How to eat during exams? Six tips to stay safe

As the days of the college entrance examination and the high school entrance examination are approaching, the question of what to eat during the examination period has become a worry for parents. In fact, in addition to these major examinations, the course examinations at the end of each semester for primary, secondary and university students, as well as various license and certificate examinations, also have similar problems:

What should you eat when you are under a lot of pressure and have to take a critical exam?

The general principles of exam diet can be summarized into the following six aspects.

First of all, we must ensure food safety and avoid foodborne diseases.

Microorganisms are particularly active in summer, and bacterial or viral food poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhea, and fever is most likely to occur. Specific measures include:

(1) When storing and cooking food at home, raw and cooked food must be separated. When mixing cold dishes, add more vinegar and garlic to inhibit the proliferation of microorganisms.

(2) Leftovers at home must be heated thoroughly, steamed or boiled over high heat for a few minutes. It is best to steam and heat braised meats and cooked food before eating. Bacteria and viruses will not take care of your children just because they are breeding in your home.

(3) When you go out to eat, check the restaurant's food hygiene rating first. This rating is where the restaurant's business license is hung. Maybe you have never noticed it, but it is really important. From the A, B, and C ratings, choose the one with the higher rating.

(4) If the candidate is in poor health and has weak gastrointestinal function, try not to order cold dishes when eating out in the summer. Restaurants often keep pre-prepared cold dishes at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator, which can lead to a high rate of bacteria exceeding the standard.

(5) Don’t eat barbecue casually. Many ingredients are placed at a hot temperature, and charcoal grilling cannot ensure uniform temperature. Some parts are overheated to produce carcinogens, and some parts have not yet killed bacteria, viruses and parasites.

(6) There are many reports of excessive bacteria in cold food. If stored in the freezer at home, it is easy for microorganisms to cross-contaminate other foods. Cold drinks cannot be heated and sterilized before consumption, so it is wise to eat less cold drinks during the two or three days before the exam. Especially for weak and indigestion candidates, do not eat cold drinks or sweet drinks before meals to avoid reducing the resistance of the digestive system.

The second is to avoid the possibility of various digestive indigestion, food allergies and intolerances.

Do not eat new ingredients that you do not eat on a daily basis, or ingredients that you have had adverse reactions to in the past, no matter how nutritious they are. This will cause trouble if your stomach and intestines cannot adapt or an allergy occurs. Even itchy skin, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc. may affect your grades.

The more ordinary and plain the diet is, the better, as it will not increase psychological pressure and reduce safety risks. If you really want to comfort your child, wait until the college entrance examination is over before giving him a big meal.

Important things should be told to parents three times: Food safety! Food safety! Food safety!

Every year, some students have problems with their performance in exams, such as gastrointestinal discomfort, food poisoning, or food allergies. As far as the college entrance exam is concerned, this situation is purely the parents' fault!

Third, food combinations should be reasonable to keep blood sugar levels stable and allow the brain to work efficiently for a long time.

Every meal should include vegetables, fish/meat/soy products and staple food, with one portion of meat and two portions of vegetables. Avoid eating only noodles with a small amount of stewed meat, or a large amount of staple food and a small amount of vegetables. When vegetables, high-quality protein and grain foods are combined together, the digestion rate is slowed down, and the range of blood sugar rise and fall will be reduced, which is conducive to maintaining a stable blood sugar level for three to four hours after a meal.

Fourth, eat moderately to maintain good physical and mental strength.

If you often feel drowsy after meals and feel tired after two hours, you can eat half a bowl of vegetables at lunch, then eat a bite of vegetables, a bite of meat, and a bite of staple food in turn, and reduce the amount of white rice and white steamed bread. This will slow down the rise of blood sugar and make it less easy to feel sleepy after meals. At the same time, you can carry a bottle of sweet soy milk, sweet milk, etc., which can be used to increase blood sugar when you feel tired after two hours, so that you can ensure that you are energetic for three hours.

The fifth is to ensure a good sleep at night so that you can fully recover your energy and maximize your thinking efficiency the next day.

Everyone knows that when you don’t sleep well, you will feel dizzy, your thinking ability will decline, and your cognitive function will be impaired. So don’t stay up late to review, and cramming the day before the exam will only make the candidates more tired and nervous, which is of no practical significance.

Don't eat too much greasy food at night, so as not to affect the quality of sleep. It is recommended to eat some green leafy vegetables and soy products at night, the calcium and magnesium in them are conducive to stabilizing emotions. You can walk properly at night to relax, reduce brain excitability, and help you fall asleep smoothly. Don't drink coffee and strong tea at night. If you worry about feeling hungry after eating less at night, drink a glass of milk/yogurt/soy milk at 9 o'clock as a midnight snack.

The last piece of advice is not to be superstitious about any magical health products or magical intellectual products.

During the exam days, don't dream of eating something to quickly improve your IQ, don't do anything weird, taking medicine, taking supplements, or getting IV drips are all stupid behaviors, which not only increase the mental pressure of candidates, but also easily cause physical and mental damage. How many businesses are waiting to collect everyone's IQ tax at this time, waiting for those parents who lack common sense, are anxious, and always want to cram at the last minute to buy things randomly.

If you have any health problems that may affect your performance in the exam, please consult a doctor in advance and prepare relevant plans. For example, if a girl has severe menstrual cramps and it happens to be during the exam period, she may be afraid that it will affect her performance. Do not take medicine to delay the menstrual period. In this case, you should go to a gynecologist and ask the doctor for help.

Since China is a vast country with many different eating styles, there is no need to find a cookie-cutter "pre-exam menu". As long as you follow the above principles, you can ensure that your diet is safe and nutritious.

It is enough to despise it strategically, pay attention to it tactically, avoid food safety accidents, and maintain a healthy body and mind. The calmer the parents are, the more calm the candidates are, and the less likely they are to perform poorly.

Finally, I wish all the candidates all the best, good grades and admission to good schools!