Food for Thought Part 1: How Nutrition Builds the Brain Before Birth
“The brain is built meal by meal, long before a child ever enters a classroom.” — Elaine Rush
Food for Thought Part 1: How Nutrition Builds the Brain Before Birth
Episode [4] · [May 11, 2026] · Blossoming Brains Podcast
Introduction:
How nutrition builds the brain begins long before birth. Discover how food security, pregnancy nutrition, breakfast, and key nutrients shape learning, memory, and lifelong brain health in this conversation with Professor Emeritus Elaine Rush.
What if the foundation for learning starts before a baby is even born?
In this first episode of the two-part Food for Thought series, Dr. Vicki Draeger sits down with Professor Emeritus Elaine Rush — one of New Zealand’s leading nutrition and public health researchers — to explore how food affects the developing brain from conception onward.
From omega-3s and iron to school breakfasts and food insecurity, this conversation reveals how deeply nutrition influences learning, memory, growth, and educational outcomes throughout life.
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In this episode
Why the brain begins developing long before birth
How maternal nutrition influences later school success
The surprising role fathers play in early brain development
Why omega-3s, iron, and choline matter for cognition
What breakfast actually does for the brain
How Project Energize improved child health outcomes in New Zealand schools
Key takeaways
Nutrition during pregnancy affects long-term educational outcomes.
The brain is an energy-intensive organ that depends on steady fuel.
Food insecurity impacts learning as much as physical health.
Complex carbohydrates provide sustained mental energy for school performance.
Healthy school environments can improve both health and behavior.
Small nutritional changes can create lifelong developmental benefits.
Resources mentioned
Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 425.
Derbyshire, E. (2018). Brain health across the lifespan: The role of choline. Nutrition Bulletin, 43(4), 303–308.
de Groot, R. H. M., Hornstra, G., & Jolles, J. (2007). Exploratory study into the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive functioning in children. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 76(3), 165–172.
García, O. P., Long, K. Z., & Rosado, J. L. (2009). Impact of micronutrient deficiencies on growth and development: The role of iron, zinc, and iodine. Nutrition Reviews, 67(1), 1–10.
Iusitini, L., Plank, L., & Rush, E. (2023). Pacific Islands Families Study: Household food security during pregnancy and secondary school educational achievement. Nutrients, 15(19), 4131.
Iusitini, L., et al. (2021). Pacific Islands Families Study: Adverse impact of food insecurity on children’s future educational achievement. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1543), 32–43
Katz, D. L., et al. (2018). Lifestyle as medicine: The case for a true health initiative. American Journal of Medicine, 131(9), 1007–1014.
Lee-Kwan, S. H., et al. (2017). Disparities in state-specific adult fruit and vegetable consumption—United States, 2015. MMWR, 66(45), 1241–1247.
Micha, R., Rogers, P. J., & Nelson, M. (2010). The impact of breakfast on energy balance and cognitive performance. Nutrition Research Reviews, 23(2), 249–269.
Rush, E., Obolonkin, V., McLennan, S., Graham, D., Harris, J. D., & Mernagh, P. (2014). Project Energize: Whole-region primary school nutrition and physical activity programme; evaluation of body size and fitness 5 years after the randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 111(2), 363–371
Rush, E. C., Obolonkin, V., & Simmons, D. (2012). A school-based obesity control programme: Project Energize. Two-year outcomes. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 21(4), 590–600.
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Episode transcript
Episode Transcript Summary
Rather than presenting the full conversation verbatim, this page includes a condensed summary of the key ideas discussed in this episode.
In Part 1 of the Food for Thought series, Dr. Vicki Draeger welcomes Professor Emeritus Elaine Rush, one of New Zealand’s leading nutrition and public health researchers, for a fascinating discussion about the relationship between nutrition and brain development.
The conversation explores how the foundations of learning begin long before a child enters a classroom. Drawing on findings from the Pacific Islands Family Study, Dr. Rush explains how food security during pregnancy can influence educational outcomes years later, highlighting the powerful role nutrition plays in supporting healthy development.
Listeners will learn why nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and choline are essential building blocks for the developing brain, and why both maternal and paternal health contribute to a child's future wellbeing. Dr. Rush also explains the remarkable energy demands of the brain and why simple habits—such as eating a nutritious breakfast—can have meaningful effects on learning, concentration, and cognitive performance.
The episode also examines Project Energize, a groundbreaking New Zealand school-based health initiative that successfully improved children's nutrition, physical activity, and overall wellbeing through a whole-school approach. The discussion includes powerful real-world examples of how access to healthy food can influence not only health outcomes, but also behavior, school engagement, and long-term opportunities.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Rush emphasizes a central theme: food is far more than fuel. The foods we eat provide the raw materials that build the body, support the brain, and influence learning across the lifespan.
This episode serves as the first installment in the two-part Food for Thought series. In Part 2, Dr. Vicki Draeger is joined by Dr. Gail Bellamy, who explores practical foods, recipes, and everyday strategies for putting these nutrition principles into action.
Note: This transcript has been condensed into a summary for readability. The full interview includes additional discussion, examples, and personal insights shared by Dr. Vicki Draeger and Professor Emeritus Elaine Rush. Based on the original recorded conversation.
About the host
Dr. Vicki Draeger is a science educator, author, and mother of five whose work focuses on lifelong learning, neuroscience, and how the brain changes at every age. Named one of Hawaii’s top science teachers and a finalist for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, she now hosts Blossoming Brains to explore how minds—from human children to octopuses—learn, adapt, and thrive.
