It’s 2am, and as you look over your lecture notes, your professor’s PowerPoint slides, and try to get through one more grueling chapter of reading, everything starts to blur together. Thoughts of dropping out of school and maybe taking up street performing, exploiting your talent for juggling, or maybe becoming a travelling musician, cross your mind. As you contemplate these less than helpful thoughts you absent-mindedly reach for the bag of chips lying on the table and a gulp of a fructose loaded energy drink washes down the handful of greasy goodness.
If anything about this picture sounds familiar then one, you know it’s finals week and two, you’re aware of the fact that during finals week many of us turn into junk food garbage disposals, consuming anything and everything that we think will help get us through sleepless nights of studying.
There’s no doubt that finals week food cravings will hit and we’ll be all the more susceptible to them because of the increased amounts of stress, lack of time, and need to stay awake. While it’s understandable that we eat more unhealthily during finals week, there are cheap, healthier alternatives that’ll help keep you going.
To get your caffeine fix try skipping the Monster which, in a 16 oz. can, contains 200 calories, 160 mg of caffeine and 27 g of sugar. Instead try any variety of black tea which, according to mayoclinic.com, can contain up to 120 mg of caffeine in only an 8 oz. cup. A Grande (16 oz.) Black Shaken Iced Tea at Starbucks contains only 80 calories and 21 g of sugar, plus you get the added benefits of the antioxidants naturally found in tea.
If you frequent Starbucks enough look into getting a Starbucks card, which earns you greater benefits the more you use it, one being free refills on drip or iced coffees and teas. With energy drinks around $2.83 a pop, getting free refills at Starbucks is definitely more cost efficient.
While at Starbucks, especially in the wee hours of the morning, since the UCI Starbucks is open 24 hours during finals week, you might be tempted to grab a pastry just to satisfy your sweet tooth. Try to resist. While the teas and plain coffee might be a good deal both nutritionally and financially, the food is quite the opposite.
While the average $1.99 price for the baked goods seems innocent enough, the nutrition you get for that price is not worth it. While studying it’s easy to mindlessly eat and before you know it you’ll have consumed the 460 empty calories that is a blueberry scone. The density of scones, bagels, and muffins, especially when consumed late at night and when not being very active, can leave you feeling heavy and sluggish.
Instead opt for fresh or dried fruit, equally sweet but with tons more nutrients and no artificial or processed ingredients. Bananas are great because of their fiber content, which will leave you feeling full and satisfied, and their Vitamin B and C levels which help boost the immune system are helpful for those who are sleep-deprived and low on energy.
If you’re in the mood for something salty, instead of immediately reaching for the Doritos or Cheetos, as tempting as they are, try popping a bag of popcorn, just make sure it’s not of the “extra butter” variety. Popcorn still has the crunch and saltiness that you’re craving but with significantly less calories. On average 10 chips contains 75 calories while 3 cups of microwave popcorn contains 110. Not too bad, but if you really want to make the most of your snacking try these ideas from self.com: 1 cup unshelled edamame(soybeans),120 calories; 1/4 cup hummus, 3 carrot sticks, 80 calories; 1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Chili con Queso, 18 baked tortilla chips, 140 calories. The first two options are definitely more nutritionally valuable and will help keep you feeling refreshed instead of bloated.
Remember studying for finals is more of a marathon than a sprint, so when cravings hit eat things that will help keep you going, not make you crash a little while after you eat them. Good luck Anteaters!
Sources:
Mayoclinic.com
Self.com
weight-loss.families.com