There are only a few days left until the important exam for students (National High School Graduation Exam 2021 will officially take place in 2 days: From 7/7 to 8/7), the amount of knowledge and homework must be done. Focusing on studying a lot makes the children eat and sleep irregularly, which affects their health and study results. For parents and students to know how to keep their children healthy during exam season, the following article provides some basic knowledge about nutrition.

All four food groups

First, students need to ensure that their daily energy needs are met. In order for the body to receive enough energy, children need to eat 3 main meals (each meal must be about 2 bowls of rice or can replace pho, vermicelli, vermicelli, bread...) with all four food groups: Flour: Flour sugar (rice, vermicelli, bread...), protein (meat, fish, eggs, shrimp, beans of all kinds), fat (oil, fat, butter), vegetables and fruits; Necessary side meals are cups of fresh milk, yogurt, cakes, sweet potatoes, corn, fruits... The foods need to be varied, change dishes often to get enough nutrients.

Eating lots of vegetables and fruits will give students a lot of energy during exam season.

Powdered sugar (rice, vermicelli, bread...) in rice will provide sugar (glucose) to create energy for the brain to work. Slow-absorbing powdered sugar helps keep blood sugar levels stable. At that time, the brain is provided with "fuel" continuously to function.

Protein-rich foods (meat, fish, eggs, milk, beans...): provide amino acids, which are raw materials for creating neurotransmitters that help connect nerve cells together. Information received into different parts of the brain will be connected and released when needed thanks to these amino acids.

Vitamins are also especially necessary to be added in the daily diet. Vitamins such as: B1, B3, B5, B6, B12, etc. are often found in fresh fruits and vegetables, and will be lost if food is processed too carefully.

The body also needs to add fiber from vegetables; trace elements (copper, zinc, magnesium...). Trace elements are really necessary for enzymes in cells to work, so when they are not supplied enough, they will cause stress and fatigue for the body. These trace elements are very available in natural foods such as green vegetables, fruit seeds, shellfish, sea fish. Iron is also an essential element in the diet because it is used to make blood.

Principles of ensuring health during exam season

Nearing the exam date due to stress, prolonged staying up late, not eating enough... students have reduced resistance, so they are prone to colds and flu, stomachache and diarrhea due to worry, foggy mind due to lack of rest from studying. Therefore, students must follow a number of principles as follows:

Eat on time: When the food is freshly cooked, don't eat it casually sooner or later. Do not eat in a hurry to finish the meal, do not eat while studying, eat while watching TV. Every day need to eat about 150-200g of meat or fish, shrimp. Eat more eggs, drink 2 more cups of milk/day in the morning and evening. If the meal is small (less than a bowl of rice/meal), it is necessary to add milk or cereals with high nutritional content. It should be noted that breakfast is very important, so it must be eaten and eaten well, not skipping meals for any reason. You can eat bread with eggs or liver pate, with cucumber, herbs, egg dumplings, banh chung, rice paper with sugar beans, drink milk.

Drink enough water: Normally, the body needs to drink enough 1.5-2 liters of water every day (in addition to the amount of water in food). Need to drink more fruit juices such as: lemonade, orange, watermelon smoothie, mango, ... provide more vitamins.

Drink at least 2 liters of water a day to not be tired

It should be noted, when the body excretes a lot of sweat, you should not drink iced drinks, because when drinking cold drinks, the body does not replenish and quickly regulate the amount of water and salt that has been lost. dilute gastric juice, reduce the ability to kill bacteria of gastric juice, leading to microorganisms that cause intestinal diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery. Moreover, if you drink a lot of ice water, your body temperature will increase and you will easily get a sore throat.

Must have a reasonable study and rest plan to ensure health.

Exercise and sleep properly: In addition to ensuring good sleep and eating, children must also have a reasonable study plan and rest to relax their mind such as listening to music, watching TV. But avoid sensational music, violent movies so as not to add stress, especially before going to bed. Need to nap 30 minutes - 1 hour. Sleep at least 6 hours (22-5 hours). Should go to bed early to get up early according to the biological cycle (should not study day and night).

Body hygiene: Do not be too busy studying for exams that you neglect to shower and wash your clothes every day. Especially in the hot summer, sweating makes the body itchy and uncomfortable, anorexia, difficulty sleeping ... Bathing will also have a stimulating effect on the nerves to make you awake, comfortable, studying will be effective. than. Should exercise in the morning, evening, in the middle of school.

Doctor Ngo Thi Nga

(According to Suckhoedoisong.vn)

Doctor's advice

Many parents often have the concept of abstinence when taking exams such as: eating bananas, black bean soup, pumpkin, eggs, ... for fear of "secreting, failing" not being able to do the test. However, pumpkin, eggs, bananas, black beans are brain foods, glutamic acid is very good for memory and especially rich in anti-oxidant vitamin A; Eggs are a particularly nutritious and suitable food for growing children, because they contain a lot of protein with high biological value (the body can absorb almost completely), fat, and calcium. and many vitamins. Eggs can be processed in many ways (boiled, fried, boiled...), many flavors, soft and easy to eat and less boring...

Food hygiene and safety issues should be noted by parents (dishes must be thoroughly cooked, vegetables must be washed, not rancid, expired, ...) because they directly affect the health of children. children. It is recommended to eat familiar dishes that are still used every day, do not supplement with special, valuable, but strange foods that will be dangerous because they can cause allergies, abdominal pain, diarrhea or indigestion, ...

Foods that should be avoided such as: monosodium glutamate (MSG), sausages, sausages with preservatives, roasted meat (with burnt fat), salty foods (sea fish, salted dried meat), confectionery using chemical sugar, alcoholic beverages (beer, wine), stimulants (coffee, solid tea, tobacco).

Another important thing is that the brain is only fully recharged after hours of sound sleep, wakes up alert and healthy, so all the above notes are essential for students to have good health. Physical fitness and brain function are at their best on stressful exam days.