healthy eating tips children. From our Weekly Education Blog

Welcome to our 11+ blog titled, healthy eating tips children during exams. Below we explain how to stay healthy during exams and provide health tips during exams.

* * * CONTENT UPDATED OCTOBER 2020 * * *

How to eat healthily during exams

Plus we offer some nutrition tips for exam success provided to us by Nutritional Therapist Emily Fawell. You can find her website and contact details below.

Good food for stress relief and optimal functioning

Great concentration levels rely on good blood sugar balance. This means making sure that your body has a regular and steady flow of energy rather than a short sharp burst of energy, followed by crashes and problems concentrating. What this means in practice is eating foods which release their energy slowly such as complex carbohydrates (vegetables, oats, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice) rather than fast releasing carbohydrates (white bread, biscuits, cakes, sugary cereals, crisps, sweets)
Blood sugar balance also relies on a good intake of protein, as this slows down the release of energy from a meal. This could be eggs or yoghurt for breakfast, nuts and seeds added to your porridge or breakfast cereal, no-added-sugar nut butter on wholemeal toast.
Foods with a high sugar content are particularly bad for blood sugar balance. Therefore, try to reduce your intake of fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cake
Caffeine also disrupts blood sugar balance so slowly wean yourself off tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks.
If you do like tea then green tea is great for concentration levels. It contains theanine, an amino acid which is associated with alertness.

healthy eating tips children

Hydration and brain food and health tips during exams

Good concentration relies on good hydration so make sure you are having plenty of water whilst you are studying and during exams, if you are allowed to. Aim for 1.5 litres of water a day.
Our brains are 60% fat and rely on our diets to provide a regular intake of good fats for optimal functioning. Make sure that you eat oily fish twice a week (salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, trout, herring) and have nuts and seeds as snacks. Walnuts are particularly high in Omega 3 which is great for brain power. Have avocadoes and olive oil regularly.
Phospholipids are another key nutrient for the brain. Eggs, soya beans (edamame), liver, nuts and sardines all contain this.
If you are getting anxious then Magnesium-rich foods may help. These are dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale, rocket), nuts, seeds, beans, avocado, soybeans (edamame) and dark chocolate
Another great way to boost Magnesium is to take an Epsom Salts bath. This could be a great way to wind down before bedtime on the nights before exams.
Great concentration relies on good sleep too. So getting into a good bedtime routine in the lead up to exams is a good idea. 8 hours sleep is ideal – more for teenagers if possible.
If you are prone to exam day nerves then try Bach Rescue Remedy. You can find it in most chemist shops or health shops. It’s a very gentle and effective way of calming the nerves. They now produce an alcohol-free version for children.

If you are interested in personalised nutrition support or more advice on nutrition for exam success for your child, contact Nutritional Therapist Emily Fawell on 07967 639347 or visit her website: www.4wellpeople.co.uk

School Entrance Tests advice for parents

In our oipinion, the best way to prepare for any Exam is to believe that your children can do it. Secondly, to manage their expectations openly. They should see the chance to get into a school as a possibility. And not a necessity. So if they don’t get in, it Is because the school was not right for them. Promote a growth mindset by avoiding the belief that your child has failed somehow.

Our Top Ten Study Skills Tips

Welcome to our 10 Top Tips to help you improve your own Study Skills.

Find time to study – Firstly, if you manage your time badly, inevitably you will be less productive than if you manage it well. This can lead to increased stress and anxiety levels, especially around exam time.
Keep to a routine– Secondly, try to work in the same place at the same time each day. Also, make sure you have everything you need before you start.
Work to your strengths– And also try to schedule challenging tasks for when you are most alert, and routine ones for when you may be feeling more tired.
Don’t waste time – Rather than reading irrelevant material, skim and scan to help you decide if you need to read something critically and in-depth.
Avoid distractions– also, you must sitch emails and social media off to prevent your mind wandering while trying to learn new information!

healthy eating tips children

Regularly review your notes– Plus you should try to cut out what you don’t need. Ask yourself the question: “Is this information is relevant to my assignment, and how does it relate to what I already know.”
Vary how you to take notes – We suggest that you use Mind Maps and diagrams to generate ideas and linear notes to focus your ideas for essay or report plans.
Be critical– And also remember to ensure that you always add your own comment to every concept or quotation that you write down. Maintain a critical and analytical approach at all times!
Plan your work– If writing an assignment produce a detailed plan before you start to write it. This will make the drafting process much less stressful
Understand different styles – So, by understanding different writing styles – such as academic, journal and journalistic styles – you can put what you read into perspective. In particular, you can become more aware of any particular bias.