Think of all the milestones children achieve in their first few years: first coo, first giggle, first crawl, first word, first steps, and so much more.  What makes it all possible? Their rapid brain development and nutrition is a key component of that. You can practically see babies and toddlers morph between your eyes and as kids get older, their social skills, imagination and creativity blossom. 

We do our best as parents to foster healthy brain development as our kids grow. We provide loving environments, play classical music on repeat from the moment of conception, and have stacks of books and educational toys. Most parents also understand that healthy eating is important, but may not know exactly what that means or how to accomplish it.  Any parent who has experienced a dreaded dinner meltdown knows just how difficult it can be to get your child to eat anything. Focusing on good nutrition can be even harder. 

Picky eaters, timid eaters, and food allergies can all lend a hand in creating a brain nutrition gap. A brain nutrition gap exists when children eat less than the recommended intake of nutrients critical for brain development. For example, the World Health Organization recommends that kids and teens (ages 4 to 15) get between 150 and 250mg of Omega-3 DHA/EPA daily. However studies suggest kids get less than half of this for their everyday food -- crazy, huh?

Being aware of the brain nutrition gap is half the battle. Now the task is figuring out which foods have these key nutrients:

These foods are only helpful if your children eat them, and most children are not begging for beans, broccoli, and walnuts. That’s why Brainiac® Kids was invented. It contains key nutrients kids need like Omega-3 DHA/EPA, Omega-3 ALA and Choline for their growing minds in deliciously easy snacks like Applesauce, Yogurt and Peanut Butter that kids actually want to eat. 

Getting creative in the kitchen can encourage kids to try and even enjoy some of these foods. Try a few of these tip: 

• Create a “rainbow” plate incorporating different color foods 
• Come up with fun names for food -- “pink fish”  for salmon
• Add crushed nuts and seeds into smoothies or on top of ice cream 
• Allow children to play with their food a little - broccoli can be little trees when stuck in mashed potatoes
• Let kids to pick out their own healthy foods - give them two acceptable options and let them choose one
• Give kids a fun dip to try with their fruits or vegetables 
• Give kids some kitchen responsibility, like sprinkling on some seasoning, so they can feel ownership over their food

There is no one magic food that will guarantee your child wins the next Nobel Prize or becomes a poet laureate. But putting forth an effort to include nutrient-rich foods in their diet will help healthy brain development and foster their ability to learn.