Raising a child is no easy matter. At least in the U.S., there’s no required course or reading on parenting. This is unfortunate, because I think there’s an awful lot we all could learn about this most important of jobs.

One thing I don’t think many parents realize is that poor nutrition during childhood (let’s say up until 7 years of age) can have profound, very long lasting negative effects on adult brain power and IQ. Likewise, I’m convinced that feeding your child a super-healthy diet, packed with the best nutrients, will result in a vastly superior adult brain packed with plenty of IQ to spare.

Why is this so? Basically, your brain is not fully assembled when you’re born. It’s still getting put together during early childhood years. By age 7, however, much of the construction is finished, and the resulting creation will heavily determine your personality and cognitive ability for the rest of your life.

A new study published in Public Library of Science Biology adds more support for this concept.

Now, will you as a parent supply your child with top quality building materials, or will you feed them junk?