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Brain Foods : What Will Best Prepare Your Kids for the Day and Keep Them Sleeping Sweetly at Night?

Article by Carie Connell

What Will Best Prepare Your Kids for the Day and Keep Them Sleeping Sweetly at Night? – Health

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Haven’t we always heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? While some of society’s favorite pet phrases have no real worth, this one is really true! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and not just for adults – especially for our little ones. What we feed our kids in the morning totally influences how their day – our ours! – goes. Their energy levels, attitudes, and quality of thought and play during the day is all impacted by what fuels their little bodies. And in turn, our day is impacted too! We want the best for their brains and their bodies each day, so we need to pay special attention to what foods are best for them in the mornings.

Conventional breakfasts that we are used to and that kids see advertised on tv promote sugary, processed box cereals, pop tarts, packaged waffles, and overly sweetened yogurts. While all of these might seem like good options, they most definitely are not! Cereals in boxes are laden with high fructose corn syrup, a highly modified sweetener that has no nutritional value, and their long lists of ingredients include many, many preservatives to keep the boxes on the shelves for months. The sugar in most cereals (and yogurts and other packaged foods, for that matter) cause kids’ blood sugar levels to spike unnaturally early in the day, making them tired and lethargic – and cranky. Beyond these mood and attitude aspects, these foods don’t give kids any real energy to play and think and grow during the day.

Instead, we need to make smart choices about good brain foods that come from organic, whole sources without much modification. Organic eggs are a great option – eggs are plentiful sources of choline, a vitamin-like substance also found in nuts, that is absolutely vital for our brains. Choline is key in stimulating the production of memory stem cells which is so important at every stage of growth – but especially for young kids. These particular stem cells help our kids develop strong abilities to remember and to focus. Strawberries and blueberries are two more excellent foods for breakfast. Both are super high in antioxidants which are really important for the brain. Making sure our kids have a diet rich in antioxidants will help improve all of their cognitive functions. If your kids really like cereal, gradually help them to love oatmeal – there is no better breakfast choice. Oatmeal made from organic oats (or even better, stone ground oats….though the texture of the stone ground ones might take a little getting used to!) is high in fiber and plentiful in protein. The slow digestion of oatmeal means that our kids have long energy stores from this super food, helping them maintain proper levels of energy and blood sugar – and preventing energy crashes! – throughout the day.

As moms our attention to the selection and choice of foods we give our kids should not stop at breakfast, however! Foods for nighttime are just as important. The duration and quality of the rest your kids get at night totally impacts how they are during their waking hours. The longer they sleep at night and the more restful and sound that sleep is, the better their attitudes, energy, and focus will be during the day. The length of their nighttime sleep is also directly related to the growth of their brains and muscles. The longer our kids sleep, and the more peaceful that sleep, the better the environment and conditions for their minds to develop and their bodies to grow (this is especially true for infants!!). And we all know how important our kids’ sleep is for us! As parents we need our rest time, too, and it is super necessary that that time is uninterrupted (or with as few interruptions as possible!) so that we can be at our optimal best during the day to meet their needs.

To make sure they get the high quality of sleep they need for their growth, we need to be very mindful of what food they eat for dinner and close to bed time. This is particularly significant for our youngest little ones – as babies need the highest quality of sleep, even more so than our toddlers. Bananas are an excellent food for sound sleep – they contain several wonderful components that make them an ideal natural food choice. High concentrations of magnesium in bananas help relax baby and toddler muscles making it easier for them to fall asleep. Serotonin and melatonin are also found in bananas; both have important effects on the hormone balance in the body and are key things that help soothe the mind and body for sleep.

