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Back-to-School Nutrition
Kathleen J. Melanson, PhD, RD, LD*
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kmelanson{at}uri.edu.
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Abstract |
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Back-to-school season can be an important time for enhancing dietary quality, which is vital to children’s health and wellness. An abundance of scientific literature supports a critical role of proper nutrition in cognitive development, intellectual performance, and academic achievement. Improvement of nutrient intakes for children with inadequacies enhances mental functioning. Iron deficiency, which is the most common nutrient deficiency in the United States, has been implicated in poor cognition, and supplementation for iron-deficient children improves most scholastically related outcomes. School breakfast and lunch programs, which must adhere to the 2005 US Dietary Guidelines, offer a means to improve nutritional intake, particularly for children of low socioeconomic status. However, competing food and beverage sources, as well as refusal to consume healthful items of these meals, may reduce dietary advantages. Breakfast consumption is associated with many benefits in schoolchildren, including academic performance. Wholesome lunches and snacks can also be significant contributors to nutritional value over the course of a school day. Parents, teachers, and caregivers should be role models and advocates for health-promoting eating behaviors not only throughout the academic year but for a lifetime.
First published on June 17, 2008, doi:10.1177/1559827608320637
American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 2008;2:397.
A more recent version of this article appeared on September 1, 2008
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