A healthy diet and the right amount of exercise are important. This can greatly affect a child's education if not properly taken care of. A poor diet can lead to poor concentration and difficulty learning and memory, as the Society of Neuroscience recently revealed: "Diets high in saturated fat actually impair learning and memory." The most affordable and easiest to prepare foods are those that lack vitamins and minerals essential for child development. An excellent vitamin for a child's concentration is vitamin B. A deficiency in vitamin B has been shown to have effects on "memory problems, higher levels of anxiety, confusion, irritability, depression and inhibition of mental performance. therefore, a poor diet will lack vitamin B and decrease the child's concentration. If a child is poorly focused, they will not learn as much, resulting in lower grades. These foods that lack nutrients are also not very filling, if they are hungry they cannot concentrate. The Daily Mail says: "They can't concentrate properly because they haven't eaten, sometimes for days, and are tired and stressed." These children are malnourished and the only thing they will focus on is the next time they eat, instead of their learning. Inside Education states that “a child who can focus on learning and not their hungry stomach has the power to end the cycle of poverty through education.” Lack of exercise also affects children's education: with obesity on the rise, children should exercise more and eat healthier. Some chronic illnesses stem from a child's lack of physical movement and can cause problems later in life. The U.S. National Institutes of Health states that “physical inactivity is a leading cause of most chronic diseases.” an example of a chronic disease caused by lack of physical activity is type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when "the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body's cells do not respond to insulin" . Type 2 diabetes is often linked to obesity, which occurs if a child has a poor diet and lack of exercise. . Diabetes affects a child's ability to learn and concentrate, as Diabetes UK states: "Diabetes can affect a child's learning as it can cause difficulty with attention, memory, speed of speech, processing and perception if not managed. » this affects the overall quality of their education as they do not concentrate properly and therefore will not learn effectively. A type 2 diabetic should see their doctor two to four times a year and these appointments can be scheduled during school hours, reducing the child's learning time. Lack of exercise during childhood can greatly affect one's later life as illnesses such as heart disease and cancer become increasingly risky. According to Science News, "even healthy children as young as 9 years old may begin to be at increased risk of future heart problems if they are physically inactive." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay There are many things that schools and practitioners should do to promote healthy eating and exercise. Practitioners can promote regular exerciseby taking physical education classes, once a week or several times. It is important that schools offer physical education classes because the benefits are numerous. These include: "healthy growth and development", "prevents lack of sleep", "helps relieve stress and anxiety", "physical education makes an individual flexible and happy" and allows students to concentrate more. Physical education lessons allow children to develop themselves by developing their motor skills and abilities through the physical education lesson, as well as developing their social, communication and language skills. It is a good practice to make physical education classes fun so that children do not associate physical education with bad experiences, children who associate PE with bad experiences often exercise less at adulthood. Practitioners and schools should provide outdoor playtime for children so they can run around and let off steam. They should also provide equipment that children can use, for example: skipping ropes and soccer balls. They may also offer lunchtime and after-school clubs to give children a range of activities to try and develop with. Practitioners could also promote development through PSHE lessons on healthy eating. If the practitioner sits down with children and explains to them that for their body to function they need to feed it properly and make sure they take care of it, then the child can begin to understand that they need to eat well. It also means that children understand nutrition from a young age, enabling them to make better decisions in the future. Most establishments offer a healthy lunch option for families who pay for hot meals, meaning children can have a hot, nutritious meal at least once a day. They also have a time of milk and fruit helping to build their bones and also eating a price of fruit per day. Most schools also encourage parents to pack a healthy lunch for their children and not one filled with processed foods and additives. Families who cannot afford to feed their children should be given free school meals and access to breakfast clubs so that children can focus on their learning and have something that day something sustainable and healthy to eat, allowing them to grow and develop. Schools should also have care plans for children who are allergic or intolerant to certain things, so staff know what they can and cannot give the child and what to do in an emergency. own policies and procedures. But one department responsible for education policy is School Food Policy. In short, this is what schools should offer their students and it states that "they should have a written policy by the end of the 2013-2014 school year." schools should offer their students healthier food options that are low in fat, sugar, salt and high in fiber. An example being vegetable lasagna with vegetables hidden in the meat sauce and whole wheat pasta sheets. They want to see all parts of the school working together to help children become healthier by doing things like: providing healthy foods, helping children learn about nutrition, and educating older children about how to cook healthy and nutritious meals. In the policy, there are rules for school meals, including:.