Transcript Mind Body Connection for UCC parents (1)

COGNITIVE
PERFORMANCE
NUTRITION
BY KATIE JESSOP, RD
MAY, 2016
Katie Jessop, Registered Dietitian
Your Children……
Maximum Academic and Mental Performance
■ The mind-body connection
■ Types of foods that impact performance
■ Building a better snack/meal
■ Role of hydration
■ Sweet drinks
■ Implementation in your child’s life
3 Fundamental Needs of a Boy
Eat
Memory
Concentration
Comprehension
Stress, Recall
Sleep
Exercise
What we know about the connection..
■
■
■
Physical activity is closely tied to cognitive ability
–
Improved self esteem
–
Enhanced body image and mood
–
Greater memory capacity
–
Increased alert state and speed of processing
–
influences working memory (ability to retain and manipulate information in the shortterm)
Sleep
–
Physical activity decreases the amount of time it takes children to fall asleep and
increases their total sleep time.
–
Mechanism: increased oxygen to the brain
Eating = blood sugar
–
Mechanism: Brain fuel fluctuates with eating patterns
THE THEORY BEHIND
PERFORMANCE FOODS
The Mind-Body Connection….
Insulin
Blood Sugar
Tired, Hungry, Cranky,
Craving
Cravings
Nothing
7am
Granola bar
and some
gummies
Sandwich
Big
Dinner
10am
12pm
7pm
Junk food
Snacking
Other Factors:
Knowledge based work
messes with our blood
glucose as well,
despite no change in
energy expenditure.
Figure 1. Mean plasma glucose concentrations during the control (circles),
reading-writing (squares), and test-battery (triangles) conditions. Glucose
instability is expressed as the sum of absolute changes between each time of
blood collection (bottom figures). Standard deviations are not indicated in the
top figures for clarity.
Chaput et al. Glycemic Instability and Spontaneous Energy Intake: Associations with Knowledge Based Work; Psychosomatic
Medicine 70: 797-804 (2008)
Timing is everything!
Eat Every 2-4 Hours
Frequent small meals and snacks
Fast Recovery,
Energized
Quick digestion
Blood Sugar
Breakfast
7:00
Snack
10:20
Lunch
11:45
Snack
Dinner
Snack
3:00
6:00
9:00
Where does blood sugar go when it
leaves the blood?
Slow time-release of glucose allows for a slow stream of fuel to the brain.
Types of Food
Does timing matter when you are
trying to keep a fire burning? YES
The type of fuel matters too…
Choose “slow burning foods”
Examples:
Slow: FIBRE +/or PROTEIN
i.e.: whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy and lean meats
Rather than “fast burning foods”
Examples:
Fast: SUGAR/SIMPLE CARBS
i.e.: white bread, juice, white rice, sugary cereal, cookies, candy, pop…
Goal: Make a fast carb into a slow burning
carb:
PLUS
Lunch or Evening Meal
How to build a winning snack…
■ Start with a source of carbohydrates…
– Vegetables and Fruits
– Grain Products
■ Add a source of protein
– Milk and Alternatives
– Meat and Alternatives
High Performance Snacks
Carbs
(Grains/Fruit/Vegetables)
Protein
(Milk & Alt/Meat & Alt.)
Fresh fruit and cheese
Chopped veggies and hummus
Fruit and yogurt smoothie
Mini tuna cans with whole grain crackers
Dried fruit and nuts (Trail mix)
½-1 sandwich or sub on whole wheat
Greek/Regular yogurt and berries
Bars (look for >5 grams protein, <8 grams sugar..unless its natural)
Carrots and Edamame
Crackers and cheese
Crackers and hummus
If you hate breakfast..
■ You wake with low blood sugar = low metabolism
■ Initially, eat ANYTHING to get metabolism started
– Cold beverage e.g. smoothie
– Small cold juice
■ Then, when you are hungry, have a balanced meal/snack (apples at school?)
■ Eventually graduate to a full breakfast
Hydration
■ 3 C’s for hydration
– Convenient: Water bottles always in sight
– Cold: refreshing
– Container: so you can measure intake
■ Glass of water when you get up in the morning
■ Make a habit to always drink water when you are having a snack or a meal
■ A word about sweet drinks..
1 sugar cube = sugar packet
Do I need a sports drink?
YES
■
if you…
Will be exercising for longer
than 90 minutes
continuously
■
Have more than 1 game
back to back
■
Are a salty sweater (streaks
on your skin or clothes)

NO
•
•
•
if you…
Are sitting/studying!
Will be exercising less than 60
minutes
Will be exercising less than 90
minutes at a very easy pace
(recovery)

Prescription for Maximum Academic
and Mental Performance
■ Eat every 2-4 hours
■ 3 meals + 2 snacks per day
– Each meal should contain protein and carb, + F&V
– Each snack should contain protein and carb
■
(mid morning and after school)
Eat
Memory
■ Water bottle as constant companion
Concentration
■ Healthy bed time snack if hungry (fruit)
Comprehension
Stress, Recall
Sleep
Exercise
THANK YOU!
Resources:
www.dietitians.ca
[email protected]
Old School Eating
■ If you eat the same thing each day and meal, you get pretty
good at regulating hunger and energy
1000 YEARS AGO
TODAY
The Cafeteria Diet: a mixed diet
VS.