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The Secrets to Raising a Smarter Child Recommended |
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Brain FoodBy Andrew Loh Baby brain development is affected greatly by a baby's nutrition intake. Children who are malnourished will resulted an inadequate brain growth that showing lower IQ, slower language and fine motor development. Before we talk about the kind of food that we need to 'feed' the brain. We probably want to ask ourselves, what is our brain made of? The Building Block of the Brain DHA DHA passes through the placenta to the fetus during pregnancy, and to the nursing baby through breast milk. Optimal levels of DHA in the bloodstream of pregnant women and the breast milk of nursing mothers are crucial to babies. In fact, DHA's presence in breast milk may explain why breast-fed babies have demonstrable IQ advantages over babies fed formula without DHA. This is proved by the 21-year study by a research team at Brisbane's University of Queensland. They found that the breastfed children ended up with an intellectual advantage of eight IQ points. One of the explanation by Prof. Najman, the research team leader was "that omega fatty acids found in breast milk may be giving breastfed children an intellectual advantage." Once we understood the important of DHA presence in breast milk, one must also realizes that the level of DHA vary widely from mother to mother. In fact, the DHA levels in the breast milk of American women rank among the lowest in the world. Why? Because the level of DHA in the breast milk is very much depending upon the food intake of the mother. To produce high level of DHA in the breast milk, the mothers should try to eat as much seafood as possible on the regular basis. And try to breast-feed their children if at all possible. With the finding of the importance of DHA in brain development, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that DHA be included in infant formulas at levels comparable to those of mothers' milk. Today, you can find many infant formulas are fortified with DHA such as Frisogrow, Anmum Essential, Enfapro ... and many more! Just look for DHA next time when you are buying infant formula. In addition, you can find DHA packaged in liquid formula or softgel for older children and pregnant/breastfeeding mom. You can find these products in major pharmacies. You can also ensure your children (and yourself) obtain DHA from the diets. The richest sources of DHA are red meats, animal organs, and eggs. Deep-water fish obtain their DHA from microalgae like salmon, striped bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, sardines, mackerel or fish oil supplements for those whose fish intake is very low. You can also find DHA in plants like green leafy vegetables, soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil. DMAE (Caution: DMAE may be ill advised for people subject to seizures according to some authorities. Although few side-effects have been reported, confusion, headache, drowsiness and muscle tension are possibilities.) Occurring naturally in fish (sardines), you can also find DMAE in tablets/capsule form in major pharmacies. Why is DMAE important? Because, it also increases the levels of the neurotransmitter 'acetylcholine' in the brain. Next... Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALC) Brahmi In short, the benefit of Brahmi including improves learning and mental performance while helps to relieve the stress of a learning or study environment. Ginkgo biloba Disclaimer: This article is meant to be used as information only. As always, please consult the appropriate professionals for more information. 
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