Parents always want their children to develop their brain right from the first years of life. However, there are misconceptions that not everyone knows about their child's diet. Please follow along!
That is the reason that malnutrition not only occurs in difficult families but even well-off people who feed their children well do not improve their stature. The main reason is that parents do not fully understand and take appropriate care measures for their child's physiological and digestive characteristics, but they expect their children to eat a lot and eat according to the knowledge of adults without knowing whether their children are steamed. obtained or not.
Under the consultation of doctors, many parents know that the first 1,000 days of life are a golden period for children's brain development, so they don't regret choosing the best nutrition for their children. However, according to Dr. CK2 Do Thi Ngoc Diep - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Nutrition Center, a common situation today is that many parents care about the nutrients that are good for their children's brain but forget the important factor. Equally, it is the digestive system and the ability to absorb. In particular, the ability to absorb is the key for the child's brain development nutrients to work.
Misconceptions about nutrition help develop the child's brain
Doctor Ngoc Diep lists some common misunderstandings about nutrition to support brain development in the first years of life that mothers often have.
If you want a smart child, just supplementing more DHA is enough
DHA is a long-chain polyunsaturated fat that has many double bonds that has been shown to play an important role in brain development. However, there are many other nutrients besides DHA that participate in the process of helping children to be smart such as ARA, Lutein, Taurin, Cholin ...
In addition, you can choose foods with whey protein sources rich in Alpha - Lactalbumin that are easy to absorb, soluble fiber and probiotics to aid your child's digestion. Whey protein also provides amino acids involved in the structure of all cells, lactose synthesis to produce fuel for the brain to function.
In addition to the above nutrients, genetic factors, proper education and training are also factors that affect children's intelligence.
Focus on brain development rather than digestive system
In the first years of life, the whole child's body develops quickly, not just the brain, so parents need to provide a full complement of nutrients for the child. However, a complete nutrition, many nutrients will not be able to optimize the child's brain development if not well absorbed.
Rated as the key to solving nutritional disorders, the digestive system performs 90% of the absorption of nutrients from food into the child's body. A healthy digestive system, working well, helps the rope and nerve joints to complete early, the neurotransmitters are secreted perfectly and the brain has achieved standard weight gain in the first years of life.
The beneficial bacteria probiotics also help support digestion, absorption, prevent digestive disorders and boost immunity.
The digestive system affects the physical and brain development of the child. So, instead of just paying attention to the brain, parents should also take care of the child's digestive system.
The digestive system has no effect on the brain
The digestive system is the organ that determines whether the structure of nerve cells in the brain is perfect or not, the neurotransmission process goes smoothly. In particular, serotonin - one of the neurotransmitters that help children receive and process information faster, learn better is produced in the digestive system up to 95%, while production in the brain is only 5%.
Emphasizing the importance of the digestive system as the second brain of the body, according to Dr. Diep, parents need to choose foods suitable for the child's age, giving priority to those that are easily absorbed (breast milk, protein). easy to digest like breast milk ...). Recent research shows that the proportion of Vietnamese children exclusively breastfed in the first 6 months is only 20% - a huge disadvantage for the comprehensive development of their children. Meanwhile, breast milk is a superfood for babies, is the best source of nutrients and plays the first role in immunity against disease.
Tips for parents to stimulate children's brain development from the very beginning
Capture the golden stage
According to scientific studies, right from birth, the child's brain develops rapidly from the 8th week of pregnancy. At birth, the young brain is equal to 25% of the adult brain weight, reaching 80% of the adult brain weight when the child is 2 years old. The research results also show that an outstanding child not only has an intelligent mind but also needs a healthy body, a rich soul, rich in emotions ... and all can only be obtained when the baby comprehensively develop on all 4 aspects: intelligence , movement, emotion and communication.
Therefore, from 0-6 years old, especially the first two years of life with the stormy development of brain cells, is considered the golden stage to maximize the brain capacity of the baby. mother cannot ignore.
Give your child a constant source of nutrition for the brain
When the baby was 2 or 3 years old, he not only stayed at home but began participating in outdoor activities, discovering and experiencing with new environments. When the baby begins to explore the world around them, is the time when he or she will acquire a lot of knowledge, so mothers should "energize" with the constant nourishment of the brain, so that the baby will never stop learning and grown up.
When the baby reaches kindergarten age, in addition to the school will be a place to create conditions for children to participate in extracurricular activities, to improve their learning ability and absorb knowledge, mothers should learn and play together. and jointly explore the world around them, because it is a very necessary impact for the brain, encouraging the baby to constantly learn and develop a comprehensive brain.
... And "the journey of uninterrupted learning"
"The journey of uninterrupted learning" is a concept that indicates that the baby's discovery and learning need to be carried out continuously at anytime, anywhere, not just at home. Especially, when the baby is 2, 3 years old, is a period that marks the transition in the child's perception when he or she sees himself as an independent individual.
So during this time, mothers should take time for their children to participate in collective activities, outdoor play so that the baby can experience and learn more.
In addition, in order for your baby to always be full of energy, ready for a "uninterrupted learning journey", mothers need to provide them with nutrients containing outstanding nutrients for the brain such as DHA, Choline. , B12, vitamins and minerals.
It can be said that parents' first wish is to have smart, healthy children, and grow up to have a bright future. In addition to loving their children, parents need to learn scientific knowledge to simultaneously focus on nurturing the brain along with better physical care for their children from the beginning.
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