The news keeps highlighting the fact that more children are becoming obese and we in a country are in dire need to get children to exercise more in their daily life, weather it is in school hours or out. It has now come to the attention that fast foods could be a major contribute in to the lowering of children’s IQ. This gives us the best reason to make this a high priority to get children eating more healthy foods and to get them into fun activities.
Children who are given more fast food meals than children who are given more fresh fruit and vegetables and freshly cooked homemade meals, will grow up to have a much lower IQ than the children who eat more healthier according to a study. Childhood nutrition has long lasting effects on IQ, previous intelligence and wealth and social status are taken into account, it found. The study examined whether the type of main meal that children ate each day had an impact on their cognitive ability and growth.
It looked at 4,000 Scottish children aged three to five year’s old and compared fast food with freshly-cooked food meals. The study, undertaken by an academic at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that parents that gave their children meals prepared with fresh ingredients more often, which positively affected their IQ. Then those parents that gave their children fast food, which led to lower IQ. Dr Sophie von Stumm, from the department of psychology at Goldsmiths, said: ‘It’s common sense that the type of food we eat will affect brain development, but previous research has only looked at the effects of specific food groups on children’s IQ rather than at generic types of meals.
‘These children score lower on intelligence tests and often struggle in school.
‘Schools in less privileged areas must do even more to balance children’s diet, so that they can achieve their cognitive potential. ‘It shows that the freshness and quality of food matters more than just being full, in particular when children are young and developing.’
By the age of eight the ‘junk food’ children had IQs up to two points lower than their healthy counterparts, according to the researchers from the University of Adelaide.These children were tested five years later and had IQ scores that were as much as five points lower than their healthier-eating peers.
The researchers suspected that the negative effect of eating junk food so early in life may 
not be altered by future healthy habits because brain development is hindered.
Do you believe this? are we really making our children dumb?
What parents need now is good advice, ideas and tricks to help children to become better and healthier eaters.
Do you have any special tricks, ideas and thoughts please share.
