Healthy Eating is Key

Red Bull, Starbucks, McDonald’s or a late-night pizza – these are popular choices for the hungry, sleep-deprived college student cramming for finals. However, these high-calorie cravings will not provide energy during the chaos Finals Week brings.

Instead, healthy eating habits, sufficient sleep every night and time for personal relaxation are three surefire ways to maintain your strength and sanity.

Judy Trumpy, registered dietitian for Thielen Student Health Center, said planning ahead for a day’s meals can make a balanced diet manageable when short on time to dine.

When pressed for time, many students eat on the go. Unfortunately, time constraints force students to make some unhealthy choices, but it is possible to maintain a healthy diet even when pressed for time. Trumpy advised packing nutritious snacks, such as a homemade trail mix of dried fruit and nuts or vegetables and dip to eat on the run. Also, yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables, low-sodium canned soup, whole-grain crackers, cereal and bread are a few healthy suggestions Trumpy offered for last-minute meals.

No matter how tired you find yourself, Trumpy said to avoid energy drinks.

“I have yet to find any one ingredient that will give you energy,” Trumpy said.

She referred to a can of Enviga, a newly launched sparkling energy drink by Nestea. She said many beverages, such as Enviga, emphasize the fact they contain green tea.

“When you get a beverage that claims to have this [green tea], you get very little of the actual tea,” she said. “You’re better off just brewing your own.”

Use your resources

Marking due dates and exam times in a planner or calendar will help you plan ahead come Finals Week, said Shannon Young, clinical graduate assistant at Student Counseling Services. Make a list of everything you need to accomplish for the week and check it off when you finish a task.

Young said some professors make old exams available on reserve at the library. She advised students to take advantage of this and familiarize themselves with questions prior to testing.

Students who could use assistance or improvement in studying and organization techniques should also consider contacting the Academic Success Center.

The ASC has several resources to help students, including academic consulting and tutoring. Academic consultants can assist students with creating a game plan for how to best prepare for their upcoming finals, Young said.

The Game Plan

You need to be selfish about your body. Allow it time to exercise and feed it healthy foods. If you feel good physically, you are more likely to succeed mentally.

“When you exercise, you just feel better. People are less likely to put themselves first around this stressful time,” said Samantha Jones, senior in dietetics.

Young said to not ignore what your body tells you.

“Students don’t usually realize this, but stress lowers immune system functioning and mental acuity. Getting sleep and eating right are basic needs that are easy to forget when pulling all-nighters,” Young said.

The most important things to remember to keep your energy level from dropping are: Cut the junk food, don’t skimp on sleep and get at least a half-hour of physical activity every day.

Keep these tips in mind and you’ll make it through this week.

The do’s and don’ts of Finals Week

Don’t deprive yourself of sleep.

Do break your work load down into a manageable daily amount.

Do take study breaks to relieve your brain.

Don’t forget to exercise – it will make you feel better.

Do allow yourself to relax – no one can study 24/7.

What should I eat?

Energy drinks are a waste of money.

Coffee and diet soda are relatively inexpensive options when in need of caffeine.

To quench your thirst, try an herbal tea.

Stay hydrated, and drink at least eight glasses of water per day.

Baked snack foods are high in sodium.