As a student with so much to learn and retain, especially during exams, you need to incorporate health practices that will positively impact your brain. If you didn’t know, there are good foods to eat before a test and they are easily accessible.

Apart from eating healthy food, students also have to stay hydrated and get enough sleep, especially as they approach exams. Luckily, these days you can choose to use an using an open database of college essays for academic purposes to reduce the time spent on college assignments. It is a rich resource for topics tackled in college, with plenty of free essay samples for reference and information.

A good resource with free essay samples is one with topics on almost all areas of study, including business, sociology, health, and literature. It will also help if the articles are interesting to read to give you a different taste from regular textbooks. The faster you can manage to clear your assignments, the sooner you can get home and prep healthy brain food for studying.

If you aren’t already eating the foods below, you need to incorporate them into your diet not only when aiming for high grades but also for your overall brain health.

Foods That Support Student Brain Activity

1) Berries

They include blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries and are known to contain anthocyanins that increase blood flow to the brain as well as protect it from inflammation. A study conducted among 40 participants that drank smoothies containing raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and blackberry showed them to respond faster to tasks than those in a placebo group. Berries, also rich in antioxidants, are known to promote the growth of cells that enhance memory and learning. Since this development does not happen overnight, you may want to get started way before your exam prep.

2) Leafy Greens

Your kale, spinach, and broccoli are not only great for the skin but also clear pathways to the brain to enhance learning. They are also loaded with vitamins B6 and B12, known for improving alertness and memory. Leafy veggies such as spinach and kale can be turned into smoothies if you aren’t up to the whole preparation. A little steaming will have you eating a healthy meal of broccoli in no time.

3) Dark Chocolate and Cocoa

Here’s a good one for healthy snacks for studying; dark chocolate. If leafy green smoothies aren’t your thing – but you still have to take them for your brain – you can down them with a chunk of chocolate.  Cocoa products are flavonoid-rich, a compound that has been said to enhance brain function.

What Foods You Shouldn’t Eat Before Exams

1) Cherry Juice

Now, in the evening, just before you sleep, you may want to have a glass of cherry juice; just not during the day when writing an exam on foreign languages. This delicious juice is high in melatonin that is known to soothe you straight to sleep. You don’t want that to happen right in the middle of one of the toughest subjects of your school life, do you?

2) Foods High in Processed Sugars

You know what they say of sugar highs; you feel good for a short while, then crash and burn right after. The last thing you want to do is lose your energy and be disoriented during an exam. All products high in processed sugar are not ideal for this period of your life.

3) Junk Food

Oily food takes too long to be digested by the body and could make you feel drowsy just when your brain needs all the focus. Add to that its effects on your waistline if your metabolism is a little slower than normal, and you have nothing good to say about those fries.

Nutritional Tips for Better College Grades

1) Prep your Meals

Choose a time of day or the week to prep your food, so you only have to fetch it from the fridge when it’s mealtime. Preparation reduces the chances of being sucked into junk food or failing to eat your veggies. Easy steps lead to success.

2) Keep them Simple

Find the simplest way to cook your food while retaining its nutritional value. Where possible, go for methods that do not interfere with your high school or college education. Smoothies take no time to make, and they are packed with nutritional goodness.

3) Be Consistent and Intentional

You want to choose a healthy life not only when sitting exams but all the time too. When you make eating healthy a habit, you will not need to rush at the last minute with the hope of magically salvaging your academic life.  

Make it a Habit

Following a healthy eating plan is great for your brain during and before exams but even more beneficial if adopted for the long-run. Healthy eating is one of the topics that will never grow old because it is essential for a generally good lifestyle. You don’t have to start with all the brain food in the database; just small steps each day with one superfood at a time.