Does nutrition have effects on academic performance?
The relationship between nutrition and academic performance has been a great interest to various amounts of schools and scientist all over the world. “Studies have shown that proper nutrition has a direct effect on student performance and behavior in school” (Ross, 2010, p.3). “Existing data suggests that with better nutrition students are able to learn, students have fewer absences, and students’ behavior improves causing fewer disruptions in the classroom” (Extension, 2014, p.1). To explore the link between nutrition and academic performance, this essay will critically evaluate what foods react differently in our bodies in relation to academic performance, specifically for school-aged children and university students. This essay is divided into three main sections; first, it will examine the effects of poor nutrition such as a limited variety of nutrient-rich foods and excess of high fat and sugary foods, such as fast food, pies, chocolate and more. Secondly, it will examine the effects of good nutrition such as fruits, vegetables, grains and healthy fats. Thirdly it will examine the effects of not eating, specifically focusing on breakfast before school and its effects on learning.
All food impacts our brains and the way they work. Poor nutrition can be classified as an excess amount of nutrient poor foods such as fast food, cakes and more, and a limited amount of nutrient-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains (Vautier, 2012). Nutrient rich foods provide high volumes of all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function at its optimum, whereas poor nutrition will contain little to no vitamins or minerals. Many school-aged children and university students consume fast foods on a daily basis which has been shown to cause lower test grades and a weaker ability specifically in Math, Science and Reading (Guiang, 2014). Researchers from the Ohio State University have said that students who ate these types of food had shown test scores 20% lower than students who did not consume fast food at all (Guiang, 2014). Foods with high sugar and fat content reduce energy levels and lower the ability to concentrate for an extended period of time
When children do not eat a healthy meal, their concentration and energy become more difficult to manage. The “Journal of School Health” issued a study in 2008 about the eating behaviors of approximately 5,000 school children. The research showed that children who ate more fruits and vegetables, accomplished higher grades on tests compared with children who consumed a high-fat, high-salt diet
Barry M Popkin, Linda S Adair, Shu Wen Ng; Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries. Nutr Rev 2014; 70 (1): 3-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x
As adults, they are also at an increased risk for coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) compared with those not overweight as adolescents.” It is important to help reduce the growing trend of obesity in children and young adults, as it has been documented in recent studies that children who are overweight tend to carry this problem with them into adulthood. Revitalizing the school lunch program would be an incremental place for the government to start revamping the obesity problems that they have caused in children. David Satcher stated in HEALTHY and Ready to Learn that, “Well-nourished students tend to be better students, whereas poorly nourished students tend to demonstrate weaker academic performance and score lower on standardized achievement tests. The majority of U.S. children are not eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet. Inadequate consumption of key food groups deprives children of essential vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins necessary for optimum cognitive function (Tufts University School of Nutrition, 1995). Children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brains most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and general knowledge (Brown & Pollitt, 1996). In a 1989 study, 4th graders with the lowest amount
Improper meals are connected to academic and behavioral problems. “Today in the United States, 1 in 6 children suffers from a disability that affects their behavior, memory, or ability to learn.” “Children's brains are built differently depending on what they are fed when they are rapidly growing. Healthy brains are about 60% structural fat.” This shows that a significant number of children have a sort of problem that is
Diet: The food children and young people eat makes a difference to growth and the ability to keep healthy and well. Children's ability to concentrate and learn is known to be made possible by the provision of a good diet. This makes it an important area of debate.
In many schools around the country, high school lunch is off-putting to students. The government has set many laws in place, to improve nutrition where it is lacking in many schools across America. Where the meal adjustment lowered the calories of the meals, it has created deficiencies in important nutrients that are necessary for students of all ages to learn to the best of their ability. Often, many students also find the lunch unpleasant, and unsatisfying. Many researchers, and authors have all gathered a wide collection of evidence that all supports problems with lunches found in American schools throughout the country.
Learning information depletes the brain's supply of glucose. It is important to refuel children's glucose levels with a healthy lunch. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean sources of protein are options that are highly effective in improving academic performance. It is scientifically proven that after a child eats a large, non-healthy meal, they feel more tired due to the body's process of digestion. A student eating significant amounts of less nutritional food can be harder to digest and make their bodies work harder. A healthy lunch can give children the energy they need to stay focused, pay attention in class, and learn the information presented to them in their classes after lunchtime.
Just as nutrition can have drastic effects on one’s physical health, nutrition can affect one’s mental health as well. The most common mental disorders that are prevalent in numerous countries are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The dietary pattern of the general population in many countries reflect that they are often deficient in many nutrients, especially essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Deficiency in these vitamins can lead to depression.
Not only are students scoring better, but they’re becoming more energetic. Teachers often complain about students who fall asleep in class, yet schools are providing low nutritional value foods that contribute to students having low energy. Greater nutritional value foods provide a more steady supply of energy for the students. By increasing their energy levels, this ensures that the majority of students can remain focused in class, improving their overall
Meals at school make up a large portion of a child’s dietary intake, anywhere from one third to one half of their calorie intake happens at school according to Schanzenbach. Changes in school lunch have indeed changed over the years, but to what degree has it affected childrens health? In a study conducted by Schazenbach,
An unhealthy diet in school lunch can have a negative impact in children health, the ingredients in process food such as, artificial colors, trans fat, sweetened, can lead to series of chronic health problems and children obesity. Moreover, malnutrition can affect students’ academic performance and ability to comprehend basic skills. Also, contribute to depression, lack of energy, breathing difficulty, respiratory failure and more.
The fifth article is called “Health and academic achievement” I chose this because it provides the evidence of link between healthy food and academic performance and it also provides additional resources to learn more about this topic and how the school, student and parents can take action. The sixth article I chose is titled “ Nutrition and its effects on academic performance, how can our schools improve?” I chose this because it’s an in-depth research and analysis of how food has an impact on academic performance. The seventh article is titled, “How does nutrition affect children's school performance? I chose this article because it shows food options in school menus and reason why providing nutritional contributes to better student performance in
As scholars are constantly reminded to eat a healthy portion of breakfast before testing, most scholars find themselves wondering, “Would eating breakfast really improve my performance?” According to many psychologists, consuming breakfast may have benefits in performance, but to an extent. However, some have also deduced that breakfasts may also harm the performance of scholars. Nonetheless, scholars who eat a healthy breakfast seem to have higher energy levels and ability than those who did not because of the nutrients consumed and absorbed by the body and mind. Consuming breakfasts would have beneficial effects on learning, to an extent; however, the different types of breakfasts could also have detrimental effects as well. The goal of this research is to determine not if breakfasts improve academic performance, but by how much? In addition, to the fact that there are possible “side effects” to this method of improvement, which leads to ask, are all breakfasts healthy? Scholars eating breakfast in order to improve performance may be possible for academic performance. However, if scholars believe and reason over the fact that eating breakfast does improve academic performance, then the effects of school behavior would be tested. Consuming a breakfast does provide nutrients for the body and mind. However, the nutrients provided could only benefit the body and mind to such a limit. Then, there is also the
We are required to obtain certain amount of nutrients from food. Food can simply divide into 2 groups, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients composition. Both of the groups mentioned do affect the metabolism rate. According to Hulbert and Else, dietary fatty acid will affect the metabolism rate and some of the polyunsaturated fatty acid will increase the metabolism rate (1999). Meanwhile, different kinds of animals have their own unique requirement for macro-nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Moreover, most of the food intake is driven by achieving the required protein intake. Animals on a low protein diet will over eat carbohydrates and fat until the protein requirement has been satisfied. If this case