Food

There are some really simple ways you can keep your brain in tip top condition with food and drinks in the run up to and during exams. Here are some top tips:

Water and fluids

Drink loads of them to keep the brain hydrated and help you with your concentration levels. Water is the most important, so try to drink at least 6-8 glasses each day. Milk and pure juice are good as well.

Avoid energy drinks and sugary fizzy drinks if you can – the sugar levels can make you a bit speedy, and may not help you to stay at your desk.

If you feel a bit snoozy, try to avoid caffine drinks such as coffee and cola. Although they might give you a temporary boost, they can leave you with an energy ’slump’ and you may end up feeling anxious and irritable.

Eat regularly

When your blood sugar levels drop so does your concentration. Try to have regular meal/snack breaks to keep you in tip top form. Too many carbs in one go, such as bread, might make you a bit sleepy afterwards, so don’t overload on them during the day.

Avoid sugary foods

Avoid snacking on high sugar, high fat foods, like chocolate, sweets, crisps and cheap sausage rolls, or similar. These are not very useful foods to keep you going.

Have food by your work area that you can beat the boredom with – like nuts, dried fruits, carrot, cucumber sticks and cherry tomatoes (I know – how dull?!). Celery sticks are a really good thing to crunch on if you are feeling stressed - exercise those jaw muscles!

Take meal breaks

Before you start your day’s revision, make sure you plan what time you will stop for lunch and dinner. Decide what you are going to eat, and stick to it! Carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes, rice cakes, muffins, paninis etc are a good way to keep your energy up over a long period of time. Add some salad stuff in with them and you will make sure your body and brain get what they need.

Breakfast

Make sure you give yourself a head start by fuelling yourself up before you start your day. Cereal, toast, scrambled eggs, chopped fruit, tinned fruit, a glass of juice, or a bacon sandwich, it doesn’t matter what you choose to eat, but make sure you eat something! This is particularly important on exam days.

Treats

We all need them from time to time, but choose your rewards carefully, and don’t replace real food with them! You could think about activities rather than things to eat. A bit of a dance round the desk can be more revitalising than chocolate - really!

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Food video transcript (MS Word)