A study from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found that a diet characterized by high levels of fat, sugar, and processed foods in early childhood may be associated with small reductions in IQ.
On the other hand, children who practiced healthy eating may have experienced small increases in IQ. A healthy diet characterized as one with high amounts of nutrient rich foods. A balance of protein, unprocessed carbs, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables is the best choice.
To me this makes perfect sense. One of my favorite sayings is “if you put crap in, you get crap out”. This is both true for mental and physical performance.
The nutrition practices of the youth is extremely important due to the fact that they are still developing. In order to ensure optimal development both physically and mentally, it would be best to follow a healthy diet. Teaching children poor eating habits at an early age will lead to similar practices throughout life in most cases. It is better to teach them the ways of proper nutrition during childhood, and when they are older they can make their own decisions on just how good or poor they would like to eat. Until that time, it is the role of the parents, teachers, and coaches to provide the necessary knowledge.
People better start stepping up !