By eating a varied and healthy diet and drinking enough, you can concentrate better and your memory likely works better. Our drinking and eating habits influence how well our brains function. It is difficult to say exactly what the precise relationship is between our eating and drinking habits and our learning performance. This is probably because healthy eating and drinking, compared to activities like actively retrieving information, only make a small contribution to your cognitive functioning. Research has shown a number of things: To begin with, drinking water is associated with cognitive functions, concentration, alertness, and memory, although the effects are generally small. The main point here is to stay adequately hydrated. A lack of water will cause you to become sluggish, which will impair your cognitive functions, concentration, alertness, and memory. Additionally, a lack of water likely also causes mood changes such as anxiety and fatigue. Furthermore, eating less/losing weight makes you tired and reduces your concentration. Your brain consumes twenty percent of your energy intake. In general, foods that are healthy for your body are also healthy for your brain. Thus, it is good to ensure you get enough vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Intake of these nutrients especially helps in the creation of new brain cells and in good communication between brain cells. Specifically, vitamin B is believed to have a beneficial effect on communication between brain cells, and a deficiency in vitamin B12 is associated with forgetfulness. Additionally, there is relatively strong evidence that omega-3 fatty acids have a positive effect on cognitive functioning and concentration. These fatty acids are thought to play an important role in the growth of brain cells and also stimulate communication between brain cells. A deficiency in this is associated with reduced concentration, forgetfulness, but also with depression. A simple piece of advice is that students should eat a varied and healthy diet and drink enough water. students may often forget to drink water at school. Try to encourage this by allowing water bottles in the classroom. Additionally, advise students to eat a varied and healthy diet. In general, eating fruits, vegetables, fibers, nuts, and fish is considered healthy and beneficial for your mental functioning. As a teacher, you might also consider incorporating a vegetable and/or fruit break into the lesson. Additionally, inform students that caffeine in coffee and energy drinks provides a short boost, but can lead to a significant dip afterward. It can also often cause you to sleep less well, while sufficient sleep is so important. In short: healthy and varied eating does seem to have an effect on students' performance.
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