Foods That Boost Brain Development in Children

A recent report out of the US has revealed a lack of nutrients during the first five years of a child’s life is crucial to their cognitive and social development.

While we often focus on eating the right foods when we are pregnant and breastfeeding, it is easy to lose this focus when our tots are small. Sometimes the worry of getting your toddlers to eat nutritious food can take the focus away from the key foods your children need for optimal brain development.

Below I discuss the four key nutrients small children need in their diet and the foods they can absorb them from.

Omega 3

It is well documented that the long chain fats found primarily in oily fish offer a number of nutritional benefits — including being linked to improved cognitive function in children.

Ideally foods rich in Omega 3, like salmon, need to be eaten two to three times each week to get the idea amount of fats into your child’s diet. Grain-based breads are another option to boost Omega 3 fat intake. If you are finding it hard to get Omega 3 into your child’s meals regularly, you can look to offering them a supplement every few days.

My Omega 3 recipe options for kids include:

Iron

While an adequate iron intake is crucial for cognitive development in children, we know that a significant number of Aussie kids do not get enough iron due to poor red meat intake.

Young children need small portions of lean red meat at least three times each week — however many of us parents know that for fussy eaters this can be an issue. Child friendly recipes that offer good amounts of iron, include mince and egg-based dishes. Eggs also offer a relatively high amount of iron, which can be a great substitute for non-meat eaters.

My iron loaded recipe options for kids include:

Zinc

In Australia our intake of zinc is relatively low — particularly in young children who are not big red meat eaters. Look to whole grains and shellfish — both of which offer a small amount of zinc. You can also look to increasing red meat and dairy intakes — again both of which are the richest sources of zinc. In an ideal world these foods should be consumed most days to ensure adequate intake and help improve brain development, attention and memory.

My zinc-based recipe options for kids include:

Iodine

Mild iodine deficiency is relatively common in Australia due to our low iodine levels in the soil. Alarmingly, low iodine is linked to lower cognitive functioning in children — for this reason ensuring that we get enough iodine is not only crucial for our metabolic health but also our mental health.

Iodine is another key nutrient that is not easy for little ones to get in their daily diets. Seaweed and iodised salt are the two major sources of iodine and should be included regularly in your little one’s diet.

Some of my iodine-rich recipe options for kids include: