Expert recipe to stay calm, alert during exams

Diet plays a vital role in keeping calm and staying alert during examination.

If one's diet is nutritionally deficient then there are chances that you will feel more anxiety. Dieticians and nutritionists say the correct diet and exercise regimen before exams helps one keep cool and stay alert.

According to nutritionists following a healthy diet regime 15 days or a month ahead of exams will help combat anxiety, maintain high energy, fight fatigue, enhance self-esteem, increase concentration, and feel healthy and fresh.

"Kids must take small meals every three hours. What most of the kids do during exam is that they either skip food or overeat, and both are wrong. Kids must avoid noodles, biscuits, chocolate bars etc during exams. They must instead munch Bengal grams, popcorn etc.

Coffee, black tea, colas (all regarded as stimulants) drive up serotonin levels,which may make them feel better within 10 minutes but make them feel fatigued and low within an hour. It is important for them to have adequate sleep to avoid fatigue. They must drink at least eight glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration," says Niti Desai, consultant nutritionist.

Nutritionist Gayatri Barve advises that it is important to consume fresh vegetables and fruits of every colour and avoid processed or packaged food as it can make students lethargic.

"Vegetables and fruits of different colours have different colour pigments, which has different anti-oxidants that help relieve stress and anxiety.

Munch nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts etc but just five or six a day. Students must take a brisk walk every day at least for half an hour," said Barve.

Things to remember

Brown rice, millet, nachni and jowar. Include brown rice at least once a day in your diet. These are considered to be brain food

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