Brainfood: snacks to help you study this assessment period
As you prepare for and undertake your exam replacement tasks, remember that eating healthy can help you stay focused while you’re powering through your study sessions.
Research has found that dietary nutrients are critical to the structure and function of your brain, so eating well could have a profound impact on your mental robustness. Maintaining a healthy diet packed with brain-boosting foods to support you through your day is a must.
When it comes to selecting the best ingredients for your health, Samantha Dawson, who completed a PhD at Deakin University’s School of Medicine, promotes a whole-of-diet approach. ‘Let’s consider someone who eats a lot of processed food – consuming one serve of a “superfood” is unlikely to make a noticeable difference to their overall health.’ Instead, she suggests focusing on improving overall diet quality and fibre intake by regularly eating plenty of fresh plant-based ingredients, and cutting down on sugar and processed foods.
So if you’re worried about losing your study momentum, we’ve got you covered. Try these brainfood recipes:
Ingredients
Half an avocado, chopped and drizzled with lemon
1/3 cup cooked black beans
1/3 cup sweetcorn
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup carrot, ribboned
1 handful baby spinach mixed with chopped coriander
1 small handful of smashed unflavoured tortilla chips
1 16oz mason jar/other large jar
Dressing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoon lime juice
Method
Put the dressing ingredients in a bowl together and whisk to combine, then put aside.
Wash, chop and prepare all other ingredients.
Layer items in your jar so that the dry and wet ingredients stay separated until you eat.
Layer 1: dressing
Layer 2: black beans
Layer 3: corn
Layer 4: avocado
Layer 5: tomato
Layer 6: carrot
Layer 7: spinach and coriander
Layer 8: tortilla chips.
Keep your salad jar upright until you are ready to serve, then turn the jar upside down on a plate, tapping the bottom to remove all the ingredients. Toss and eat.
Tomato: these contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which may be a great brain-booster– studies find individuals with mild cognitive impairment have lower levels of lycopene in their blood.
Ingredients
1 banana
9 dates
1 cup flaked almonds
2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 orange
handful of dark chocolate nibs
chopped almonds, cocoa powder, desiccated coconut, or chopped goji berries for decorating
Method
Place banana, dates, nuts and cocoa into the food processor or blender, and mix together until the material is bound together to form a sticky lump.
Zest peel of half an orange into your mixture and combine.
Throw in the chocolate nibs and mix.
Select a decoration such as coconut, cocoa, almonds or goji berries, and pour some of the decorating mix into a small bowl.
Using your hands, roll the choc-orange mixture into small balls and place them one by one into the decoration bowl, rolling them to cover the exterior.
Place on a sheet of baking paper on a tray, and refrigerate or freeze (will keep for a week in the fridge or longer in the freezer).
Cocoa: raw cocoa appears to be packed with brain-boosting compounds that improve cognitive function, as well as being one the world’s most antioxidant-rich foods, full of minerals like magnesium, iron and copper, which are great for overall health and vitality.
Banana: rich in healthy vitamins, minerals and potassium, bananas contain tryptophan, which research has found helps us relax, improve mood and reduce depression when converted into serotonin in our bodies.
Ingredients
300g skinless salmon fillet
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 Lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
small red capsicum, cut into matchsticks
2 spring onions, cut into matchsticks
1 handful of chopped cashews and sesame seeds
1 small handful of coriander and mint, chopped
6 x 16cm rice paper rounds
Dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
Method
Bring a small saucepan of water to boil, and add a pinch of salt. Place fillet in the water, ensuring it’s covered with water, and cook for eight or nine minutes (until opaque) with the water just below boiling.
Prepare and chop your other ingredients.
Flake the salmon fillet into small pieces.
Get a large bowl of warm water, then place one piece of rice paper into the water for 10 seconds. Place on a clean surface and allow to soften for a further five seconds.
Place a few avocado slices in a thin row down the middle of the circle, then layer a little salmon, cucumber, pepper, nuts, onion and herbs on top.
Enclose ingredients, starting by folding in the top and bottom of the circle, and then tightly roll.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make six rolls.
In a bowl, mix the peanut butter and hoisin and chilli sauces together. Serve with dipping sauce.
Spray a standard muffin tin with cooking oil or line with baking paper.
Combine the honey and butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix the oats, walnuts, cinnamon and pumpkins seeds together to make a simple muesli. Add the honey mixture to the muesli and stir until it’s coated.
Divide the mixture in four to six portions in the muffin tray and then press the mixture so it’s packed tightly in a cup shape.
Refrigerate overnight.
To serve, fill the cups with Greek yoghurt and fresh blueberries.
