Foods that Make Your Kids Smarter

Plus, How to Get Kids to Eat Brain Foods

Jaipi Sixbear

When I was a kid, my parents taught me fish was brain food. Unfortunately, I was mildly allergic to it. I wouldn't touch it for fear of the upcoming consequences, if you know what I mean. I'm still allergic to fish. Good thing we now know there are plenty of foods that make your kids smarter, even if they're allergic to fish. Why not learn how to get kids to eat them. Who Knows? With a few nutritional tricks up your sleeve, you could have a genius on your hands.

Fish really is brain food. It actually can make kids smarter. That's because it contains Omega 3. Never fear, If your child is allergic to fish, like I am, there are other sources. The best are walnuts and flax-seed. If your child is allergic to tree nuts as well, opt for the flax-seed. How can you get kids to eat them? Mix these tiny morsels into cookie dough. Your child will never know they are there.

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. How to get kids to eat them? There are so many kinds of berries, chances are your child will like at least one of them. Plus, did you ever here of a kid turning down berry shortcake?

Whole grains keep blood sugar stable. That allows the brain to function in a stable manner as well. Whole grains may make kids smarter, but only if you can get them past their lips. Have you ever tried to get your kids to eat whole grain bread? My daughter used to say it tasted like hay. What whole grain food do kids eat without complaining? How about homemade oatmeal cookies? Use only half the sugar. They'll never notice. Granola bars contain whole oats too.

Dark chocolate is antioxidant brain food. Those flavonoids will make kids smarter. How do you get kids to eat this low sugar treat when they're used to the candy bar variety? Dust dark cocoa on almonds, sprinkle it on hot cocoa or melt it into fruit dip. By using a light coating or pairing it with fruit, kids won't notice the bitterness.

Green leafy vegetables keep your kids smarter longer. Their high antioxidant content keeps the brain young and sharp into old age. Of course, that doesn't solve the age old problem of getting kids to eat their veggies. My favorite trick is to puree them. I add them to soups, sauces and even dips. Not only does it fool the kids, it fools the other picky eaters in the family too. No wonder my whole family is so smart. They got it from me sneaking in those brain foods. Plus, there is the hereditary factor, of course.

More from Jaipi:

Crazy Things I Did as a Kid that Didn't Hurt Me

New Parent Tips: Are All Two Year Olds Terrible Two's?

Kids Faking Sick to Get Out of School? What to Do

Published by Jaipi Sixbear - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle

This award winning web writer is co-owner of several writing websites. She's a featured parenting contributor on Yahoo! Shine and Yahoo! Voices. She enjoys helping fellow writers maintain a positive mindset...  View profile

2 Comments

Post a Comment
  • Michele Starkey8/27/2011

    Sounds good (can it help me to be smarter, too? LOL) cheers ;)

  • Walton S. Tissot8/27/2011

    yummy-cool!!

Displaying Comments

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.