What To Eat Before An Exam: The Best Brain Foods - Freshered
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What To Eat Before An Exam: The Best Brain Foods

Jasmyne Jeffery May 25, 2023

It’s currently exam season and students will be revising and more to prepare. However, one way you can help your body out is with the food you eat! Wanting your brain to be in the best shape possible, here is what to eat before an exam.

What you eat before your exam may not be a priority, and that’s understandable. Already, there’s figuring out how many hours you should revise in a day, as well as keeping track of what exam is when.

However, keeping your body well nourished can make all the difference to your results. It probably won’t make your grades change drastically, but it could mean a few extra marks here and there.

Why What You Eat Before An Exam Is Important

It might seem like a minor thing, but it genuinely may help you.

Firstly, being well-nourished means that you won’t be concentrating on how hungry you are or when lunch is instead of the questions in front of you.

Some foods may give you a temporary lift, but crashing in the middle of your exam isn’t ideal. Some food and drink will make you feel lethargic or make you too hyper-aware to concentrate.

One thing that normally is missed, is the texture and taste of what you eat. You should consider if what you eat before your exam will leave a bad or distracting taste during your exam. This is the same with if you end up with something stuck in your teeth. It’s an unusual one, but it should definitely be considered.

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The Best Foods For Your Brain Before An Exam

Now, we have some food tips that are best to choose from and some specific foods great for the morning of your exam. Plus, some things to try and avoid.

If you have something as a treat and realise it was on the ‘avoid’ list, it’s not the end of the world. After all, its exam season and treats should definitely be had! Just be mindful of your meal just before an exam.

A great breakfast would be oats of some kind as they’re really filling and slow-releasing, plus they have a lot of toppings. Nuts are good brain food, as well as dark chocolate and all that sounds like a good start to the day to me.

Eggs are another great choice as they contain choline, which is great for your memory. This would be good with any last-minute revision the night before.

If your exam is in the afternoon, fish contains omega 3 which will well renowned for being good brain food. This will help your brain function be at its best.

Anything containing vitamin C, like berries, or vitamin E is also beneficial for the brain. This could be a good snack to tide you over, just watch out for those seeds!

Carbs are also filling, so you won’t suffer from some mid-exam stomach grumbles!

We recommend avoiding large amounts of sugar the night before and the morning of your exam. Though they may help with energy in the short run, your blood sugar levels will crash. That’s the same for energy drinks and or too much caffeine too.

If you’re brain is engaged properly, then you’re more likely to pick up those extra marks!

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Jasmyne Jeffery is a full-time Entertainment and News Writer on university-themed website Freshered and HITC, and joined the company having previously worked in a freelance role. She attended the University of South Wales where she was also a student blogger and graduated in 2022 with a first-class honours degree in English and Creative Writing. Now, she puts her creativity to use reviewing university bars, Love Island episodes and the latest apps any 18-25-year-old is using.