By Karen Collins

A home computer is probably one of the first things most parents think will help their children do well in school. But what about how children eat?

The payoff for creating healthy eating habits is likely to be much greater than the sacrifices you may make to buy a computer. A healthy, plant-based diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables may make it easier for children to learn today as well as provide them with better health in the future. Such a diet has been associated with a lower risk of many forms of cancer as well as other chronic health problems.

Some dietary habits may do more to enhance learning than others. Breakfast is one important step. Studies generally show that without breakfast, children have more trouble concentrating and have less speed and accuracy retrieving information from memory. If breakfast at home isn’t possible, school breakfast programs may be an alternative. If time is a problem, move bedtime back 15 minutes so both breakfast and a good night’s sleep become possible.

If your children aren’t hungry in the morning, look at their evening eating habits. Studies in adults have found that eating large amounts in the evening is associated with a lack of appetite in the morning. When breakfast is eaten, nighttime hunger and eating tend to decrease - and after about two weeks, breakfast is often a much-enjoyed meal.

For children uninterested in traditional breakfast foods, offer a toasted cheese sandwich and applesauce, peanut butter and banana on a bagel, a waffle topped with fruit and yogurt, or a “smoothie” made of fruit and milk, yogurt or tofu.

Children need a good lunch to continue learning well through the afternoon. If your children take lunch to school, use the basic combination of a grain product, a protein source, and fruit or vegetables. Make sure they like the fruit, vegetables and protein foods you include so they will eat them rather than trade them away.

A lunch loaded with fruit punch and sweets is not likely to enhance a child’s ability to focus in class. There is little proof that too much sugar causes hyperactivity and learning disabilities; but when children fill up on sweets, a surge of energy is followed by a blood-sugar drop, leaving them with little fuel for the rest of the day.

Consider caffeine, too, which is found in many foods and drinks - soft drinks, chewing gum, nutrition bars and even bottled water.

Because of children’s smaller size, caffeine hits them two or three times harder than it does adults. They might have trouble sitting still and concentrating on tasks.

If consumed in the evening, caffeine can make it more difficult for a child to fall asleep and sleep soundly, and that clearly impairs learning. Some experts recommend reserving caffeinated products for weekends or at least controlling the amount and time of day when they are consumed.