Healthy food = healthy brain. This is especially true during pregnancy and the first two years of your child's life. The way the brain develops during this time defines how the brain will work for the rest of your LO's life, creating the system that decides how they will think and feel. This message is not to scare you into obsession, it's to give you the facts of early childhood brain development and empower you to choose good food for your ever-growing baby.
There are so many ways to give your LO the support and love they need during this crucial time--and when it comes to food, there are certain nutrients essential for healthy brain development. You already know a lot of these, but here's a list to keep handy.
- Protein: meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, beans, peas, eggs, soy, nuts and seed
- Zinc: shellfish, meat, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, oatmeal, cashews, yogurt
- Iron: meat, white beans, lentils, spinach, tofu, potatoes
- Choline: meat, eggs, soybeans, potatoes, quinoa, kidney beans
- Folate: meat, spinach, black eyed peas, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, green peas
- Iodine: seaweed, seafood, dairy
- Vitamin A: carrots, sweet potato, spinach, peppers, mango
- Vitamin D: the sun! and the skin of fatty fish
- Vitamin B-6: chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes, banana, winter squash
- Vitamin B-12: animal products, nutritional yeast
- Omega-3 fatty acids: fatty fish, flax seed, chia seed, walnuts
And remember, Pureyay is doing its part to make sure your LO gets the right nutrients at the right time, fueling their body and brain with every bite.
Source: National Institutes of Health, https://ods.od.nih.gov/