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Nutrition Science Fair Project

Breakfast Type and Mental Performance

Hard
Breakfast Type and Mental Performance | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does what you eat for breakfast change how well you think? This project tests five breakfast types over two weeks with about 45 participants. The types include high protein, high fiber, complex carbohydrates, junk food, and no breakfast. Each morning after eating, participants take two tests. One measures memory and the other measures mental agility through multiplication speed. Scores are averaged and compared across all five groups. The results show that complex carbohydrates scored highest overall at 94%. Protein scored best on the mental agility test alone. A mix of both may give the strongest boost to thinking.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that eating a healthy breakfast high in complex carbohydrates will help students excel in their studies and maximize capabilities.

Method & Materials

You will create a two-week diet plan with the help of a dietician, have students eat different types of breakfast, and give them tests to measure their memory and mental agility.
You will need 45 students, a dietician, two tests (memory and mental agility), and an excel spreadsheet.

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Results

The results showed that eating complex carbohydrates for breakfast was the best way to maximize capabilities. Eating a breakfast with complex carbohydrates increased memory capabilities, but the protein diet was the most helpful for the overall mental agility test.

Why do this project?

This science project is unique because it looks at the correlation between breakfast and academic performance.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing different types of breakfast, such as high-protein or high-fiber, or testing different lengths of time, such as one week or four weeks.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
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