15 brain-boosting foods that kids should eat during exams

When everyone is frazzled, tired, and trying to cram, preparing breakfast and snack can be too much. On these difficult days, consider packing peanut butter sandwiches. Peanut butter is packed with protein and healthy fats that keep children fuller longer—which is great for actual exam day.

Consider cooking your dishes with olive oil for exam week. This oil is said to have brain-enhancing effects that slow down mental aging thanks to its richness in monounsaturated fats. Put it in a favorite warm potato salad or use it to cook your kids' favorite dishes for that week.

The oiliest fish (salmon, mackerel, and sardines) contain omega-3 fatty acids and lots of protein that boost brain function. You can grill some salmon with olive oil or poach it in milk then serve it with brown rice for a hearty meal. Spanish sardines from a can are a great snack with bread or crackers too!

Make some spinach crisps or an egg and spinach frittata for breakfast. This leafy green veggie has been proven to help protect against cognitive decline, thanks to its abundance in lutein. Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts found that those who consume a lutein-rich diet tend to have "better marks on a wide range of cognitive measures, including executive function, language, learning, and memory." 

Just like olive oil, avocados are full of monounsaturated fats that increase blood flow to the brain and promote mental health. Prepare this brain food for kids for exam week with a little condensed milk or as guacamole to go with some unsalted nacho chips for review snacking.

Considered one of the most powerful brain foods, blueberries are clinically proven to protect the brain from free radicals and enhance learning and muscle function. You can get them fresh in some grocery stores in Metro Manila or consider making a light cheesecake with this topping as a dessert.

Garlic is found to help stave off brain cancer and to improve brain function in rats. Try making garlic toast by pressing fresh, crushed, and chopped garlic to bread for kids to snack on. You can also make garlic chicken wings as a hearty meal during exam week.

Eggs are rich in choline, which is an essential human nutrient for developing brains and increasing memory. Prepare your family’s favorite egg dish for breakfast so they get a hearty meal full of protein that won’t make them sluggish.

Consider giving kids their yogurt drinks during exam week, mommies. Yogurt's good stomach bacteria can help the brain relieve anxiety and enhances decision making. For the nervous kids out there, yogurt may help calm tummies and help them work better.

When kids don’t get enough water, they feel fatigued and find it harder to memorize and perform mentally. Monitor your kids’ water intake so they don’t forget their required number of glasses and end up tired and sluggish.

This brain food for kids for exam week is good as in-between snacks during study sessions and as a pre-exam energy boost when your kids are too nervous to eat a big meal. Dried fruit tastes great and is a slow energy releaser, which means your kids can work longer with this snack. Prepare a baggie filled with dried strawberries, bananas, apples, and mangoes using this guide. You can also buy some from the store—but make sure it has low sugar content.

If your kids aren’t fans of sweet snacks, prepare a baggie of slightly salted cashew nuts. Cashews contain magnesium which is great for recalling and delaying forgetfulness—great for those Chemistry and kabisera tests (remember the ones that asked us to name the capitals of provinces?)!

Include brown rice, wheat bread, and whole grain cereal into your magic list of brain food for kids for exam week. These release energy, in the form of glucose, much slower than other carbohydrate sources. This means your kids can work longer without getting too tired.

Kids may be too nervous to sleep the night before exams. Help them get enough rest by drinking a warm glass of milk. It contains calcium (that helps the brain produce the sleep hormone melatonin) and proteins that can help keep them full throughout the night for a deeper sleep that leads to waking up feeling refreshed in the morning.

More than hacking a diet to include brain food for kids for exam time, it’s important to eat well-balanced meals, get enough sleep, and engage in short, stress-relieving activities to survive and ace exam season.

Republished with permission from: theAsianparent Philippines