The time has finally arrived, another semester coming to an end. It’s the season of submerging our brains into our laptops and textbooks full of endless information; late nights of staring at our screens with a side of stress and overconsumption of energy drinks.
When passing classes is the only thought we have when studying for exams, you can fail and ignore the proper nutrition needed to stay energized. Unfortunately, you may be overlooking some better snack options to nourish our bodies for the better. Here is a list of brain foods that may help fuel your brain for exams:
Nuts
A handful of trail mix with walnuts, cashews, and almonds would be an easy way to snack while studying. Their high levels of fatty acids and Vitamin E can promote brain performance to reach its full potential. In addition, allowing more oxygen to flow into the brain would keep all your creative and academic juices flowing. You can put it in a zip-lock bag, take it around, or even pop some before the exam to help retain information.
Fun Fact: A study conducted on 64 college students showed that adding walnuts to their diet for eight weeks resulted in an 11.2 percent improvement with verbal information.
Dark chocolate
As much as its consumption can increase blood sugar, dark chocolate is a better alternative than candy bars or gummy bears. If consumed at a moderate level, it can enhance concentration due to its natural stimulants. It can also reduce stress levels and calm you down since it is a stimulant for producing endorphins.
Try not to fall into the temptation of munching on the processed chocolate bars from the store—even though the higher the percentage of dark chocolate, the more bitter, the better. This is the perfect excuse to eat chocolate and use it to motivate you not to give up when feeling mentally exhausted.
coffee
Yes, coffee. From cold brews to iced lattes and macchiatos. The caffeine in coffee is your savior and boosts your energy levels until it doesn’t. Its antioxidants would not be harmful when keeping you awake and alert through it all.
Limit to two cups with the least added sugars and creamers since it can result in a crash and spike your sugar levels. Other options include matcha and tea, considering the strength of coffee leads to only a short-term focus boost. But, as long as the jitteriness is not too distracting, you should be fine speed running with a cup of coffee.
berries
Vibrant in color, berries like blueberries are filled with antioxidants, Vitamins K, and C. They protect our brains from going into a spiral of stress and deterioration due to their high levels of gallic acid. Plus, they are small and easy to snack on on the go!
Other beneficial fruit options include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit.
avocados and eggs
I combined these two brain foods because they can make the perfect recipe. There are eggs on one side, rich in nutrients like Vitamin B12 for brain function. On the other hand, avocados are healthy fats filled with vitamins B and C. It is even high in protein and regulates your blood levels, as well.
Rather than a snack, avocado toast with an egg on the side or top would be the ideal pre-exam breakfast. Eating something in the morning that will bolster your energy and be easy on your stomach before a lengthy final is beneficial. Of course, you may personalize it by adding your favorite toppings, whether tomato, cheese, turkey, or hot sauce.
Realistically, it might be hard to add all these foods every day of the week while studying, but it wouldn’t hurt to try to include at least some of them into your diet. Even after finals, these are amazing and healthy alternatives to substitute if you care about your physical and mental health. So now, with these superfoods or your favorite snacks, go ace and kill all your exams!
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