7 Fab Foods for Finals

One too many a collegiette knows the embarrassment of having her stomach growl loudly in an otherwise silent room during an exam. During one memorable test, a TA actually asked me to move my seat because I couldn’t stop laughing at my friend beside me while her stomach screamed out in hunger. This finals season, don’t get caught with your belly empty! Fuel up with these seven foods that not only satisfy your hunger but also don’t taste like cardboard.

1. 
   Utz’s No Salt Added Potato Chips: I know it might sound lame, but these chips are amazing. I love salty chips just as much as the next girl, but I hate feeling bloated even more. These chips have the crunch you crave from classic chips without the added water retention.

2. Soy Milk: There’s no way I could ever convince you to swap your coffee for a water bottle to keep your study sessions going late into the night. But what you may not know is adding foods rich in isoflavones like soy milk to your diet can improve your memory. So go ahead and pour yourself another cup of joe, but change the cream or milk to soy, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll have those flashcards down pat.

3. Fage Total 2% Strawberry Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is trendy, but some can leave a taste in your mouth reminiscent of, well, vomit. Gross, I know, but I can’t think of anything else to describe it. This version from Fage tastes like heaven, if heaven tasted like strawberry cheesecake. The yogurt is so thick it is more like a dessert, especially topped with the sweet strawberries that come conveniently separated compartment. Plus one serving has 12 grams of protein to fill you up and keep you going as the quiet floor in Snell begins to empty out.

4. 
   Quaker True Delights Wild Blueberry Muffin Instant Oatmeal: I’m not going to bore you with reasons why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Everyone already knows that, and they also know most of us don’t have time for breakfast as we’re running over to Richards our 8am final. Whenever my roommate made this instant oatmeal, our apartment smelled like real blueberry muffins. I was bummed when I found out there weren’t any actually homemade baked goods, but that disappointment quickly faded once I tried the stuff.

5. Trader Joe’s Dried Apricots: Don’t judge, but I think apricots get a bad reputation. I mean really, who would eat an apricot over an apple or a peach? But these actually taste like gummy candies, only their sugars are completely natural and are fat-free–just don’t overdo them. They are half the size of a normal fruit but still have the same number of calories.

6. 
   Symphony Sushi’s Spicy Tuna Roll: Fish like salmon and tuna are packed with omega-3-fatty acids that are good for your brain, but they aren’t exactly the easiest things to pack into a Tupperware and bring to the lib. Sushi is an easy way to get around that, plus Symphony will deliver to Snell so you don’t even have to cross Huntington! Ask for brown rice instead of white to drop calories and load up on filling fiber.

7. And once finals are over, go to Conor’s, order the buffalo chicken nachos and a pitcher, and celebrate. Eat yourself into a food (not beer! Food!) coma and get some sleep until Summer  classes start…