Go Feed Your Brain!
GO FEED YOUR BRAIN!!!!
(Click on a topic to read more)
FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS
FOR STUDENTS
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FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
RESOURCE FOR KIDS
GO FEED YOUR BRAIN! is a resource for kids to learn about brainfood, heath consumerism, and brain-body fitness.
Feel free to use this page as a resource for the classroom, home school, or as a resource for home.
COMING UP THIS SUMMER
From time to time we will add new content - this summer we will interview organic farmers to learn about how healthy food makes it from farm to table, what makes food organic, and how farm practices affect nutrition.
HANDS ON!
Show kids how to turn burgers, fries, shakes and pizza into serious brainfood! Whether at home, school or in a local community group, you can give kids a healthy start in life with the activities and links on this page.
LEARN MORE
Check our calendar for workshops...or order your copy of "Feed Your Brain" to use at home. Watch for our newest publication, a cookbook for kids, featuring brain-healthy recipes (including those featured below). "Munchies for Mental Magnificence" will be published this summer).
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FOR STUDENTS
MAKE YOUR OWN BRAINY SNACKS! MUNCHIES YOU'LL LOVE
POPCORN WITH FLAX "BUTTER" 
You'll love this popcorn - flavored with flax oil, it's high in omega 3 fatty acids to "feed your brain."
You will need:
a popcorn popper (such as an air popper)
Ingredients:
1 cup popcorn kernels
3 TBS flaxseed oil
a pinch or two of sea salt
Instructions:
Using an air popper, pop the popcorn
Let the popcorn cool
Drizzle with flax oil, and toss the popcorn to mix in the oil.
sprinkle with salt, and toss again.
Serve and enjoy!
Makes 1 serving
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BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE ON THE GO
The alarm clock didn't go off? You couldn't find your socks?
Sometimes you've gotta have breakfast on the go...this smoothie is quick to make and travels well! just blend and pour a tall glass for a quick tasty breakfast, or pour into a drink bottle "to go".
What makes this a brainy breakfast? The fruit in the smoothie is loaded with antioxidants, and the flax seed provides omega 3 fatty acids, and lignans, a type of fiber that is helpful for the immune system and digestive health.
The protein (from rice, soy or nut butter) makes this a complete meal!
The raw coconut oil serves as fuel and also helps slow down the absorption of the sugars in the fruit.
The agave sweetens the smoothie without adding more sugar.
You will need:
A blender
A travel mug or bottle
Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 sliced banana
1 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon of protein powder (rice or soy) OR raw nut butter (like almond butter)
1/2 tsp raw coconut oil (optional)
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Mix until smooth. If too thick, add 1 tsp water or apple juice at a time, until it is the consistency that you want.
Makes 1 serving
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POP 
This cool fizzy drink contains antioxidants from fruit juices. You can try this recipe with different types of 100% juice, such as purple or white grape juice. It has no artificial colorings or preservatives.
You will need:
A pitcher or jar that holds at least 2 quarts
Small knife
Hand citrus juicer OR small bowl
A couple of handfuls of ice
Ingredients:
1 can of frozen 100% juice concentrate
1 lemon
32 ounces of seltzer water (plain unsweetened)
Instructions:
Let the juice concentrate thaw. If you just GOTTA have your pop now, you can place the juice container in a bowl of warm water to thaw more quickly!
Juice the lemon: cut it in half and squeeze the juice from each half, into a small bowl ( or use a hand juicer)
Pour the juice concentrate and lemon juice into the pitcher.
Add enough seltzer water to reconstitute the juice - usually this means adding 3 cans of seltzer water to the pitcher (using the empty juice container) but read the instructions on the container to see exactly how much water to add.
Stir to mix the ingredients, add ice, and enjoy!
Makes 6 servings
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POWER UP YOUR BRAIN! 7 WAYS TO TURN ON LEARNING
7 KEYS TO YOUR SMARTBOX!
KEY #1 - GET READY TO LEARN
GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER! YOU'LL LEARN MORE, AND SAVE TIME!
Did you ever sit down to study and think to yourself...oh! gotta get a pencil. So you get up and find a pencil. OK...now I'm ready to study. What chapter were we supposed to read? I'll just go and get my assignment book...oops...I left it at school! I'll just call my friend...hmmmm...he's not home now. Wellllll...maybe I can work on my science project. I'll go get the markers from the other room...Arrrrgh - they're all dried up! I'm exhausted...and I didn't even start studying yet! I need a break....
If you ever had this happen to you, you know tiring it can be to try to study when you can't find what you need.
To get the most from your study time, consider these tips:
- BEFORE YOU LEAVE SCHOOL Spend a few minutes at the before you leave school to be sure you have materials you will need for homework.
- BEFORE YOU START STUDYING go through your assignments and be sure you have all the materials you need. You'll be able to jump right in and get more done, since you won't have as many interruptions.
- JOT A NOTE when you run out of something, or to list items you will need to complete a project. Give the note to your parent and ask if they will get the items for you.
You'll feel more confident and get more done in less time - a great feeling!
KEY #2 - FITNESS
YOUR BRAIN WANTS TO WORKOUT. WHY?
Run. Jump rope. Shoot hoops. Dance. Bike. Hike.
However you workout, your brain benefits! Here are 3 ways that fitness fires up your brain to learn:
- FUEL TO BURN, FUEL TO LEARN. Every minute, your heart pumps about 3/4 liters of blood through your brain - that's about 3 cups full. As it flows through your brain, blood delivers a fresh supply of nutrients (like vitamins and minerals) oxygen to help your brain make energy to burn, so you can learn.
- CLEAN-UP. Blood also helps keep the brain clean - it carries away wastes and carbon dioxide, that the brain does not need. This helps your brain to work better.
- LINK-UP. When you exercise, your body produces a substance called BDNF that acts like glue to help form new brain cell connections. When you want to remember something, BDNF helps it "stick" in your mind, by helping brain cell connections "stick" together (these connections, called synapses, form when one brain cell nearly touches the other).
Expanded from Feed Your Brain: How to Boost Your Brainpower With Food.
MORE TO COME !!!
