Child nutrition and future health 

Written by Louise Mercieca - 22nd March 2022

Many years ago, back in 2004, a celebrity chef acted on rising childhood obesity levels and caused headlines in his mission to revamp school meals. Aiming to improve the nutritional quality, and minimise the amount of fried and processed food consumed by children whilst at school. This was deemed controversial by some and was not welcomed by all, but there’s no doubting that Jamie Oliver MBE had a significant positive impact on school meals with his ‘healthy school dinners’ campaign and TV programme, here’s some of the outcomes: -


  • Raising awareness of how government funding was spent on school meals
  • Led to the ‘Feed me Better’ campaign
  • Banned ‘Turkey Twizzlers’, a low protein processed meat product
  • Increased the nutritional value via more ‘real foods’
  • Links with academic outcomes in the participating schools;


“Researcher Michele Belot of Oxford University, who undertook the analysis with Jonathan James of Essex University, said it proved the importance of good food in schools.The study examined the test results for pupils aged 11 in the 80 Greenwich schools where Oliver's Channel 4 series launched its healthy dinners campaign.

It then compared them to children who were not served the nutritional food in neighbouring local authorities.

Between 2004 and 2008, Belot found there was on average a 6% improvement in the number of pupils reaching a high level in English tests in the schools surveyed where the healthy meals were eaten and an 8% improvement in science. There was a 2% increase in the number of children reaching the basic level of attainment in science and 3% in English and maths. In addition, the number of children marked as having authorised absences for sickness since 2004 showed a 14% decrease.”


Source - Schools Food Trust 


More than fifteen years on and in the midst of a global pandemic, what is the situation like now? Well, school meals were once again making headlines in Spring 2020, but for different reasons; a lack of them, for the children most in need who, due to lockdowns were unable to physically attend schools.  


Each media campaign temporarily highlights the fact that the school meal is important but just how important is it and for what reasons?


A good lunch


Childhood nutrition is about more than just a good lunch.  There are many things that depend on good nutrition in childhood. Whilst the basic requirement is to fill up a child, the role that food has on a developing child goes much, much deeper. 


In academic settings children are expected to focus, concentrate, listen, problem solve, get along with their peers and participate. Additionally, at each stage of their school life, they are measured and benchmarked against certain standards.  


To be able to do all of this, several things need to happen biologically within the child, otherwise they will constantly be working against, not with, their own body, whilst not realising or understanding why they feel a certain way. Some examples of this are outlined below: -


  • Fluctuating blood sugar levels from a high sugar breakfast will cause mid-morning energy and mood dips, this will present as; fidgety, irritable (even angry), unable to focus, restless, tired, hungry, trembling, confused and most definitely, difficulty concentrating. 


  • No breakfast or generally hungry will lead to similar feelings but with more lethargy, frequent minor illnesses, and a greater lack of concentration


  • Certain nutritional deficiencies can present and be identified as behavioural issues. Often children are ‘labelled’ early in their academic journey, but they may actually be deficient in a number of essential nutrients. Examples of misinterpreted behavioural issues include the blood sugar links above (being temporarily symptomatic) but also a more long-term nutritional impact, such as an absence of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s). This would cause behavioural symptoms similar to those often identified as ADHD. 


A healthy start


A healthy start can literally mean a healthy start to the day, i.e., breakfast, but the bigger scenario of a healthy start means formative nutrition for the first few years of life. Particularly the time before children even reach school age.  One of the most influential times of childhood development is during the first 1000 days of life, this early ‘window of opportunity’ is vital for laying the foundations for future health and development.


We often refer to ‘building blocks’ in nutrition and we can certainly use that term in relation to the first 1000 days, good nutrition during this time is the foundation for early cognitive abilities, motor skills and emotional development, this is all largely due to the incredibly impressive rapid growth and development of the human brain. 


Once a child is born, they then grow and develop at a rapid pace, EFA deficiencies can present in the day-to-day functioning of a child, how well can they grasp new things? Consider a child has to learn everything, absolutely everything is new to them. They need their frontal lobe to be rich in EFA’s, particularly DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) to enable them to be able to problem solve, concentrate and focus.  


“When a baby’s development falls behind the norm during the first year of life for instance, it is much more likely that they will fall even further behind in subsequent years than catch up with those who have had a better start.”


Barnardo’s quote from the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee – First 1000 days of life 13th report of session 2017-19


There are many elements to nutrition for brain development – Fats such as the EFA’s (AA, DHA, EPA and DGLA) are key, as is ALA or Omega 3 and Phospholipids. As with many other elements of nutrition, it is often the vitamins and minerals present or lacking in the diet that tell the bigger picture. Many nutrients are involved in maintaining and developing our brain development, these include Zinc, Iodine, Vitamin C, B vitamins, Vitamin D and Magnesium.  


Below are some examples of how nutrients impact on cognitive performance across all ages, so this applies to us grown-ups too! But it is particularly important for babies, children and teens, as their brains are still growing and developing.


Helping a child to concentrate, learn and remember:


Nutrients needed

Role in body

Deficiency impact

Foods to include

Zinc

Many different enzymes need Zinc including;

Immune system function


Builds polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for brain formation and function

Reduced growth/development, impaired immunity, low memory, impaired motor skills.


When coupled with low serotonin, this deficiency can increase violence, depression and anxiety.