Honey is another excellent natural choice for prepping for nighttime (though not for those babies under 1 year!). The natural glucose in honey (unlike the sugars found in processed foods, which actually spike blood sugar and raise energy levels) signals to the brain that it is time to calm down and prepare for sleep. Mixing a little bit of warm, raw honey with a mashed up banana is a great way to get our young ones ready for bed. Warm raw milk can have a similar effect (make sure you always, always choose raw, organic milk to get all of the health benefits). Raw milk that has been warmed slightly contains tryptophan, an important sedative for the brain, and calcium, which helps the brain use tryptophan.

About the Author

Carie Connell
Two Moms on the Go, LLC
WEXY Bags
www.wexybags.com

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Carie Connell


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Carie Connell
Two Moms on the Go, LLC
WEXY Bags
www.wexybags.com












Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

to pre-order the book please click here: www.harpercollins.com Brain workouts focused on memory are big business. Memory is located in only one part of the brain. It is movement that connects the intricate web of brain circuitry since different kinds of movement are managed by different areas of the brain. These critical brain circuits work with your muscles, tendons, and joints to dictate the quality of movement throughout the body. In “Super Body, Super Brain”, author Michael Gonzalez-Wallace combines specific movements, involving balance and coordination, creating an atmosphere of multi-tasking connecting the brain circuitry and providing the brain with a workout from front to back and left to right. These movements are combined into a powerful, full-body workout that keeps both your body and brain fit. The program only takes ten minutes per day and delivers maximum results in minimal time creating the ultimate in body and brain efficiency. The workout progresses in difficulty over time as both muscles and brain circuits need challenges in order to stay fit. The program can be done anywhere, by anyone regardless of their shape or level of athletic ability. The book will also include a nutrition program with recommended ‘power brain foods’ and easy-to-follow recipes. Blog: superbodysuperbrainblog.wordpr… Site superbodysuperbrain.com Medical Feedbacks: superbodysuperbrainblog.wordpr… Category
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Sleeping is Good for Your Brain Power : Brain Power

Article by Stewart B Johnston

Today, staying up all night has been acceptable life style in the world society. In fact, sleeping at night is important and needed by your body. Sleeping at night also can sharpen your brain power.

This statement is based on a research by Geneva University, Switzerland. The study shows that people who sleep at night have better ability to recall compared to people who sleep less. Indeed, this study still needs a further research, but Dr. Sophie Schwartz concludes that sleeping at night can strengthen the relationship between brain nerve cells that have a big role in learning and recalling process.

Based on the study, you should sleep earlier to stay away from staying up all night. This activity should be done to avoid you from the senility. However, do not sleep too much.

A research about the correlation between sleeping time and dead rate is done by the Institution of American Cancer Society who works together with UCSD. The study shows that people who usually sleep for more than 8 hours in a day lean to get a higher risk to die soon.

Professor Daniel F. Kripke, an American scientist who studies about sleeping behavior of human, states that sleeping for 6,5 hours per day is sufficient for you, so there is no reason for you to add your sleeping time.

Why is sleeping more than 8 hours per day better? Jim Horne, PhD from Loughborough University, England says that sleeping too much is same as eating too much and drinking too much. It is not good to give more than your body needs.

It is known that the normal sleeping time for human varies from 2 hours up to 12 hours per day. So, how much sleeping time you need for sleeping ideally? From the American research above, it can be concluded that sleeping for 7 hours per day is the best.

So far, it is approved that sleeping for 7 hours per day is very safe. Sleeping for 6 hours or 5 hours per day is also safe for you. You do not need to worry that you will get some problems because of the sleeping habit.

However, according to Donald Bliwise, PhD from Atlanta’s Emory University, an expert in sleeping disorder topics, it is not good for you to sleep less than 5 hours per day continuously.

In conclusion, sleeping is an important phase in the correction of your body power to work. However, life is not only for sleeping even though sleeping is also an essential thing for human life. If you sleep more than your body needs so far, you should skip that habit.

You should sleep sufficiently and make sure you sleep for 7 hours per day from today. The change of this sleeping time is mainly for your better health. So, do not hold true anymore the statement that says ‘the more you sleep, the better is’.

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