1. COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE NUTRITION BY KATIE JESSOP, RD MAY, 2016

2. Katie Jessop, Registered Dietitian

3. Your Children……

4. Maximum Academic and Mental Performance ■The mind-body connection ■Types of foods that impact performance ■Building a better snack/meal ■Role of hydration ■Sweet drinks ■Implementation in your child’s life

5. 3 Fundamental Needs of a Boy Memory Concentration Comprehension Stress, Recall Eat Sleep Exercise

6. What we know about the connection.. ■Physical activity is closely tied to cognitive ability –Improved self esteem –Enhanced body image and mood –Greater memory capacity –Increased alert state and speed of processing –influences working memory (ability to retain and manipulate information in the short- term) ■Sleep –Physical activity decreases the amount of time it takes children to fall asleep and increases their total sleep time. –Mechanism: increased oxygen to the brain ■Eating = blood sugar –Mechanism: Brain fuel fluctuates with eating patterns

8. THE THEORY BEHIND PERFORMANCE FOODS

9. The Mind-Body Connection…. Blood Sugar Tired, Hungry, Cranky, Cravings NothingSandwichBig Dinner Junk food Snacking Granola bar and some gummies 7am 10am 12pm 7pm Insulin Craving

10. Figure 1. Mean plasma glucose concentrations during the control (circles), reading-writing (squares), and test-battery (triangles) conditions. Glucose instability is expressed as the sum of absolute changes between each time of blood collection (bottom figures). Standard deviations are not indicated in the top figures for clarity. Chaput et al. Glycemic Instability and Spontaneous Energy Intake: Associations with Knowledge Based Work; Psychosomatic Medicine 70: 797-804 (2008) Other Factors: Knowledge based work messes with our blood glucose as well, despite no change in energy expenditure.

11. Eat Every 2-4 Hours Blood Sugar BreakfastLunch Frequent small meals and snacks Fast Recovery, Energized Quick digestion Snack 7:00 10:20 11:45 3:00 6:00 9:00 SnackDinnerSnack Timing is everything!

12. Where does blood sugar go when it leaves the blood? Slow time-release of glucose allows for a slow stream of fuel to the brain.

13. Does timing matter when you are trying to keep a fire burning? YES The type of fuel matters too… Types of Food Choose “slow burning foods” Examples: i.e.: whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy and lean meats Rather than “fast burning foods” Examples: i.e.: white bread, juice, white rice, sugary cereal, cookies, candy, pop… Slow: FIBRE +/or PROTEIN Fast: SUGAR/SIMPLE CARBS

14. Goal: Make a fast carb into a slow burning carb: PLUS

15. Lunch or Evening Meal

16. How to build a winning snack… ■ Start with a source of carbohydrates… – Vegetables and Fruits – Grain Products ■ Add a source of protein – Milk and Alternatives – Meat and Alternatives

17. Carbs Protein (Grains/Fruit/Vegetables) (Milk & Alt/Meat & Alt.) Fresh fruit and cheese Chopped veggies and hummus Fruit and yogurt smoothie Mini tuna cans with whole grain crackers Dried fruit and nuts (Trail mix) ½-1 sandwich or sub on whole wheat Greek/Regular yogurt and berries Bars (look for >5 grams protein, <8 grams sugar..unless its natural) Carrots and Edamame Crackers and cheese Crackers and hummus High Performance Snacks

18. ■You wake with low blood sugar = low metabolism ■Initially, eat ANYTHING to get metabolism started –Cold beverage e.g. smoothie –Small cold juice ■Then, when you are hungry, have a balanced meal/snack (apples at school?) ■Eventually graduate to a full breakfast If you hate breakfast..

19. Hydration ■3 C’s for hydration –Convenient: Water bottles always in sight –Cold: refreshing –Container: so you can measure intake ■Glass of water when you get up in the morning ■Make a habit to always drink water when you are having a snack or a meal ■A word about sweet drinks..

20. 1 sugar cube = sugar packet

21. Do I need a sports drink? YES if you… ■ Will be exercising for longer than 90 minutes continuously ■ Have more than 1 game back to back ■ Are a salty sweater (streaks on your skin or clothes) NO if you… Are sitting/studying! Will be exercising less than 60 minutes Will be exercising less than 90 minutes at a very easy pace (recovery) 

22. Prescription for Maximum Academic and Mental Performance ■Eat every 2-4 hours ■3 meals + 2 snacks per day –Each meal should contain protein and carb, + F&V –Each snack should contain protein and carb ■(mid morning and after school) ■Water bottle as constant companion ■Healthy bed time snack if hungry (fruit) Memory Concentration Comprehension Stress, Recall Eat SleepExercise

23. THANK YOU! Resources: www.dietitians.ca katiejessop@rogers.com

24. Old School Eating ■If you eat the same thing each day and meal, you get pretty good at regulating hunger and energy 1000 YEARS AGO TODAY

25. The Cafeteria Diet: a mixed diet VS.