By: Ashley Cipponeri
With equations, concepts, and vocabulary flying around in your head, finals week leaves little time to stop and think about your diet. Food can make a huge impact on your performance in this last week, so take the little time you do have to implement some of these nutrition tips to keep your brain focused during finals week.
- Hydrate! I bet you never heard of this one before, right? Well even though we are reminded about this advice from so many sources, it is easy to forget about chugging down some H2O throughout your day. Drinking water has a HUGE impact on your body, so my tip is drink a cup before and after every meal and snack so that you will get your 64 ounces of water throughout the day. Plus, drinking water before and after meals will stop you from overeating.
- It is amazing how the kinds of food you put in your body really change your performance. There are certain foods known as “brain foods” that help improve cognitive function and memory. We all need our brains going full power this week, so try adding almonds, eggs, spinach, berries, and fish!
- Try stretching out your meals so that you are eating 5-6 times a day. Eating throughout the day will prevent a lot of your energy going to the digestive system. This strategy will help you stay energized. Plus, taking 6 study breaks to have a little meal sounds good to me!
- Eat breakfast! This tip is another tip that has been reiterated a lot these days, but the thing is, it is so important! There is an unbelievable amount of research backing up the claim that breakfast improves memory and performance. Eating a well –balanced breakfast is key before you start your day of studying and test taking
- Say no to foods high in fat and high in sugar. Not only are these kinds of food linked with weight gain, but they also leave you feeling tired and lethargic. Foods high in fat take more energy to break down, so the rest of your body just feels lazy, which is definitely not the mood you want to be in when you have 3 final exams to study for. Foods high in sugar will make you feel amazing! And then they will leave you with sudden crashes and cravings. Do your best to stay away from these foods so you don’t make your body go on a digestive roller coaster.
- Drink caffeine IF and ONLY if you drink caffeine regularly. Stick with your regular caffeine habits, because that is how your mind has learned to function over the quarter. If you do not usually drink coffee, tea, or soda to get caffeine, but you are feeling tired, you may be missing some B vitamins that can help you stay energized. Try adding some of the brain foods talked about in tip 2, such as almonds, eggs, spinach, berries, and fish, to give you some natural energy.
- Treat yourself! Set a goal, and when you achieve it, let yourself have a delicious treat. Don’t let yourself binge, but let yourself enjoy the food. Some of my favorite treats are dark chocolate acai berries, yogurt covered pretzels, or Cal Poly Chocolates!
Continue to page 2 see a healthy suggested meal plan for finals week!
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One Day Meal Plan:
Breakfast
Whole wheat tortilla
1 egg with 2 egg whites
Pico de gallo and avocado slices
Snack
Apple with peanut butter
Lunch
Tuna sandwich on whole wheat with lots of veggies!
Yogurt
Snack
Buttered sweet potato with sea salt
Dinner
Chicken Breast
Greek Salad
Treat
Dark Chocolate Acai Berries
Don’t have time to make your own meals because you are on campus all day studying and taking final exams? Continue to see our on campus meal plan!
On Campus Meal Plan
Breakfast
Grab and go Cottage cheese and fruit
Two hard boiled eggs
Snack
Grab and go Apples and Peanut Butter
Lunch
Sandwich factory’s pesto hummus wrap with turkey
Yoplait light yogurt
Snack
Celery and Carrot sticks w/ ranch
Dinner
The Ave salad bar!
Vegan Chili
Breadsticks
Treat
Candy Bar