Best chance for teenagers

Jun 7 2009 by Mieka Smiles, Sunday Sun

EXAM time is here which for teenagers means lots of revision and concentration. One way for teens to avoid feeling low during this busy time is to try and eat healthily. MIEKA SMILES reports.

DEALING with exam-time stress is easier for some than it is for others.

For many teenagers, late-night cramming sessions, pre-paper jitters and result-day nerves can really take their toll.

For this reason the Food Standards Agency has come to the rescue with its top tips for eating well during the run-up to exams as well as advice for parents to ensure their children are getting enough sleep and staying active.

Penny Brincklow, nutritionist at the Food Standards Agency, said: “Like revision, eating well for an exam or test should start long before the day of the exam.

“It can be tempting when studying to reach for less healthy snacks, but eating a healthy balanced diet and getting plenty of sleep will help teenagers to stay sharp and keep their energy levels up.”

TOP TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY DURING EXAM TIME:

1 V Eat a healthy balanced diet: This should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, plenty of starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta, some milk and dairy foods, some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein and just a small amount of foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar.

2 V Base meals on starchy foods to keep energy levels up: Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are an important part of a healthy diet and should make up about a third of the food we eat.

They are a good source of energy so they’re perfect to help get your teenager through revision and exams and they are also the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet.

Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

3 V Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast: If teenagers find they have trouble concentrating, it may be because they’re not eating regularly enough to supply their brains with the fuel they need.

4 V Eat healthier snacks to maintain energy levels: Teens should have healthier snacks while revising to keep them going. Good options include an apple, some grapes, a currant bun or malt loaf with lower-fat spread.

Always check the label and choose food that is lower in fat, sugars and salt.

5 V Drink plenty of fluids: Feeling tired and lethargic while trying to revise could signal that your teenager might not be drinking enough water.

Our bodies need water or other fluids to work properly, so it’s very important to make sure we are drinking enough.

In climates such as the UK, we should drink approximately six to eight glasses (1.2 litres) of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated, so it’s a good idea for teens to keep a glass of water on their desk and take a bottle of water into the exam if they can.

Drinks that contain caffeine, such as tea, coffee and cola, can act as mild diuretics, which means they make the body produce more urine.

This can affect some people more than others and also depends on how much caffeine is drunk and how often.

It’s fine to drink these sorts of drinks, but we should also drink some fluids each day that don’t contain caffeine.

6 V Eat iron-rich foods: A lack of iron in the diet could lead to difficulty in concentrating for long periods and lead to tiredness.

Iron helps make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body.

Girls need even more iron than boys because growth spurts in their teens and periods can leave them low in iron. Choose red meat, green leafy vegetables and dried fruit to top up iron intakes – a GP can advise if you are worried.

7 V Eat more fish: Fish is a good source of protein and it contains essential vitamins and minerals.

White fish such as cod, haddock, plaice and whiting are very low in fat and oily fish such as salmon and sardines are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart.

We should try to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish.

8 V Get some sleep: Teenagers should think about how much sleep they’re getting and shouldn’t push themselves to revise too late at night.

After deciding what time they’re going to stop revising in the evening, they should allow themselves time to relax before getting an early night. That way they’ll be fresher for the day ahead.

9 V Get active: Getting active helps to break up the day.

Suggest they could go for jog in the park, a swim, cycle or even just walk down the end of the road to the shop.

Even having a dance around their room to a favourite song can help relieve stress, clear their mind, lift their mood and make them more responsive to study when they go back to it.

For further advice on making healthier food choices, visit the Food Standards Agency’s eatwell website www.eatwell.gov.uk