Students suggest breakfast to energize during finals week


Rachel Norman thinks breakfast is essential during finals week. 

Other than that, the Saginaw freshman eats Nutella, pizza and "whatever's in the dining hall" for finals week. Norman said she also drinks a lot of coffee. 

Oscoda sophomore Taylor Morse, who is majoring in exercise science and minoring in nutrition, also said skipping breakfast is a bad idea.

She said whole grains are a good energy source, so eating a breakfast that includes complex carbs rather than refined carbs and sugars can help students stay energized as they prepare for and take their final exams.

"You want to have whole grains, so if you can get oatmeal that's natural, get that," Morse said. "A lot of people think oatmeal from the store is really healthy but it actually has a lot of fat and sugar. It's really bad."

For energy, Morse recommends bananas, nuts and natural peanut butter.

"Really I would say to just try to cut out processed, greasy foods because that's really going to slow you down throughout the day and it's not going to fuel your energy," Morse said.

Health sciences assistant professor Naveen Sharma said students should generally keep doing what they've been doing, because "quick fixes" are often more harmful than helpful. 

He said if students are considering drinking a lot of coffee to stay awake, they should think about whether or not they normally consume a lot of caffeine.

"(Drinking caffeine to stay awake) is doing a lot of other negative things," said Sharma. "It makes people edgy, their concentration actually sort of wanes, you have a hard time sleeping and one of the key things is making sure you get enough rest."

He said students don't have to chug excessive amounts of caffeine, because rest is most important. 

According to him, finals week isn't a time students should try out new "brain foods" for energy.

"You hear about all of these brain foods, but it's really debatable in terms of if these foods actually do anything for your intelligence," Sharma said. 

Morse said her diet during finals week is pretty much the same as her normal diet, which includes whole grains, fruits and vegetables. 

Sharma said being stressed during exams is inevitable for students, but they can manage that stress with a better diet and exercise. According to him, students can learn to be healthier for next semester.

"Think of this as day one, so by the time the next exams come around, you're already in that routine," Sharma said. "People think of it as an ending of a semester but you can also think of it as a fresh start to a healthier lifestyle."

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