Say no to revision pizza (I’m serious!)

Dominoes may be a website away (don’t do it), but scoffing down an Extra Large Pepperoni the day before your all-important exam is not going to help your body absorb any more information, or help with your stress levels, or really give you any benefits (except for satiety and fulfilled impulsive tendencies).

 

Now let’s be honest, we all want some miracle to aid us with intense revision. It turns out that certain foods we eat can be great energy components to further motivate you to do work (potentially). Unfortunately in this case, pizza is not the answer to everything. In fact, most junk food is not going to be featured on this list, so throw away your biscuits and get that Tesco shop at the ready:

 

Make sure to have:

 

• BREAKFAST! If you ask any of my friends, I am quite known for handing out disappointing faces whenever someone says that they’ve skipped the most important meal of the day. However, breakfast provides the body with fuel after the overnight fast and so without it, you’re pretty much running on empty. Starting the day with foods such as porridge oats or eggs is both quick to make and will fill you up for a substantial amount of day. Benefits of breakfast include restoring glucose levels and improving cognitive function to get your morning revision on track.

 

• Healthy snacks! Whether you’re revising in the library, coffee shop or in bed, you may need snacks in between your three meals to keep you going. But don’t use this as an excuse to whip out the Mars bars, as there are plenty of nutritious snacks such as dried fruit, nuts and seeds. They may not sound very glamorous, but the amount of vitamins and energy they release will keep you from reaching for the high sugar stuff later on.

 

• Water! This is an obvious one, but most of us don’t even manage half of our recommended daily amount (2 litres). Water hydrates us, enhances concentration levels, and costs way less than coffee (although that shouldn’t be a reason to discourage you from caffeinated substances, they are good in moderation!)

 

• Oily Fish! Not the most popular of meal choices, but being rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and protein, it acts as a ‘brain boosting supplement’ so is great for end of the day consumption if your next activity is relaxing after a long day of revising, or doing some late night reading/flash card writing.

 

By reading this list you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t given loads of examples of alternative foods to eat if you simply can’t stand the stuff I’ve mentioned above (a good example of this is my friend that can’t stand fruit or veg of any kind). This is simply a guide to healthy foods that you can enjoy and potentially obtain better revision strategics.

 

As for now, good luck with revising, and remember: