Improving Your Diet, Improving Yourself
by Mary Anne Feeney

Originally published in 2000 on studentadvantage.com.

It's 11 p.m. You had two cups of coffee this morning, a Coke during lecture, a latte with a friend after dinner. You're starting to think of bed, only you have a huge paper due in less than 12 hours. You haven't started it. What's the answer? Usually, throw down another cup of coffee.

In large amounts caffeine lowers the strength of your immune system, causes nervousness, headaches and hinders your ability to concentrate. Yet you continue to guzzle it down. Why? Papers are due, exams are looming, and your friend's throwing a birthday party tomorrow night. Sleep? In your dreams.

While getting the proper amount of sleep is sometimes impossible, there are many ways to increase energy and sharpen your thinking ability by eating and drinking the "right" foods.

Tea Time

First of all, give up the coffee. Substitute it with green or black tea (which have some caffeine) or tea with ginseng or ginko biloba. These teas increase antioxidants in the blood, reduce health risks like stroke and cancer, slow the aging process and give you as much of an energy boost as coffee does — if not more.

Ginkgo biloba is known to boost brain power. It especially helps sharpen short-term memory, so take it about one week before a big exam to help you cram. It comes in liquid and pill form at almost every local drug store or supermarket. Make sure you only take the recommended amount; overdosing will only make you sick.

Powerful Protein

Eating protein with your breakfast before an exam is essential for brainpower. It's been proven to increase mental alertness and help you concentrate better.

Proteins break down into amino acids during digestion, which increase memory and energy levels. Eating fish, chicken or eggs may give you that mental high you need to ace your exam.

Eat eggs for breakfast. They contain a nutrient called choline, which is part of the B-vitamin family and helps increase concentration, memory and alertness.

Carbs Are Good

Carbohydrates are just as important as proteins to ensure a healthy diet that will maximize your performance during finals. According to the University of Minnesota Newslog, when people are stressed they want to increase their levels of serotonin — a neurotransmitter known for its feel-good qualities.

Carbohydrates increase your serotonin levels, putting you in a better mood. That's why we crave junk foods like donuts and cookies when we're stressed or depressed. But although they contain carbohydrates, these foods also contain simple sugars that often cause weight gain and mood swings. You'll go from an energy high to an extreme energy low, leaving you more tired than before.

Instead, for long-term stress relief snack on healthy complex carbs. Foods like whole grains and bananas are great for this. Also, instead of snacking on potato chips and soda, try pretzels and real-fruit juices. Other healthy carb snacks include whole-grain bread or toast, crackers, rice, whole-grain pasta, cereal and fruits and veggies. Carrot sticks are a great vitamin-packed pick-me-up. If you really crave something sweet, try a piece of whole-grain toast with honey and a cup of tea.

The healthy carbs you eat will increase the serotonin in your body, which suppresses pain, appetite and stress. During finals it's especially important to stay away from sweets and large amounts of carbs: Studies have shown that too much glucose hinders memory recall.

Fish Food

Another way to improve how you feel is to eat fish. Some fish, like salmon and tuna, have omega-3, which sharpens memory and helps improve mood. Studies on fish have shown that eating salmon also helps regulate the body's serotonin level and increase memory and brain activity.

How Much?

What you eat is extremely important, but how much you eat is just as key. Always consider the size of your meals. A big meal will contain a large number of calories; this will cause your body to digest more slowly, leaving you with less energy and mental alertness. During finals it is especially important to eat small, low-fat meals and snacks to improve thinking and increase energy.

Try to eat five or six small, healthy meals a day. A tuna sandwich, carrot sticks and juice is a great lunch and pretzels, popcorn and nuts are great snacks. Also, drink lots of water throughout the day. This helps your body maintain its inner balance by regulating body temperature and aiding digestion. This way you can help your body gain maximum results from the healthy food you're eating.

Keep Your Food in Order

In order to maximize these foods' positive effects, pay attention to the order in which you eat them. Nutritionists recommend eating proteins first, followed by a carbohydrate with a fruit or vegetable.

For example, a great breakfast to eat before a final exam is a portion of eggs, followed by a piece of whole-wheat toast with a glass of O.J. and a multivitamin. When taking a multivitamin be sure it includes minerals, which give your body even more energy.

Boost Your System

What's worse than getting no sleep the week before a final from Hell? Being sick on top of that. Lack of sleep weakens your immune system. Fight back.

Vitamin C enhances your immune system. Get this from Oragne Juice. O.J. not only contains vitamin C to fight colds, it also contains folic acid, which is sometimes used to treat depression. Make sure to eat citrus, leafy greens and take supplements before your sleepless week arrives.

Zinc is another very important mineral for boosting your immune system. Take it when you feel a cold coming on; it will help fight your cold and could cut the time you have it in half. Zinc is found in seafood, eggs, soy and some multivitamins. It's also available in drug stores, sometimes within throat lozenges.

It Won't Happen Overnight

One thing to note, though, is that changes won't occur overnight. Feeling the results of your diet change will take time; give it at least one month. Read the labels on everything you consume and experiment with different foods. Not all foods affect people the same way. Stay away from junk food, but see what good foods work for your body.

Reworking your diet will help you develop a healthier lifestyle, which often translates into a happier lifestyle, with less stress and sickness.

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