6 Best Brain Foods to Eat Before Taking a Test

4. Caffeine

Caffeine is not exactly a new thing since most adults consume some form of it every day. A dose of good old caffeine before an exam can help boost alertness, help you focus better, and increase overall productivity. Of course, the effects of caffeine don’t last all day, but hopefully neither does your exam!

Caffeine can be consumed in a few different ways, two of the most common being coffee and tea. With coffee, you can expect to get a dose of essential nutrients such as riboflavin (Vitamin B2), pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), manganese, potassium, magnesium, and niacin (B3) along with caffeine. And tea, while slightly lesser in caffeine, is higher in antioxidants and theanine, which is known to lower stress and anxiety.

5. Blueberries

Blueberries are great for several arenas of your body and health, but what we’re talking about in this context specifically is their abundance in youth-preserving antioxidants.

The antioxidants neutralize free radicals in the brain and body, which can then slow down brain aging. It keeps your brain elastic, allowing it to take in more information and preserve that information as memory in a much more effective way. Furthermore, these antioxidants might even contribute to slowing down in brain aging and neurodegenrative disease in the long run.

All of this is why you should eat blueberries not just before a test, but on a regular basis. This way, you can slowly build up communication between brain cells. But, animal studies have also suggested that eating blueberries not only improves long-term memory, but also delays short-term memory loss. So if you’re someone with the habit of revising half an hour before an exam, this is the way to go!

6. Stay Away From Simple Carbs

Carb-loading is a common practice when someone is preparing to run a marathon, but let’s be clear, it is not what you should be doing before your exam. Simple carbs like pasta, rice, and bread have been linked to providing a short-term memory boost, but it won’t last too long – not even long enough for you to finish that test!

Not only do the effects fade away, it can even result in a decrease of brain function. Furthermore, a heavy intake of carbohydrates will spike your blood sugar, which then leads to the production of serotonin and tryptohan – a combination of which will make you want to lie to down and have a nap right there in rhe exam hall!

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