I have finals coming up in the next couple of weeks... was wondering what the best way of living and eating is during these periods. I remember I was having this meal and someone said something like "how can you study having eaten that?" (can't remember what it was lol) which led to this question. I don't really know much about diets and which foods are good for what etc. I'm completely clueless. So I'm not looking to lose weight or anything - just what kind of foods are best to avoid when wanting to study and which are the ones you should be eating e.g. they help with concentration levels etc. Any ideas?
Carbohydrates, so they can get through the blood-brain barrier. This is not a good time to be doing "Atkins". Proteins, also, since they stick with you. Eggs are good. You may not have time to cook; there are some good frozen omelets available that you can microwave. Those seem to work for me. You may wish to eat some sort of candy while studying to keep yourself awake and your blood sugar up. Things that come in small pieces and at least don't have a lot of fat content are good. I usually used Sweettarts - also Skittles, Nerds, Altoids... Caffeine, but NOT in huge doses right before a test. That will just make you jumpy and keep you going in and out of the bathroom. Before the test, keep it close to normal. If you're just up writing a paper, on the other hand, go for it. Bottom line - do whatever you have to do/ need to do. Keep it balanced and include a lot of protein just so you'll feel better. (in other words, don't live off chips and cookies alone)
Isabel, thanks for the tips. Yeah, I need to stay away from too much caffeine. So when I'm studying I should try and stay away from having too much? I usually have some energy drinks to keep going while doing essays... I guess I will be keeping away from those while I try to memorize things. This has actually made me think about how bad my diet is. Seriously, classic college student but worse.
I lived on this stuff in High School... that and a healthy diet of Vita Pups and Harrisment's left over ritalin.
When I was studying for the GRE, I tried a few things and came up with a pretty decent regimen-type thing. Drink LOTS of water -- I found that water was much better than anything else like coke or whatever. I just "felt better" after drinking water versus drinking coke. For food, go for simple, low grease, low fat foods. I usually fared well with the turkey sandwich at subway. I would usually go to the library with a gallon of water and a bag of mini york peppermint patties. IMO it worked great for helping to keep me focused and feeling good. Then when I'd go eat, I'd get that subway sandwich and then get back to studying. Strangely enough, sometimes a beer or two would help also, but I wouldn't really recommend that.
Just eat a well balanced diet and make frequent trips of fresh air walks and stretching. Lot's of water - no booze. I wouldn't even drink caffeine, but that's just me. It wouldn't hurt getting in the habit of taking a good multi-vitamin (I buy Now products). You could also take CoQ10, B and C, Lecithin Granuales, but that's just me. Of course I also take a calcium/magnesium supplement as well as Amino Acids, Omega 3/6/9, E, and Zinc. I'm a vito nut, but it has helped health problems that I had in the past (sleeping, digestion, awareness). Good luck on the studies.
Sleep is not required. I went ahead and pulled multiple all nighters this week! I'm getting in the finals routine
tyrosine and/or free form aminos on an empty stomach in the morning (neurotransmitter precursor) aspirin w/ caffeine (makes the caffeine last longer) acetyl l-carnitine (not after lunch, can mess with your sleep) sleep is required; much is loaded to memory during sleep small meals (need your blood supply in the brain, not the stomach) don't do mass carbs before test...makes you sleepy as serotonin levels increase if you dose up on sugar, be prepared for low blood sugar about 2 hours later when your insulin has outlasted the sugar DHA is good brain food (esp if you're doing low fat), but may not impact short-term mental acuity ginkgo may increase blood flow to the brain (never noticed much, myself) good luck
REDBULL, all you need my friend. REDBULL and pizza. If you only have enough money to continuously intake redbull or pizza, pick the REDBULL. I loved that stuff, though if you consume a 4 pack in a span of 14 hours (all nigher plus two tests), it can feel like hell after the test. I think I was shivering and in some sort of pain when I was crashing. But hey this is college, you're young, don't worry about it too much
Redbull makes me way too jumpy - helps to keep me stay awake while doing an essay but doesn't really help with concentration however. ginkgo - I remember that now, seemed to help at the time and even if it might have been psychological - I'll take it!
Adderall or Ritalin. you can literally buy these at our library come finals time (from students, not the school).
Dude, you just need to balance out redbull with some liquor or weed JK, I don't know, Redbull usually does it's job and doesn't hurt me too much when I needed it. It's the after effects that really made stay away from it when I can now. Though I do like the taste.
Adderrall, coffee, and lots and lots of cigarettes. Oh ya, and if u stick to this regimen for a week or however long your finals are, you can expect to lose about 5 pounds because if u take adderrall you could smoke a few bowlz and still not have an appetite.
