Avoid coffee during exam period

Do you realise that learning takes energy and memory relies on vital nutrients to function optimally? Yet because children want to do well, as exams approach and during exams, they tend to read so hard that they often skip meals and drink a lot of caffeine containing beverages such as coffee, to keep them awake for long hours. Thus they get less than needed sleep, and do not get adequate nutrients. Ironically, these practices are exactingly the opposite of what should be done. They are counter productive, and can easily lead to poor exam performance in spite of long study hours and effort. For achievement of good results and enhancement of memory, your child's mind has to be rested and alert; and the brain well fed. Here are some strategies to help keep your child's mind alert and enhancement of memory: l Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep, six to eight hours every night. When a child gets less sleep than is needed, he or she may become irritable, tired, and unable to think clearly. l Discourage your child from consuming cola drinks, tea, and coffee. These beverages contain caffeine. Caffeine can make the child overactive and may interfere with his or her sleep. In addition, caffeine may irritate the child's bladder causing frequent urination. The need to urinate during exam can easily cause unnecessary additional stress. Stress may disturb the child's concentration leading to more mistakes. l Your child's memory relies on steady supply of vital nutrients for optimal functioning. Make sure your child's brain gets a adequate steady supply of nourishment throughout the day. l Make sure you include plenty of vegetables, fruits and high quality protein such as eggs in the family meals. (Beans, peas, groundnuts should always be combined with rice, or chapati or posho to provide complete protein.) l Avoid serving beans, groundnuts, peas with matooke, potatoes or cassava. Such a combination does not provide complete protein. Compete protein is vital to your child's memory, and fruits and vegetables help to strengthen the child's immune system, thus reducing the risk of infection. A sick child is likely not to perform well at exams. l Avoid white bread, refined maize flour no. 1, all soft drinks and colas, chocolates, sweets, ice cream. The sugar contained in these foods and beverages gets used up too fast by the body and may result in periods of law blood sugar. The brain needs a steady supply of blood sugar for optimal functioning. l A child needs three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner plus two to three snacks between meals. This helps to keep the blood sugar at a good level. Thus, the child's mind remains clear and alert. l Avoid feeding too much starch foods just before an exam. A meal containing a lot of starch may make the child sleepy and less alert. l Breakfast is a must. Here are some suggestions for foods that are easy to arrange the nigh before for breakfast. Millet or maize porridge, milk, a banana. Left over beans (well heated, chapati, passion fruit juice. Yoghurt, roasted sweet potato, pineapple. Eggs, whole wheat bread, pawpaw. Left over peas, rice (well heated), a banana. Make sure your child gets sufficient water throughout the day. You could pack a small container of water for your child to carry to school. The writer holds an MSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of California in Berkeley. Ends.