so learning him to eat foods which are good for his brain will make him smart enough to make “smart” choices when it comes to food.