By all means it is no surprise that all and any exam preparation periods are hectic; as we are trounced by all the study materials, trying to cram as many definitions and equations into our brains. During this time, we unintentionally tend to neglect various important healthy habits as we force ourselves to stay up really late, skip proper meals and avoid physical exercises. In particular, with both our bodies and minds under a great deal of stress, it becomes difficult to control how much of and what we eat. You may have realized from past experience that depending solely on the willpower to stay up late hasn’t worked out so well and have reached out for mid-night snacks, but then have ended up over-eating.
Stress-induced eating is even worse because the snacks are typically ‘junkier’ than normal and they tend to be sweeter, saltier and greasier. Scientists have proven that foods high in sugar and fat give the brain a sense of temporary relief and ease, which explains why the more stressed we are, the more unhealthy we tend to eat. Furthermore, although concentrating actually uses up energy and makes us believe that we are hungry, more often the ‘hunger’ we feel is not physical hunger. It is known as emotional hunger and it comes from stress; which means during exams, we not only eat to satisfy our stomach but our emotions.
But we do deserve to eat what makes us feel happy during these times because studying can be tedious. Nonetheless, there needs to be a balance between healthy snacks and simple junk foods because it is extremely important to eat right. So don’t open up that pack of chips (because you know you are going to finish them before you know it) and try out these healthier simple recipes. Let’s eat right and ace those exams!
Our recommended study snack ingredient is peanut butter. Many people believe that peanut butter is bad for your health and is fattening with its relatively high calories, but a serving of peanut butter is the source of various nutritional minerals, vitamins, protein and healthy monounsaturated fat. Classic peanut butter snacks would include toast, but we recommend you try the recipe for Banana Dog Bites or Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Smoothie. Bananas are ideal snack for anytime during the day because they contain a lot of fiber and are rich in many vitamins. Some of these vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin B6 and magnesium help improve cognitive functions and optimize the brain functions. Also rich in both tryptophan and tyrosine, bananas help you regulate your mood to ease the stress and tension while helping you stay calm and focused. Alternatively, you can choose apples instead of bananas because during October you can get even more delicious apples. The best part of these well planned snacks is that the fiber will make you feel full longer to prevent you from reaching for other snacks, and the natural sugars and carbohydrates will give you both the quick and slow release of energy so that you can study longer with your body more wide awake.
There are of course the obvious healthy snack choices like carrot sticks, tomatoes or some other vegetables. But while studying, it is better to give our body balanced nutritional snacks which consists of protein, carbohydrates and even fats because they help you enhance your study progress. Besides, while the calorie intakes may be similar to cookies, the proportions of nutrients differ and going into the kitchen to make yourself some snacks should also be stress-releasing!