By
Ecential Team
March 22, 2026
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Updated:
March 22, 2026
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5 min read
Published: March 24, 2026 | The Ecential
A bombshell study just landed in JAMA Network Open, and if you work in ECE, this one's for you.
Researchers from the University of Toronto tracked over 2k children across Canada, measuring their ultra-processed food (UPF) intake at age 3 and then assessing their behavior at age 5 using a validated psychological checklist. The results were stark: kids who ate more ultra-processed foods showed significantly higher rates of anxiety, fearfulness, hyperactivity, and aggression just two years later.
This is the first large-scale, prospective study of its kind. ANNNNNND it confirms what many ECE professionals have suspected for years: what children eat in your program isn't just a nutrition issue. It's a behavioral one.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial formulations that go far beyond anything you'd make in your kitchen. Think: packaged snacks, flavored crackers, sugary cereals, fast food, processed meats, and most packaged "kid-friendly" foods loaded with stabilizers, flavor enhancers, and added sugars. In Canada, these foods make up nearly half of preschoolers' daily caloric intake. The numbers in the U.S. are similarly alarming.
The research team used the validated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a 99-item behavioral assessment, to measure outcomes. Here's what stood out:
For every 10% increase in energy from UPFs, children scored higher on measures of:
The flip side was equally compelling: when researchers modeled replacing just 10% of UPF calories with minimally processed foods, like whole fruits, vegetables, or eggs, behavioral scores improved meaningfully across the board.
Effect sizes were modest, but the study authors note that even small shifts, applied across thousands of children, can have real population-level impact.
Your program may be one of the biggest influencers of a child's early diet. For children in full-day care, you're responsible for one or more meals and snacks per day (sometimes more than they receive at home). That's enormous leverage. It's also enormous responsibility.
Beyond meals, you're the first to notice when something is "off" with a child's behavior. A child who struggles to regulate emotions, maintain focus, or manage aggression is often flagged in the ECE setting before anywhere else. This research adds an important layer to that observation: behavior in the classroom may be connected to what's on their plate at home and at school.
1. Audit your snack and meal menus. Take a hard look at what's currently being served. Are packaged snacks, flavored crackers, or highly processed items making up a significant portion of your snack offerings? Simple swaps, think fruit, cheese, whole grain crackers, hummus, make a real difference.
2. Communicate with families without shaming. Share this research with parents in your next newsletter or parent meeting. Frame it as empowering information, not a critique. Many families don't realize the extent to which UPFs dominate their child's diet. Knowledge is the first step.
3. Build food literacy into your curriculum. Even toddlers and preschoolers can learn about whole foods through sensory play, garden activities, and simple cooking experiences. Programs that expose kids to a variety of whole foods early tend to see broader acceptance of those foods over time.
4. Advocate for stronger food policies in your program. If you have input into food procurement or menus, use this study as evidence to advocate for minimally processed options. Bring it to your director, your board, or your licensing partner.
5. Look at behavior patterns through a new lens. The next time you're concerned about a child's behavioral difficulties, consider a gentle inquiry with families about their eating patterns at home. Diet is a modifiable risk factor (meaning it can be changed) and it may be part of the picture.
6. Don't wait for perfection; small shifts count. The study's lead researcher was clear: the goal isn't an all-organic, fully unprocessed diet overnight. Even modest improvements in dietary patterns are beneficial. Progress over perfection is the message for both families and programs.
The evidence is building, and it's hard to ignore: ultra-processed foods don't just affect children's bodies, they affect their brains, their emotions, and their behavior. As ECE leaders, you are uniquely positioned to influence these habits at the most critical window in a child's development.
You already shape how kids learn to move, communicate, and connect. Now science is telling us that what they eat, in ECE centers and at home, shapes how they feel and behave, too.
That's not a burden. It's an opportunity.
Source: Kavanagh ME, Chen ZH, Tamana SK, et al. Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(3):e260434. Read the full study here.