Food Service

Study links student diet to academic performance

What difference does a healthy diet make to a student's academic performance? More than a bushelful, according to a recent study published in the Journal of School Health.

Researchers surveyed the diet of 5,000 Canadian fifth-grade students, then asked them to take a standardized literacy test. Student with diets high in fruits and vegetables, and low in fat, were significantly less likely to fail than students with unhealthy diets. The authors concluded that such findings support the importance of effective nutrition programs.