Food For Thought…Literally

Whether you are preparing for that last final, gearing up for the LSAT, or just trying to get through a Summer course, the time is here (or surely on its way!) when your brain decides to go on vaca and leave you high and dry in the deep, dark stacks of the library. You can try everything – coffee, candy, that Adderol your friend offered to sell you – but none of it will make much of a difference. You’re tired and over it; your time would be better spent taking a nap or enjoying some Sangria on the porch.

That, of course, is not an option. You are going to have to try something else to get you to the finish line. The good news is that there is another – much healthier – option: these natural and healthy snacks will nourish your noggin and get you to the end without breaking a mental sweat.

Green Tea: Research keeps popping up everywhere celebrating the magical effects of Green Tea. It is chock full of antioxidants and other great stuff that increase alertness, improve learning and relax the brain. Sigh. The stuff doesn’t always taste so great, but there are lots of fun new flavors coming out every day (I prefer blueberry pomegranate), so you can actually enjoy this typically icky green beverage.

Leafy Greens: Nothing goes better with studying than pizza, breadsticks, or anything fried. But that crap is not good for your body, or your brain. Stick to the dark, leafy green things, like spinach. The iron will help you concentrate and absorb all that stuff you highlighted all semester. Afraid of spinach? Throw some in an omelet, get a veggie sandwich or head to the nearest Greek diner-y place for a spinach pie. So good. Or, if you are absolutely, positively, never-gonna-eat-it grossed out by spinach, try a citrus fruit. The Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron faster, so these are also great options to feed the brain.

Power to the Purple: Don’t want to forget all those flashcards you memorized on American History from the Pilgrims to the Bush Administration? Stick to the purple stuff (grapes, berries, eggplant, etc.). Studies show that the stuff that makes these guys purple can help protect you from memory loss. (Ed: If only they could help me remember how I got this phone number scribbled on my inner thigh last night…)

Toss out the candy bars and coffee cans; it is time to brown-bag it at the library. And bring some extra to share,