Aoife Hearne: My exam teens don't want to eat full meals

When students are preoccupied with their studies, appetite signals can take a back seat and three square meals may feel too much. Try the ‘little and often’ approach, which offers more flexibility

Falling short of carbohydrates in the lead-up to exams will not only leave students feeling tired and sluggish, but also compromise their ability to study, retain information, and perform on exam day. Picture: iStock 

I’ve a son and daughter in exam classes this year: Junior and Leaving Cert. They are studying hard, but both have poor appetites. I’m encouraging them to eat three meals a day to keep their energy up, but both say it’s too much food. My older child — a girl aged 18 — is a particularly picky eater. What would you suggest?

Exam season is never an easy balancing act. My final words of wisdom to my third-level students this week were to ‘Eat regular meals, not too much coffee, and make sure to sleep’. I can’t be certain, but I may have seen some eye rolls as I turned into ‘mammy’ mode. Like it or not, our bodies need energy to perform, not just on the sports field but in the exam halls.

Sports nutrition has advanced at breakneck speed in the past decade.

Fuelling strategies, once met with some scepticism, are now widely accepted and considered essential for athletes of all levels to support performance and recovery.

What is often missed for students is that our brain, just like our muscles, needs consistent energy and rest to perform at its best.

While the brain represents only 2% of body weight, it accounts for 20% of our energy use. It is estimated the brain requires 100-130g of carbohydrates each day. As our capacity to store nutrients is limited, we need regular food top-ups.

Falling short in the lead-up to exams will not only leave students feeling tired and sluggish, but also compromise their ability to study, retain information, and perform on exam day.

A simple rule of thumb is to include a source of carbohydrate with every meal and snack.

Choosing wholegrain sources — for example, wholegrain bread, oats, potatoes (with skin), and wholewheat pasta — will support longer-lasting energy and better blood-sugar control. Teaming this with a lean protein, such as eggs, yogurt, milk, or cheese, can help sustain energy levels further.

It is not uncommon for appetite signals to take a back seat when students are preoccupied with their studies. In this case, I can understand why three square meals may feel too much. Another approach is ‘little and often’, which offers more flexibility and doesn’t have to be locked into set times throughout the day.

Smaller, snack-style options can be just as effective for energy and nourishment.

Easy ideas include:

• Smoothies (made with milk, yogurt, fruit);
• Toast or bagels with peanut butter or eggs;
• Fruit with yogurt (or high protein yogurt) and granola;
• Wraps with chicken/turkey/tuna.

It is wise to have something to eat within an hour of getting up in the morning to ensure brain cells get the energy they need from the very start of the day. And for those who tend to forget, setting alarms to eat can also be a reminder to take a short break from studying.

Fuelling with the right food is key, but the brain also works best with regular bouts of rest; together, they form an unbeatable strategy.

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