Well, kids, its crunch time. Yes, its that special time of year when we rue the day we decided to take that difficult course without the pass/fail option; when we scramble to get all the work turned in that’s been collecting dust on our desks all semester; when we go on the Red Bull diet to see us through another night cramming. Judging from the haggard expressions of students in the hall, I see that some of you, like me, have been eating Spaghettio’s out of the can so that we can save time or just because we don’t have the energy to cook. As delicious as cold Spaghettio’s can be, we can’t forget that good food can fuel our brains and potentially might save our asses when it comes to beating the writer’s block that’s been keeping us from doing our term papers. So, for the sake of starved students everywhere I took it upon myself to do a little research on what foods will help us through the end of year stress, so we can feel better and get that *$%#! @~^Z? off our backs and start partying like college kids are supposed to do. Screw this studying $#!%.
Oh, coffee, I sing to you. I praise you for all that you are and all that you can be. I honor whoever figured out that one hard little bean could do so much magic. Yes, you are controversial but you’ve gotten a bad rap. Come out of your abused shadows, coffee, so we can look at all the great stuff you do. In a recent study done by Harvard, the results showed that coffee is far more healthful than harmful. Regular coffee drinkers have the benefit of slashing the risk of Parkinson’s, Diabetes, and Colon Cancer. Among other things, coffee has been shown to offset some of the damages of other vices. Have you been chain smoking while busting out your final papers? While coffee’s no antidote to lung cancer, it can help manage asthma and other respiratory problems. Also, the coffee bean is rich in antioxidants and can lower the chance of heart disease. And while you might have tried to drown out the stress over the weekend by having – to put it kindly – a bit too much drink, coffee has also been linked to helping block the onset of liver cirrhosis. Lastly, coffee can boost our mood and get rid of headaches- the perfect remedy for end of semester panic.
During times like these stress hormones can deplete our nutrient and energy reserves. I won’t bore you with the details but get straight to the good stuff, what we can eat that will help us out. All you Atkins’ people will hate this: but complex carbs are essential in helping the body deal with stress. Yummy mashed potatoes, pastas (mac and cheese, anyone?), and even blackberries fit into this category and are generally easy to prepare. B vitamins are good for alleviating fatigue and aiding us in fighting off the colds that inevitably attack us when we’re running low. Tuna, turkey, avocado, dairy products, and the ever-satisfying mango are just a few of the options we can choose from and best of all, they’re easy to come by. Last but not least, lay off the salt. It can raise your blood pressure, deplete your adrenal glands, and cause emotional instability. God knows, the last thing you need is to be a crazed, tired, and depressed when you’re trying to concentrate on YOUR FUTURE. eeek!
Although I hate to admit when clichés are true, they’re right about this one: your body is a temple. So, before you reach for the sodium-drenched packet of Ramen- hold yourself back and go for a nice turkey and avocado sandwich. Finish it off with a warm cup of coffee and get back to the books. After it’s all over we can restore our bodies to the discotecs that we want them to be.