Nervous time in the Callow household. Our son takes the 11+ this week so we’re doing all we can to get him into the best possible shape. His tutors have fed his brain with solutions to all those fiendishly tricky non-verbal problems – now we’re feeding it with the type of food that will ensure he remembers it all!

cucumber fun

I’m serious too. Don’t get me wrong, we haven’t been loading him up with fish oil supplements from the time of conception, but I do believe that mental function is affected by what we eat. School teachers have been saying for some time how important good hydration is – it helps prolong concentration levels and keep pupils alert. Conversely, high-sugar content food and drink leads to hyperactivity and then lethargy. A poor combination for learning.

bananas

This is all true for us adults too. When I have to spend long hours in front of a computer screen and need an energy burst, I now turn to a banana or orange (well, most of the time anyway). It sounds a bit boring but healthy food really does a fine job of reinvigorating the mind and body.

mixed fruit for breakfast

So we’re aiming to steer a sensible course with our son. He is, after all, only 10, so needs a balance of the good and not so good. Luckily for us, he does love his fruit and veg and has always had a healthy appetite for breakfast. This means he alternates between eggs and cereal and always with some fruit – strawberries, grapes or watermelon. For his mid-morning snack it’s generally an apple and his water bottle seldom leaves his side (one of our biggest concerns for the 11+ is how many times he’ll ask to leave the test to visit the boys’ room!).

strawberry smoothie

We often see his peers slugging down cans of Red Bull. I don’t object to the odd Coke but supercharged soft drinks like Red Bull are just wrong for kids. To feed our son’s brain and satisfy his sweet tooth, he slurps down fruit smoothies packed with superfoods such as blueberries, honey and yogurt (and even dark chocolate).

vegetarian pizza

For many of us, healthy food can seem to be a bit of a chore to prepare and cook and I suppose it can look like hard work to eat too. A slice of pizza or a bowl of spinach? No contest.

salmon en croute

So we all need to do what we can to make foods such as salmon, broccoli, peppers, leeks, oranges and tomatoes look as tasty as possible. From a photographic perspective, I’d rather shoot spinach than pizza any day of the week. Fresh food has structure and texture and reflects light. It creates many more photographic opportunities than, say, fried food. My advice is to keep it simple. To get healthy food to the top of the class it shouldn’t be messed around too much. If kids don’t enjoy eating a whole raw carrot get them involved in baking carrot cakes instead.

carrot cake

But all things in moderation. When the 11+ tests are over we’re heading into town for pizza, Coke and cheesecake. Even young brains need a night off.