To learn well, you have to be awake, aware and sharp-minded, and to make sure you are, you need to fuel yourself with the right food. There’s entire careers dedicated to making sure you get the right food in you, including Nutrition and Food Service Management, which you can take at Centennial College. To sum it up, it’s a career that’s about making sure everyone gets the food they need for the situation they’re in. Right now, as a college student, you need food that’s going to keep your energy up, and fuel your brain. Here’s the most commonly-cited suggestions, found on Brain MD, Healthline and Natural Stacks. Basically, you want protein, omega-3 and anti-oxidants. Protein will make you feel full, and omega-3 and antioxidants are literally brain fuel. Here are the best foods you can eat to get these things in your system, so you can get to work:
Fatty Fish
What’s that mean? Salmon, trout, and sardines, though the easiest of the three to have is probably salmon. Any fatty, oily fish is rich in omega-3, which helps build brain and nerve cells, important for memory and learning. Of course, it can sometimes be a bit hard to get salmon. Luckily, the next one’s much simpler.
Blueberries
Aside from just being good for you, blueberries specifically help your brain with antioxidants that improve brain cell communication. You can eat them straight, or add them to cereal or yogurt for flavoring.
Broccoli
Another food that’s loaded with antioxidants, broccoli can also provide you with vitamin C. Vegetables in general are a good choice, but broccoli’s a top pick. Boil it, put some salt, or butter, or olive oil on it, and you’re good to go.
Dark Chocolate
Be cautious about this one, and don’t use this as an excuse to get chocolate bars from the vending machine. Dark chocolate is also rich in antioxidants, but don’t go overboard with it! Aside from the antioxidants, dark chocolate can also improve blood flow to the brain, and release endorphins to improve your mood.
Nuts
Nuts can make a good snack to give you an energy boost while studying, so long as it’s not a sugary, salty “mixed nuts” snack mix. They’re a good source of protein, which makes you feel properly full, and contain healthy fats, and, you guessed it, antioxidants. If you want to get specific, walnuts are a good choice, because they deliver a particularly large dose of omega-3. Just be sure you’re eating unsalted nuts. Too much salt or sugar basically cancels out those benefits.
Oranges
Most of us know that vitamin C is important for staying healthy, but if you just eat a normal-sized orange straight-up, you’ll get all the vitamin C you need for the day in one go. If you don’t have access to an orange, then bell peppers, tomatoes and strawberries can also act as a source of vitamin C.
Eggs
Once again, this doesn’t mean “put a fried egg on your burger and it’s suddenly healthy.” What it does mean is that an egg, be it boiled, poached, or sunny-side-up, contains an important nutrient called choline, linked to memory, aside from just being another good protein source.
Greek Yogurt
For one, this food will help fill you up, thanks to being surprisingly high in protein, especially compared to regular yogurt. On top of that, it’s also full of calcium. Finally, if you want to enhance the flavor, take those blueberries I was talking about, and fill it with them.
By Anthony Geremia