Proper nutrition has a significant effect on improving children's intelligence. Experts point out that if children regularly consume brain-boosting foods in their daily lives, not only the structure and function of the brain (brain nerves) can be improved, but their IQ and academic performance will also be enhanced.
Nutritional Principles
1. Carbohydrates: The appropriate balance of the three energy-yielding nutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
2. Protein: Neurotransmitters, which maintain various states of brain activity and participate in nerve conduction, are composed of or derived from the amino acids of proteins.
3. Fat: The brain's proteins and gray matter contain large amounts of sphingomyelin, and essential fatty acids are involved in its synthesis.
4. Minerals: Inorganic salts such as calcium, zinc, iron, copper, and iodine play an important role in brain learning and memory, the excitability of the central nervous system, and oxygen supply to the brain.
5. Vitamins: Mental workers need abundant vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, folic acid, and C.
Suitable Foods
1. Staple Foods and Legumes: Choose foods rich in minerals such as wheat, japonica rice, black rice, and black sesame.
2. Meat, Eggs, and Dairy: Protein- and vitamin-rich foods like pig heart, pig brain, pig marrow, milk, beef marrow, lamb kidney, donkey meat, pigeon meat, sea bass, mandarin fish, yellow croaker, hairtail, bighead fish, and sea cucumber.
3. Vegetables: Choose vitamin-rich foods such as cabbage, Chinese yam, taro, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots.
4. Fruits: Choose fat- and protein-rich foods such as lotus seeds, lily bulbs, longan pulp, sour jujube, red dates, mulberries, raisins, and lychee pulp.
5. Others: Legumes, eggs, dairy, fish, walnuts, sesame seeds, honey, corn, millet, wood ear mushrooms, daylily, and enoki mushrooms.
Dietary Taboos
1. People who are accustomed to eating salty food not only suffer from hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and other conditions but also damage arterial vessels, affecting the blood supply to brain tissue. This can cause brain cells to be in a long-term state of ischemia and hypoxia, leading to dull intelligence, decreased memory, and even premature aging.
2. Excessive lead content in food can damage the brain and cause mental retardation. Foods include popcorn and century eggs, which contain lead oxide and lead salts. Lead has a strong penetrating ability.
3. Foods containing aluminum can lead to decreased memory and sluggish thinking. Therefore, breakfast should not be based mainly on fried dough sticks. Attention should also be paid to the increased intake of aluminum when frequently using aluminum pans for cooking or aluminum kettles for boiling water.