Sajila Nudrat | Health Editor
Featured Image: A healthy and balanced diet can go a long way and is worth the trouble. | Courtesy of Pexels
Alcohol may be a solution, but it’s also part of the problem. As tempting as it may be for a person to drink their worries away, there’s a better alternative students should turn to during exam period.
When studying for exams, priorities are shifted, and more often than not, good nutrition is forsaken for a couple minutes of extra studying. Saving time by skipping a meal, or substituting it in favour of a sugary snack, is far more detrimental than those extra minutes are worth. Exam period is just one long, mental marathon, and in order to ensure success, high endurance is critical. The best way to shape the mind is by providing your brain with enough resources and nutrients to sustain long-term energy.
Student’s are quite accustomed to pushing through and forgetting anything other than their next big assignment, or exam at hand. While this attentiveness and hyper-focus is good, it shouldn’t be their only concern.
Jordy Young, a second-year criminology student, shared that during the exam period, her diet mostly consists of fast foods; and while studying: “candy, ice cream and cakes.” She went on to say she doesn’t make sure to eat enough food during the height of exam season, however, she doesn’t feel it affects her ability to focus. In regards to whether or not she felt a difference between having a balanced meal as opposed to one full of sugar, she said: “No, it’s honestly all the same to me.”
However, what a person consumes, has a significant effect on them, not just physically, but mentally.
Andrea Holwegner, a nutrition and corporate wellness expert, was consulted in regards to what students should be eating while studying. “The key thing when students are going through periods of stress or when their immune system is taking a hit, is they want a good, solid overall food system. They need to up their fruit and vegetable intake to make sure they meet the necessary nutrient levels. Vitamin minerals that are found in plant based food, help protect the body against fighting off colds and the flu. When students are under stress, their immune system is down, and a good way to up their fight against illness is a balanced diet.”
Holwegner stressed the importance of the three major components of a balanced diet. “The second thing students want to think about is getting protein to have enough energy to fuel them through the long and stressful periods of studying. Protein is really important to sustain overall blood sugar control. The third thing is carbohydrates, coming from dairy types of foods or grains, oatmeal, bread, quinoa, and rice. This is important for the brain because it runs exclusively on carbohydrates—there is a need to keep those levels up to help our ability to focus.”
Holwegner also provided quick-fix options for breakfast and lunch. “Breakfast can be as simple as whole grain toast, with peanut butter, banana, and coconut sprinkled on top.” A second option could be a bowl of oatmeal, “I would toss in dry foods or almonds, and hemp. You can also add in some nuts as well, almonds, cashews, sunflowers seeds—any type of nut works.”
Speedy lunch based options include eggs that are high in nutrition and proteins. “If you’re at home make them fresh, if not, hard boil half a dozen and take them to go. I would pair them up with waffa (big dark rye) crackers and put some hummus or cheese on them. I would probably also have a container full of fruits and veggies. Snap peas, baby tomatoes and carrots – things that don’t require prep.”
Holwegner promoted Jugo juice as a healthy alternative for students. “Jugo juice is a healthy smoothie based company that provides healthier alternatives for people on the go. There is no added sugar, preservatives, fruit fillers, sorbets—things that add extra sugar to smoothies. Only fresh fruit, frozen fruits and vegetables go into Jugo juice smoothies.”
She advises that preparation for the exam period should be done in advance and abundantly. “My suggestion, from a strategic perspective, is that instead of making one container at a time, I would make four to five; prepare it all in one session so you can grab and go, and there’s a backup. If you’re going to do yogurt parfaits for breakfast, you can do two or three at a time. Yogurt and frozen berries, and some nuts and dry fruit. The only thing you need to do is tap it with granola on your way out, as a snack or even breakfast.”
Healthy options are not scarce, they’re available. They just take some time and preparation, but in the long run, it’s worth the work.
