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Diet Doctor Gives Tips On Boosting Kids' Performance
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Published: September 20, 2007
You nursed your baby for months, took her to toddler gym, music class and story time. Maybe you even waited in line for hours to make sure she got into the very best preschool. Now that she's in school full time, you might be relaxing a little, thinking you've done all you can do to give her a good start.
Not so fast.
Barry Sears, a biochemist best known for "The Zone" diet book, says you can do even more to give your kids an academic edge.
Do you hate him already? Or are you intrigued, wondering whether this will fill the void you've had ever since you stopped grinding up brown rice to make super baby porridge?
Sears, whose basic dietary philosophy is to balance the right kind of carbohydrates with proteins, says that serving the right meals and snacks can optimize your child's school performance.
I recently spoke with the doctor, who has some pretty strong feelings about what parents should be feeding their children. Here's what he had to say:
Q. How is school performance affected by diet?
A. If you ask any schoolteacher, the worst hours to try to teach students would be between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Chances are that breakfast, if eaten at all, consisted of carbohydrates in the form of cereal, a bagel or toast. By 11, they've burned through all of that, and blood-sugar levels are so low that everything goes to hell in a handbasket. The kids have intellectually tuned out. Then they have lunch, which is usually all carbohydrates again. That initially brings up their blood-sugar levels, but around 2, they fall intellectually sound asleep again.
Q. How would you suggest keeping blood-sugar levels stabilized?
A. The one thing you have to do is give them some protein to go along with the carbohydrates. Most parents think of a breakfast cereal as a healthy choice, but from a biochemical standpoint, it's like giving your kid a candy bar. It's convenient, but it's not going to give the kid any advantage in school.
Q. What would you recommend giving kids for breakfast?
A. You make an egg-white omelet or an omelet with egg beaters and serve that with fruit. Another standby is cottage cheese. Put fruit into it or add some hummus to it. The key is to keep the protein and carbs balanced.
Q. There are a lot of picky eaters who might not eat egg beaters.
A. First of all, give kids what they will eat. Ask them what carbs they'll eat, then what protein they will eat. It may be a very short list. They'll usually say, "I'll do that," if it's a protein they like to eat.
Q. How do you feel about oatmeal?
A. It's the best carb, but they need an egg white omelet to balance it.
Q. The other day we were running late, and I gave my daughter a Balance Bar and a milk to have in the car. Does that make you cringe?
A. No. That's not that bad because the milk had a good balance of protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. In a pinch, that would not be a bad choice. It's a very sophisticated biochemical gain.
Q. Well, that's good. Now I don't feel so bad.
A. I'm not advocating that you give her breakfast bars all her life, either.
(A few seconds of awkward silence.)
Q. What if the child isn't in the mood to eat as soon as he or she wakes up? Is there something healthy they can eat in the car, besides a Balance Bar?
A. There are a lot of things. One trick every mother should know is to make some hard-boiled eggs to have on hand. Hard-boiled eggs are a great source of protein. Break open the egg. Take out the yolk, and replace it with some hummus. Put it on a napkin, and they can eat it in the car. It's convenient, fun to eat, and probably the best portable early-morning snack.
Q. She likes eggs, but I don't know about the hummus part.
A. You never know unless you try.
Q. What do you recommend giving them for lunch?
A. If you can get them to eat a chicken and vegetable salad, that's perfect. Again, ask them what they will eat and stick to that. Deli meats like chicken breast that are already cut up work well. In fact, always cut up everything for your child, and they'll be more likely to eat it. Don't give them an orange to peel. They won't do it because it's too much work. Things like grapes and berries are easy because they can just use their fingers.
Q. Do you have any suggestions for the lunchbox?
A. A good choice, because it's relatively stable, is cheese. A great lunch is cheese and fruit. They can pretend they're eating at a café in Paris.
Q. What about the breads and pastas?
A. Use them like condiments. Use them like a seven-layer cake. How much cake would you give them?
Q. What if the child is on the school lunch program?
A. Then I say, "Good luck!" No, really, try to educate the child the best you can. Tell them how to balance it. Tell them to put protein on their plate that's the size of the palm of their hand. Keep in mind a 5-year-old's palm is smaller than a teen's. It's a guide for their age and the size they need. Then tell them to put lots of color on the rest of their plate. The things that have color are vegetables and fruits. Bread and rice do not. It's a simple plan.
Q. You are pretty big on snacks. What if you have children who won't finish their lunch or dinner if they eat a snack?
A. Snacks are important to maintain the balance. Having six small snacks per day is like eating three meals, as long as each is balanced. Hormonally, you're only as good as your last meal. This puts the burden on the parents, but if you have snacks already prepared, then they'll be more likely to eat them.
Q. Do have any special considerations for vegan children?
A. For vegans, which only count for 4 percent of the vegetarian population, adding soybean protein powder, soy sausages or other meat subs will meet the guidelines.
Q. My husband worries if we focus too much on protein and vegetables, our kids won't have the carbohydrates and fat they need to properly develop.
A. The most important nutrient for a growing child is protein. They're going through their greatest growth spurts in their lives. It's also important to give them the right kind of carbohydrates. The best sources are those that enter the blood stream at a lower rate, which are fruits and vegetables.
Q. I've got to tell you, one of our lunch staples is the PBJ on whole-wheat bread.
A. Whether it's whole-wheat or Wonder Bread, it's all the same. The bread is all sugar, and the peanut butter is all sugar. The bread is actually little balls of glucose held together by weak bonds that will break down in the mouth very rapidly and enter the blood stream very quickly.
Q. Ew. Does this concept of balancing the meal apply to little kids as well?
A. From age 2 to 102.
Q. Do you have a book for parents?
A. Not yet. We just finished a clinical trial on Attention Deficit Disorder and fish oil. After we finish the trial on childhood obesity, the results will go into a book called "The Kid Zone." For quick meals, however, my wife, Lynn, and I co-authored a book called, "Zone Meals in Seconds."
MORE TIPS
A typical snack contains 1 ounce of protein.
Most vegetables and fruits do not spike blood-sugar levels. A few exceptions are corn, peas, bananas and dried fruits.
Children don't have to completely eliminate favorites such as macaroni and cheese and pizza, but they must consume much smaller quantities of them compared with vegetables and fruits.
Like adults, kids should eat a balanced meal or snack within one hour after waking.
To keep their blood-sugar levels stable, kids should eat every four to six hours after a meal or two to 2½ hours after a snack (including one at bedtime).
You can find out more about Sears on his Web site, DrSears.com.
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