[This is a guest post by Eric Balaster who is the co-founder at Pure Nootropics, LLC where he studies the human brain and how compounds interact with growth and development.]
Your child’s brain and development undergoes incredible changes during the first few years of life. During these early years, it is imperative to help your child develop in an optimal way so that they are compassionate, intelligent, and productive members of society.
There are a wide variety of lifestyle factors that alter the growth of a child’s brain. Using some of the following tips can help you to optimize the growth of your child and help them to reach their full potential.
Food Choices Matter
Any responsible parent is aware that food choices matter, but it can be hard to determine what is best for a small child who has a developing brain. Of course, there are plenty of dietary guidelines for the elderly, women looking to lose weight, and muscular men, but what about children? What kind of foods should you pack for your children for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
The best possible foods for children are eggs. The choline in eggs provides children with the precursor to develop acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for memory formation. Because there are so many memories that a child needs to keep through their youth, the more choline the better. Also, eggs have a lot of healthy fats and protein that will help to provide your child’s body with as much growth as the brain.
Stay away from sweet and sugary breakfast cereals in the morning and instead replace it with some eggs. Your child can even have some butter or high quality cheese with the eggs for some additional healthy fat and calcium.
When it comes to other food choices, just try to remove all processed items from the diet completely and replace them with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Make sure to provide children with plenty of carbohydrates in the form of sweet potatoes, yams, and rice. If you can avoid pasta and bread it would be better for the children in the long-run, but sometimes it can’t be helped!
Sleep Choices for Children
Getting enough sleep is key for any developing brain and for a child it is even more important. There are three parts to memory formation in any brain and one of these is called “encoding”, which is done during sleep. Without adequate time for the encoding process, there is no way for a child to be at their highest potential.
Make sure that your child gets enough sleep, but also goes to bed at the same time every day if possible. Irregularity in their sleep schedule is one of the biggest problems when it comes to their ability to remember.
Challenge the Mind to Help it Grow
Another important aspect of improving a child’s mind is constantly challenging them in new fields. Even though a school or kindergarten will help to challenge them, there are various other ways to help your child to develop even more during these important years. Make sure to challenge them in creative ways that school neglects so that they get the most out of their childhood.
