What To Eat Before An Exam? Find Out Here!

What Can You Eat Before Exam?

Many people get nervous before an exam, but it’s not always just because of the exam itself. Maybe you’re feeling tired, hungry, or just plain nervous.

There are plenty of foods that can help you get ready for an exam. Before the exam, be sure to eat some complex carbs, which will give you energy.

The complex carbs in nuts will give you the energy you need to stay awake, while the complex carbs in legumes will keep you full so you can focus on your exam.

If you feel you’re getting starving, try to eat source of protein rich food, which will not only keep you full, but will also provide you with sustained energy.

Taking a pre-exam meal can help a student perform better on a test. Eat a wholesome breakfast.

Consuming a healthy breakfast is very helpful in preparing your mind for the exam.

Whether you’re preparing for your high school final, college entrance exam, law exam, medical exam, or just want to feel well-rested before you go to sleep, there is some brain food you can eat before taking an exam.

In this article, I will tackle the foods you should eat and not to eat. Let’s start!

Best Foods to Eat before Exam

It’s exam time and you don’t have the time to prepare all those tasty and nutritious meals! Well, don’t worry!

Here we will show you the foods that are the best to eat before exams.

They will help you stay strong and boost your energy during all those busy days and will also help you study better and concentrate on the exam.

The best foods to eat before an exam are those foods that will help you focus and give you energy.

1. Whole grains

The best thing about whole grains is they contain all three macronutrients. They have more fibre than refined versions and they take longer to digest.

This means you won’t experience any kind of sugar rush after eating them. That is why whole-grain breads taste great even when you don’t have time to prepare anything else.

And if you have time, you’ll enjoy having something warm and delicious waiting for you at home.

2. Nuts

These tiny little seeds pack a lot of nutrition into their small package. If you love almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, cashews, and more.

Then these nutty treats should make appearances during exams. Just remember to limit yourself to one serving per day, as too much could cause indigestion. 

 3. Beans

Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, white beans, soybeans and others.

All this goodness comes from proteins, carbohydrates, source vitamin, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemical, and other essential compounds.

So whether you choose regular cooked beans or canned ones, add them to salads, soups, stews, sandwiches, pasta dishes, rice dishes, casseroles, stir-fries, curries, dips, and sauces.

 4. Fruits

Fruits are another excellent source of natural sugars. But unlike sweets, humans did not process fruits; instead, they grow.

They contain no preservatives, additives, artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, gums, or fillers.

5. Vegetables

You might think vegetables are boring, bland, and tasteless.

However, they have many health benefits, including improving heart health, lowering cholesterol levels, preventing cancer, boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, increasing bone density, and helping prevent weight gain.

Plus, veggies come in various shapes and sizes, making it easy to pick out what works best for you.

6. Dairy Products

Milk products like milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, feta cheese, ice cream, cream, custard, pudding, and creme fraiche contain calcium, which helps build strong bones and teeth.

In addition, they have proven dairy to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, regulate hormones, and protect against diabetes.

It also contains protein, vitamin D, riboflavin, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, sodium, iodine, B12, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, and choline.

7. Eggs

Egg yolks provide most of the body’s need for Vitamin A while egg whites supply half our daily requirement of dietary fat.

Also, source eggs can help increase energy production, promote healthy skin, hair, nails, eyes, and mucous membranes.

8. Lean Meats

Meat provides high-quality protein without lots of saturated fats. Protein keeps your muscles working so they’re stronger, leaner, and better able to handle everyday physical activity.

High quality meat includes beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, grams of fish, fatty fish, organ meats, game animals.

9. Fish and Seafood

Kinds of fish and seafood offer Omega 3 protein or fatty acids, which play an important role in maintaining normal cognitive functioning.

Omega-3 fats may be beneficial because they support proper cell membrane fluidity, maintain nerve conduction speed, strengthen visual acuity, and enhance learning ability.

They also lower triglyceride levels. And eating fatty fish once every two weeks reduces stroke risks by 30%.

10. Sweets

Sweets are delicious treats that often taste great. However, there’s a reason we don’t recommend eating them before exams.

They cause spikes in insulin levels, which makes us hungry again sooner than usual. This leads to overeating later on when we get home.

11. Green Tea

Green tea boosts metabolism and improves overall health. Drinking green tea increases calorie burn and speeds up digestion. These effects lead to increased concentration and improved mood.

Remember: If you feel exhausted, try taking some melatonin before bedtime. It will make you sleep faster, more deeply, and longer.

Melatonin supplements work well as a study aid, especially when combined with caffeine.

Foods you should never eat before taking an exam

In the modern world, exam is always a symbol of hard work and endurance. In addition, being a student means a lot of stress.

Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to the foods you eat before taking exams or other important events.

Here’s what to avoid;

1. Avoid high-fat foods

Red meat causes spikes in insulin levels, making us hungrier soon after we’ve eaten. So if you want to stay focused, avoid red meat at all costs.

2. Avoid too much caffeine

They have shown coffee beans to stimulate brain development, improve memory recall, and create alertness. But too much coffee slows down how quickly food empties from your stomach, causing hunger pangs later on.

3. Avoid greasy foods

Grease ups blood sugar, leaving you feeling sluggish and sleepy. Also, trans fats found in fried foods raise LDL cholesterol and decrease HDL cholesterol levels.

4. Go easy on alcohol

Alcohol dehydrates you, lowering your core temperature and slowing your metabolic rate. Then, when you go to bed, you’ll wake up several times during the night — interfering with your focus.

5. Don’t snack between meals

Snacking interferes with regular concentration of nutrients like vitamins B12 and D. Food cravings happen during this time, making nutrition a challenge.

Don’t eat too much

If you’ve ever been when stress got the best of you, you know how important it is to learn from your mistakes. You can’t learn from them if you keep making the same mistakes.

But even though stress can affect your performance on tests, it’s possible to learn from them if you know the right ways to deal with it.

There are many reasons to eat before taking an exam, but the most important is to give your digestive system time to do its job.

Too much food can cause a lot of problems–from making you feel sluggish and tired during exams to putting you at risk for a heart attack. 

Students who consume too much food before taking an exam are more likely to have a sugar crash after the exam, are more likely to miss questions, and are more likely to become distracted when answering them.

If you find yourself tempted to eat too much before an exam, keep in mind the health benefits of passing up the bag of chips.

Helpful tips

We all know the stress and pressure of exams is enough to make you want to either kill yourself or use a time machine to ensure you never take one, we feel like we can’t prepare you for the test without giving you the basic tools and points of reference.

Here’s a quick tip to your next exam: 

• Have breakfast

Eating a healthy meal first thing in the morning helps keep your energy level steady throughout the day.

Breakfast might include oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, fruit juice, cereal, toast, pancakes, waffles, etc. You can even incorporate whole grains into your diet for added fibre.

A good morning meal helps kick off energy production for the day ahead. Skipping breakfast can leave you irritable, unfocused, and even cranky. Plus, skipping meals disrupts appetite control.

• Drink water

Water flushes out toxins from our system, preventing constipation and headaches. Plus, studies show drinking plenty of H20 keeps our brain functionality sharp.

• Take breaks

If you’re working long hours, take frequent brief breaks to help prevent fatigue-related mistakes. Studies suggest doing enhances productivity.

Final Words

If you are taking an exam soon, it’s best to consume foods that are low sugar, high-protein, and low-glycemic.

These foods will help you stay focused for your exam and energised to give your best performance.

The body needs to be well fed and hydrated to maintain peak performance during a test.

A healthy meal will be the key to getting the best grade, so eat a well-balanced meal before you take your test.