There a so many different diets out there with various benefits depending on what your body needs. Each method has a place, and this post is not to guide you towards one diet or another. This post is intended to give you a general guide to support your child’s development through nutrition.
One of the primary ways to support your child’s development through nutrition is by including protein at every meal. Again, the type of protein is up to you and your family. By encouraging the consumption of protein, you're helping your child’s muscles grow, restore their energy and fostering an environment for a good neurochemical balance (more on this last point here).
Secondly, making sure they are drinking enough water. Try offering water with every meal. Send them with a re-fillable water bottle to school every day. If this is a challenge, let them pick out their own water bottle, and maybe offer stickers for them to put on it. Other ways to make water more fun, could be to add fruit to their water (I.e. a slice of lemon or cucumber, maybe some berries and mint). Hydration is not only going to help their body function (i.e. hydrate their organs to perform at their best) but it can also benefit brain function to support learning at school.
The last important factor to consider is making sure your child has a good multivitamin. This to support their body in having all the necessary vitamins and minerals to support their development. One consideration to be mindful of is to look for a multivitamin without dyes, as the dyes can decrease the benefits of the multivitamin.
Overall, good protein, plenty of water and a good multivitamin are important to your child’s overall health and development. These three things are particularly important for your child’s neuroplasticity (I.e. how the brain grows and learns new things).
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