Meat, fish (oysters are the highest in zinc but probably not the average choice for children!).


Cheese


Wheat germ

Iodine

Stimulating to brain tissue

Deficiencies have been shown to lower IQ scores

Sea food, eggs and dairy

Vitamin C

Needed to make acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory

Lower immunity and slow wound healing.


In its role in neurological support;

lacking concentration,

Inability to focus,

mind wandering (day dreaming)

Broccoli, peppers, watercress, cabbage, cauliflower, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, citrus fruits, melon, peas

Vitamin B5

Needed to make acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory

Lacking concentration


Inability to focus


Mind wandering (day dreaming)

Mushrooms, avocados, eggs, peas, lentils, whole wheat, cabbage

Vitamin B1

Needed to make acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory

Lacking concentration


Inability to focus


Mind wandering (day dreaming)

Beans, peas, lamb, asparagus, watercress, mushrooms, cauliflower, Brussels, peppers, cabbage

Vitamin B12

Needed to make acetylcholine, a brain chemical involved in memory

Lacking concentration


Inability to focus


Mind wandering (day dreaming)

Sardines, tuna, cottage cheese, turkey, chicken, egg yolks, milk, lamb

Source – How Food Shapes Your Child





Future Health outcomes


Nutrition in childhood not only supports everyday development and academic performance, but the nutritional choices made early on can influence many aspects of future health. Perhaps even more importantly though, food choices in childhood can shape food habits, decisions and food addictions, meaning that a child is more likely to choose and prefer healthier choices, rather than potentially have a life-long battle with foods. A common mistake this concept of eliminating unhealthy foods from time to time to suit a diet or a health goal, but the nutritional drivers (food habits, decisions and addictions) that each child possesses will only lead them back to the ‘wrong’ foods. When food supports future health, we can potentially influence the direction that health may take.


Type 2 Diabetes


Children are not exempt from this condition, in fact over 3000 children in the UK live with it today.  The biggest driver is obesity but not everyone with Type 2 diabetes is overweight.  An excess of sugary foods in early childhood can contribute to this condition, whether the child is overweight or slim.  Once sugary foods are introduced, they then become a huge factor in the nutritional drivers, which create cravings, habits and addictions. There is no nutritional value to many sugar-rich foods and when creating health habits, we should aim to focus on the foods which support health and lead to healthy habits.


Obesity


Obesity in childhood used to be thought of as an aesthetic issue, but emerging evidence demonstrates that very young children are displaying signs that excess weight is having an adverse effect on their health. According to the Early Bird Study, metabolic markers for high cholesterol, abnormal glucose metabolism and blood pressure were present as young as age 9.  


Unfortunately, with obesity comes a host of health issues and potentially lifelong complications, and it is well documented that obese youth are more at risk of a variety of health conditions;


  • Insulin resistance
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Arthritis
  • High blood pressure, high cholesterol
  • Joint and breathing issues


Malnourishment


Due to our food landscape changing dramatically, we now have an abundance of foods available that are highly palatable, yet nutritionally devoid.  This has led to a surprising (and unwelcome) return of the conditions; Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) and Rickets (vitamin D & Calcium deficiency).  Whilst these are extreme examples of deficiencies, many children live with malnourishment even though they are ‘well fed’.


According to the Global Nutrition report 2016, 44% of countries were experiencing under-nutrition and obesity within the same populations.  The report suggests that hundreds of millions of people are malnourished because they are overweight, as well as having too much sugar, salt or cholesterol in their blood.

Within the report, one statement said the study “redefined what the world thinks of as being malnourished”.  Malnutrition literally means bad nutrition – that’s anyone who isn’t adequately nourished, not people who are actually starving.


Source - How Food Shapes Your Child


The school meal is important, we can see that from the intervention made by Jamie Oliver, but childhood nutrition is much more than that.  The food landscape now makes it difficult to make healthy choices as everything is made for our convenience not our health.  There is an escalating issue of a health and wealth divide in the UK.  Whilst it shouldn’t be the case, healthier food options are more expensive and are not a viable option for many. 


We can support our future health and we can shape healthier habits, but it isn’t always easy and it can mean going against the norm but if more people go against the norm, maybe that norm will change and with that, the price balance will also need to change. Until then, healthier choices in childhood can support adult health. Whatever small change you can make is worth doing, as any change is better than none.


Reference sources


How Food Shapes Your child – Louise Mercieca (Building a Brain pages 28-33)


Dr Kate Northstone, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol – Are dietary patters in childhood associated with IQ.


Pub Med March 2021 Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review


World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe - Food and nutrition policy for schools


Centre for research on the wider benefits of learning - What is the relationship between child nutrition and school outcomes?


Healthy lifestyle behaviours are positively and independently associated with academic achievement: An analysis of self-reported data from a nationally representative sample of Canadian early adolescents

 

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Louise Mercieca is a Nutritional Therapist, Author of How Food Shapes Your Child, Early Years Nutrition Consultant, and Founder of The Health Kick. The Health Kick is a business driven by the mission of providing understandable, practical nutritional advice, in a world driven by diet culture and convenience eating. Louise is influential in early-years health, making an impact that can influence the next generation’s eating habits. She is the author of ‘How Food Shapes Your Child’ and is hugely passionate about spreading the message that kids can make healthy food choices.