It is important to keep the engine in the best possible condition before a race and likewise, we need our mental faculties to be primed so that we can deliver our best and nothing less!

Further clarifying that ‘Diet’ just means the food we eat and not restricting our food intake which could be counterproductive.

Follow these tips to keep your diet healthy and beneficial.

  • Eat breakfast – It’s called the most important meal of the day. No point in trying to start the car without fuel. A good practice would be to make sure you start your day with a balanced, healthy meal. Ideally, your breakfast should include some protein. Don’t skip meals.
  • Stack up on healthy snacks – This way, if hunger strikes during a late-night study session, you won’t starve or gorge up on junk food. Stock your room with fruits and other healthy snacks. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, whole wheat biscuits & digestive biscuits. If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yoghurt.
  • Limit sugary and caffeinated beverages – Beverages may not fill you up, but they sure can help fatten you up and have a detrimental effect on your overall health. You don’t have to completely give up soft drinks and coffee, but you should scale back. Try fresh fruit juices instead.
  • Try to eat fruits and veggies – Even if fruits and vegetables don’t comprise some of your favourite foods, try to incorporate at least a few of them into your diet each day.
  • Enjoy your food – Food is a lot more than nourishment for our bodies, so take the time to enjoy and savour it!
  • Hydrate! Do not wait until you are thirsty. Start first thing in the morning, and stack up a certain quantity of water in your room and aim at drinking that regularly till it’s empty at the end of the day. Drinking enough water can help boost your concentration as it helps flush out toxins.
  • Eat small, frequent meals – Having small meals that are varied in terms of nutrition can help. Eating a small portion every 2 hours is ideal.
  • Don’t fight stress by eating – It can be tempting to reach for a bag of chips or some cookies when you’re stressed out about an impending exam. Eating won’t help your stress go away, so avoid filling up on snacks. Try exercising or taking a walk instead.

A few right steps in this direction can make a difference in the way we feel while trying to do our best at something. Setup things around you in such a way that you wouldn’t fall prey to temptation. Maybe this is a big chance to get things on track and pick up a good habit.