What to Eat Before a Test
Test – the word itself sends chills down the spine of many a student, taking away their appetite and desire to sleep. There’s a scramble to learn as much as possible in the shortest possible time. There’s no time to take a bite or get a wink of sleep. But that’s not good practice. Students need to eat healthily before a test.
Typically, before taking tests conducted in the morning, students should consume protein-rich foods such as eggs, nuts, yogurt and cottage cheese for breakfast. Food such as spicy or fried food should be avoided as these tend to make the stomach heavy and could cause some discomfort. High school students sometimes take a cup of coffee to perk them up and keep sleep away. Of course, this depends on parental permission.
Tests that are conducted in the afternoons or evenings are more difficult to take. This is because the body generally seeks some rest in the afternoon. Therefore, it is important that before taking tests held in the afternoon or evenings, students should eat a balanced meal, including protein and fruits, such as bananas, apples, oranges. You could also keep healthy snacks like protein bars with you to nibble on between exams. Avoid spicy dishes, yogurt (especially the sour ones), rice, pizzas and burgers, since these create heaviness in the stomach and can adversely affect your attention span, alertness, and consequently performance levels.
Before and during the exam, drink enough water to keep hydrated, as dehydration may cause you to lose focus or feel tired during the test.
Finally, you may want to consider having a cup of yoghurt or fruit, both of which contain serotonin, on the night before the test. Serotonin relaxes the mind and can help you fall asleep.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Exam Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.