Mind Their Fats

The right kinds of dietary fat may help improve your child's memory and brain function.

A recent study revealed that when calorie intake was the same, kids who consumed more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) performed better on short-term memory tests compared to kids who ate more saturated fat. Help your kids make the most of their brainpower by using soybean oil and serving them walnuts, salmon, flaxseeds, and soy nuts.

PUFAs can be broken down into two major groups: omega-6s and omega-3s. Because omega-6 makes up the main oil ingredient added to most processed foods and is in commonly-used cooking oils, including corn, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, and soybean, most people in the U.S. get plenty of this PUFA group. It's the omega-3s that are typically lacking in most kids' diets, so it's wise to focus on increasing the omega-3s in family meals.

In addition to potentially boosting children's brain function, omega-3 fatty acids also will help preserve their cardiovascular health, because these fats help increase healthy cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol in the blood. They also may help to lower blood pressure by lowering triglycerides. Flaxseed oil, certain nuts, canola oil, and cold-water fish, such as salmon, trout, tuna (fresh and canned), Atlantic mackerel, sardines, Pacific herring, and most shellfish, are all good sources of omega-3s.