They taught us in early childhood brain development classes that broccoli is a food that helps neurons in the brain connect. I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to give my kid broccoli.

Bananas give you energy and help you think fast.

Protein is important for brain function, and coconut flour is like an amazing boost of protein, fiber and iron that you can add to so many recipes. Add 1/2 cup to your boxed cake mixes, 1/4 cup to your pancake mix, add it to almost anything you are baking. And one perk is once you get used to adding this to your recipes you will seriously miss the flavor if you ever go without.

The better we nourish our brains and our children’s brains with life giving nutrients, the better they will work for us. Try to go organic as much as you can since toxins and poisons meant to kill insects on food can cause reactions including allergic reactions.  Since round up explodes the stomachs of bugs. I don’t really want to assume it’s safe for my child’s stomach. You should see the disgusted face I’m making just thinking about that. Eating foods with added toxins is adding something foreign to the body causing it to work harder to remove, when it should be able to focus its energy on operating at its maximum potential.

Magnesium deficiency is a really big issue. Most Americans are not getting enough magnesium. Dark chocolate, and dark green veggies are excellent sources of magnesium. You can also supplement magnesium until you feel like you’ve reached normal levels again. When you add magnesium into your diet, if you are deficient, the body can feel like it’s going through a sort of shock to be getting the nutrients that it had been lacking for so long. Once you reach a healthy level of magnesium in your body, you will know, you will feel brain fog lift and feel like you can sleep easier, think clearer, and have normal bowel movements(sorry but it’s true) much easier then before. One quick way to get your magnesium levels up is through taking natural calm or another supplement. Natural Calm can be found at most health food stores. Be careful to get the proper dose. It’s a good idea to have your mineral levels tested. If you are lacking in calcium and other vital nutrients, you will have trouble absorbing magnesium.

Getting nutrition into kids can be tough. juice plus has “part” of the solution to this. They designed a gummy that is basically whole food nutrients  extracted from certain super foods. They aren’t vitamins, they are whole foods reduced to gummies.  Kids love gummies, so that can be one way to get micro-nutrients into your kid. Micro-nutrients and undiscovered nutrients play a huge role in our food. That is why these are so much better then trying to get a vitamin for each nutrient needed. Because nutrients need each other for proper absorption, of course the gummies need to be combined with daily fruits and vegetables to have the best effect. Juice plus is performing so much research on these currently. Right now you can get your kids order free when you order your own. So I think it’s both one adult and one kids for something like $45. per month after all taxes and shipping. You can find them at the link below:

http://www.baker8.juiceplus.com

Getting kids involved in what they eat helps encourage them to eat more healthy food. Kids are more likely to give food that they grew a try. The best way to go is to grow a garden in your yard and avoid buying at the grocery store. Composting your own food is a really wonderful thing to teach and can be implemented into home school projects in so many ways. One way to compost is to take a new smaller mid size trash can with a lid and drill holes in it the bottom and the sides. bury it so that the lid and nothing else is exposed. The earth worms can get in the holes to help the process, and each day after you save your leftover uneaten greens, and other compostables, add them to the can. Turn it with a shovel once in awhile, and in the spring you’ll have lovely homemade compost. If you can’t grow or compost where you live, you can still get a tower garden and keep it in your home in your kitchen area, patios, screen rooms, etc. These are great ways to teach kids about cultivation. Oh the homeschool learning that goes with these is so wonderful. You can find some really cool ones that have the full set up with options of monthly payments at the link below:

http://www.baker8.towergarden.com

DHA is super important to brain function. Salmon is high in DHA, but can have dangerous amounts of mercury in it, experts used to advise to be sure you only consume fish from the deepest coldest waters such as Alaska fish and never eat farmed fish. The warmer the water, the higher the mercury levels will be in the fish. While this still remains true. Now the deep water fish have been effected and are testing high in mercury as well. Purchasing a high quality fish oil that has been certified as mercury free is a good choice.

Wheat grass powder is high in chlorophyll, vitamin k and other good stuff. It gives an amazing energy boost and helps aid digestion and mental clarity. It pulls toxins out of your body as it passes through to help your body function at its best capacity.

Pickles boost serotonin which improves overall mood and ability for brain to function.

comment below if you have any additional good input for brain foods.