Healthy diet for children: good grades and better relationships with your friends
There is no doubt that food plays a very important role in the well-being of every person. Seniors, adults and children should take into account what they put on the table as it will have both long-term and short-term consequences. A good example is the obvious relationship between a diet based on saturated fats and a greater presence of obesity in this population sector.
But a good diet not only has benefits in the physical and mental well-being of the little ones. School results and the quality of their friendship relationships improve in those cases where the menu of children is of quality. This is reflected in the V Nestlé Observatory on Nutritional Habits and Lifestyles of Families that has taken into account the type of food and its influence on life in the classroom of minors.
Healthy nutrition, outstanding notes
The data offered by this work highlights that in Spain the 32% of students get an outstanding in languages and sciences. This percentage increases to 46% in children who maintain a healthy diet, situation that Laura Gonzalez, responsible for Nutrition of Nestlé Spain, explains as follows: "The students who get better grades are children who in addition to following a balanced diet , are also those who usually do physical activity regularly, those who have good rest routines, better attitude, etc. "
"In short, a healthy life style it corresponds to a physical, social and intellectual well-being, "Gonzales states Another example of how a good diet helps improve school performance is that 28% of children say they are happy with their tasks, a percentage that rises to 42% in cases where the diet is balanced.
Rafael Casas, psychiatrist and expert in the promotion of health habits and in childhood obesity, explains the relationship between nutrition and cognitive development in the following way: "Regardless of other factors that influence this development, such as genetics or the socioeconomic environment, it is very important that, in addition to emotional well-being, the child have a healthy diet with all the nutrients that contribute to this cognitive process that determines the ability to concentrate, attention or memory and learning. "
Relationship between healthy diet and academic motivation
Good nutrition also offers children a greater motivation within their school life. Those students who present a healthy diet are those who present a greater satisfaction with their school performance. While generally 4 out of 10 students indicate to be happy with their academic routine, in the case of children who eat well the number amounts to 6 out of 10.
84% of children with a good diet also claim to go with greater motivation to class. Another fact to keep in mind is that the 37% of the parents affirms that their children have enough time to be able to carry out homework, a percentage that increases up to 42% in those homes where there is a good diet.
Finally, good nutrition also helps children have a better relationship with those around them. If, in general, 48% of children say they get along with the children in their class, the percentage grows to 58%. He too 48% of the parents indicates that their children participate in social activities, while this number rises to 61% when the menu conforms to the nutritional recommendations.
Damián Montero
