The pressure of finals week is coming and so are the caffeine crashes.
Students will soon be taking trips to late night coffee shops and pulling all-nighters to study. So how do you get through this week without crashing in class?
According to an article in Healthy Living, McDonalds is not the way to go.
The hotcakes meal, “weighs in at a heart-stopping 1,090 calories, 56 grams of fat (including nearly all the saturated fat you should have for the day), and 2,150 milligrams of sodium,” according to the article.
Students said coffee, energy drinks and other unhealthy snacks like doughnuts are pretty common.
“I cram studying, I stay up late and I get up early” said Tonisha Wiltz, 38, radio production major. “I drink coffee to keep my brain stimulated.”
Uriel Gonzalez, 19, physical therapy major, said he tries to eat healthy but is starting to see a correlation between coffee and finals, pulling all-nighters.
“I study all night and try to drink as much caffeine as I can to get through class,” Gonzalez said.
Another student, Marisa Diaz, 18, broadcast major, is a newcomer to finals week.
“I do the late night studying and I’m not prepared for finals quite yet,” Diaz said. “I eat fruit snacks. It doesn’t provide me energy; I just like to eat when I’m bored.”
But according to a recent article published in Help Guide, “It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat.”
“Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as defend against depression,” according to the article in Help Guide. “Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness.”
And these healthy alternatives can be bought on a budget.
The “healthiest alternative snacks on a budget are; bananas, nuts, apples, string cheese, boiled eggs, protein shakes, protein bars, vegetables and hummus and almond butter and crackers,” according to Health on a Budget.
Wiltz said that instead of eating almond joys she will try trail mix, but that she cannot give up her addiction to caffeine.