The Science of a good diet to good grades

A long exam is like a mental marathon in which endurance is critical. Nutritionists emphasize the importance of healthy eating habits at this stressful time. They say the right food and drink can energize your system, improve your alertness and sustain you through the long exam hours. The wrong dietary choices can make you feel sluggish, jittery, or burned out. What you eat before your exams could affect your final grade! Lots of chocolate, crisps and energy drinks are often eaten in place of normal meals to “keep energy levels up”. However, this is not only harmful to your long-term health, but can negatively affect your exam performance.
The better the fuel your brain gets, the better you’ll study. It’s a…well…no-brainer.

So, what should I be eating if possible?

Oily fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel contain lots of protein and omega 3, which is essential to keep a functioning brain working well. Eggs for breakfast – these contain antioxidants and protein – boiled, poached or sunny side up. Vegetables and fruit. The natural sugars in fruit offer clean energy, so you don’t experience the crash that follows consumption of refined sugar, banana’s would be a good choice. Not all vegetables are created equal. For example, spinach has more to offer the mind and body than iceberg lettuce. Other great vegetable choices include bell peppers, broccoli and sweet potatoes, these give you much needed minerals and vitamins and also help relieve, shall I say, number 2 problems – maybe caused by eating too many eggs! Peanut butter – honest! I know it contains fats but it also contains proteins. A little will keep you full for a long time.

Stay well hydrated and choose your beverages well, though caffeine and sugar should be kept to a minimum since too much caffeine can make you jittery, try to drink moderate amounts. Better choices include water, fruit juice, milk, and anti-oxidant-rich green tea. It's a good idea to start the day with a big glass of water or a hot drink such as fruit tea. The European Food Safety Authority recommends women drink about 1.6 litres of fluid a day and men 2 litres, that's eight to ten 200ml glasses. Water is ideal, but healthy drinks such as milk or fruit juice count, tea and coffee count too, but are high in caffeine.

It's best to avoid fizzy and energy drinks, which are high in sugar, as they'll lead to energy peaks and troughs. Take a bottle of water into the exam, but take the label off. A study of university students found that those who brought drinks, especially water, with them into the exam performed on average 5% better than those who didn't.

What's the best breakfast on exam days?
Research shows that those who eat breakfast tend to perform better in exams. For the best breakfast, include slow-release carbohydrates, such as whole rolled porridge oats, whole grain toast with jam or low-sugar muesli, as they provide slow-release energy. Add a protein food, such as milk, yoghurt or eggs, to keep you feeling full for longer. On exam day aim to include a portion of a food rich in long-chain Omega-3 fats, such as smoked mackerel, as they are believed to have brain-boosting properties. A bowl of whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk and a piece of fruit would do the trick. Even if you normally skip breakfast or avoid eating when you are nervous, you should still make the time to eat something. Very simply, your brain needs the energy from food to work efficiently. You need to keep your mental focus on your exam and not on your hunger. It would be a shame to study intensively before your exam and then be too fatigued physically to do your best on exam day.

If you really cannot stomach food, then try having a protein shake or smoothie.

Try to give up crisps as these will fill you up quickly but are relatively low in fibre so you’ll soon feel hungry again. Popcorn is higher in fibre, so it releases its energy slowly, and is lower in calories than crisps, leaving you room for more nutrient-rich foods.

What should you eat before bedtime?
A heavy meal too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep, so try to have your last meal at least three hours before you go to bed. Then have a small snack such as a bowl of high-fibre cereal like porridge just before bedtime. If you need sweetener with cereal, go for dried fruit rather than sugar.

What should you drink at bedtime?
Avoid foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as tea, coffee, cola and chocolate, for least four hours before going to bed. Be aware that some people who are very sensitive to caffeine can still feel the effect 12 hours later. A warm glass of milk can help you sleep better.

What not to eat on exam day?
Stay away from foods made of white flour, such as cookies, cakes, and muffins, which require added time and energy to digest. Also avoid foods that are high in refined sugar, such as chocolates, desserts, and candies. Do not have turkey before an exam as it contains L-tryptophan, an essential amino acid which makes you feel sleepy. Save this for after your exams when you can relax.
Good luck!

Mr Glover
Director of Learning (Science)

Study tips

Here are some useful tips on remembering all those useful facts for your exams:

Sticky Notes - Write some key terms to remember on sticky notes. Place these sticky notes in places where you know you will have to visit regularly such as: a wardrobe, a light switch or even just a door. This way when you see the question on an exam you can easily visualise the answer!

Study smarter not harder: The brain understands information better in small shorter sessions than one very long one. For example it's more effective to study for 30 minutes in 20 sessions over a period of time than to study for 10 hours in one day without a break.

A key for keywords: If you think of yourself as more of a visual learner, then adding a little picture can help you remember. Create your own key of drawings for example the rock cycle. With igneous rock you could draw a little volcano next to it so that you remember it's formed when magma or lava cool and solidify. Or with sedimentary rock  you could draw a wave (ocean) because these rocks are formed by weathering or erosion.

Past Papers: Firstly try to complete a past paper with the usual conditions (a time limit , NO internet etc.). After doing so look at the mark scheme. Once you have checked how many marks you have gotten then you can print out the mark scheme and highlight it. A mark scheme shows you how to structure an answer to get the highest amount of points so by highlighting it you see the area/s of your answers that need the most improvement.

Avoiding Distractions: If you easily get distracted by other websites (Instagram ,Youtube etc) when revising, then apps and programmes such as https://getcoldturkey.com/ (pc) and forest http://www.forestapp.cc/ can help. Get cold turkey lets you block specific websites or even the whole internet when you are revising and during revision time it's almost impossible to cancel until the time is up. Forest is a timer, when you start it a tree starts to grow but if you leave the app at any time then the tree will die! (unless you allow specific apps to be viewed). 

Here are some Youtube Channels and videos that might be helpful:

• https://www.youtube.com/user/myGCSEscience (For revising)
• https://www.youtube.com/user/AsapSCIENCE/featured (For Science Fun)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgVQKCcfwnU (Peridoic Table Song)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8KSDBUlO8 (Experiments to try at home)

By Tia Debenham 9A

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Source: BBC Bitesize

Find out more about the animal cells by watching this animation:

 

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It's time to announce our photo competition winners.

This is Science through your eyes:

1st place - Maciej Lew, Poland 
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2nd place - Jędrzej Kujawiak, Poland
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3rd place - Clare Morgan, UK
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Special mentions:

Maciej Alankiewicz, Poland
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Emilia Matysik, Poland
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Kornelia Kondracik, Poland
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