You should be eating healthy in college and finals week is no exception (I realize this totally contradicts my last post, but after much retrospection I feel as if I have done a disservice to the collegiate youth of America by encouraging you to clog your arteries and slow your brains when you need them the most.) Here is a pithy of list of things you should be eating…not to say you shouldn’t be eating chocolate chip cookie dough bars or drinking Red Bull at all but, you know, everything in moderation:
1. Protein. This means food like eggs, nuts, meat and yogurt. Protein, in case you forgot, provides hemoglobin for your body, which are the parts of red blood cells that carry oxygen to your body. The more oxygen the hemoglobin carries, the faster your brain works. Who doesn’t want their brain to work faster when finals roll around?
2. Fruit. Fruit can fulfill that need for something sweet and will also fill you up more than a candy bar or energy drink. With the weather starting to turn, check your local grocery store for those delicious seasonal fruits that have no doubt just started to appear.
3. Water. I don’t want to wax poetic on how good water is for you because a) I’m not your first grade teacher and b) you should know this by now. It hydrates and is about 98% of you, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t want to run out to the drugstore, buy a huge bottle of it right now, and start chugging.
4. Vitamins. Multivitamins increase brain functionality so I’d say they’re a safe bet to have when exams roll around. For those of you who aren’t into gigantic horse pills, go out and buy some Flintstone vitamins.
And always remember to:
- Eat small meals close together, not large meals spread apart
- Control your portions
- Have a well-balanced meal right before you take your exam
- Keep a light snack like granola or fruit on you
- Exercise
