Importance of Nutrition for
Improving Academic Score
By Kanupriya Khanna
I
n today’s times,when exceptional
intelligence or gifted child
prodigies receive media attention,
and 100% cut-off marks are
projected as achievable targets;
95% marks in board exams are
considered average. Children today
are not only having to deal with peer
pressure, and body image issues;
but also, the pressure of scoring
very high grades to get through a
good college in their chosen fields.
With mind-boggling competition,
everyone wants their children to be
exceptional achievers. It is no surprise
that the foremost concern of most
parents is pertaining to the academic
performance of their children.
NUTRITION AND
COGNITIVE HEALTH
A child belonging to the lower socio-
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Volume 4 | Issue 1 | January-March 2019
economic status, not only has to
struggle with lack of educational
opportunities, but also lack of healthy
nutrition. This child will most likely
go through their formative years
having a poor diet which lacks most
essential nutrients. This may lead
to a lower academic performance
throughout the school years, which
in turn may lead to fewer job
opportunities resulting in lower socio-
economic status. When the same child
grows up and starts own family, the
cycle continues to the next generation.
On the other side of the socio-economic
spectrum, a child belonging to an
affluent urban family also deals with
poor nutrition but in a very different
way. More than one-third of such
children and adolescents, aged 6yrs to
19yrs, are considered overweight or
obese. This is because these children are
overfed but remain undernourished.
Studies show that more than 90%
children in the urban areas, belonging
to affluent families, consume more
than the recommended amounts of
saturated fats and added sugars. The
consumption of fruits and vegetables in
these children is also observed to be less
than the recommended intake. Thus,
even though they may appear to be well
nourished, they have many underlying
nutritional deficiencies. Some of these
deficiencies impact the performance of
these children in academics and extra-
curricular activities.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BREAKFAST
AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
There have been many studies that
have looked at the relationship between
breakfast consumption and academic