Psicopedagogia e nutrição: como a alimentação nos ensina sobre o aprender infantil

Abstract

The relationship between healthy eating, cognitive development, and learning in childhood is profound and multifaceted. Thus, due to the importance of this theme, the present study aimed to understand how nutrition contributes to the learning process during child development. This work is a bibliographic research of an exploratory nature with a qualitative approach. Studies indicate that adequate nutrition, rich in essential nutrients, directly influences children's physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development. The family environment, particularly parents' eating habits and participation in shared meals, shapes children's food preferences, impacting self-regulation and long-term health. Early introduction of processed and ultraprocessed foods also negatively affects children's health, reinforcing the need for a healthy food environment. Globally, schools play a vital role in promoting healthy eating habits. In Brazil, public health policies, such as the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), provide these guidelines, and initiatives like Food and Nutrition Education (EAN), when applied in playful ways, have proven effective in improving food choices and promoting healthy habits. Psychopedagogy can collaborate with Nutrition in diverse environment such as home and school, helping promote appropriate eating practices that favor cognitive development and children's learning. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to explore the interconnection between these fields, especially in clinical and institutional contexts.