test day nutrition

[Darkshooter326]

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Pretty random question, but I was wondering if anyone has on-hand the "Test day" schedule from Kaplan, where it recommends what to eat when for energy, etc.

I remember stuff about like proteins in the morning, etc, but I'd like to get the exact meal planning :-D

 

[Zona Pellucida]

I'm also curious about this.

I've been told not to deviate from what you normally do, but for me ...

I either don't eat breakfast at all and drink a little orange juice, or drink orange juice and eat a little bit of dry cereal on the way in the car, thats it. Since I had to switch mine to an 8am from noon, this is now an issue.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Don't eat or drink a whole lot more than you're used to (so you don't have to use the bathroom the whole time).

Any quick/healthy snacks are good to take with you. peanut butter is wonderful... JIF makes jif to go tubs, you can take a little container and spoon and be good to go.

 

[229141]

Do NOT deviate too much from your normal diet first of all

Second of all I would never take nutrition advice from Kaplan or any test prep company LOL


I eat this breakfast daily and it is a good balance of giving you energy without a crash later on. Overeating carbs will crush you test day!!!



Power Breakfast:
-Either eggwhites OR a protein shake (25-35g protein)
-Small whole grain bagel w/ either smart balance or natty PB (should provide 30g carbs and 15g fat)
-A small piece of fruit, as fructose is a lower glycemic sugar

Total Macros should look something like this:
30-40g protein
30-50g carb (be careful if you are very carb sensitive and get tired from them)
15g fat (should be mainly essential fats)

Total cals: around 400-550

You may also want to consider taking a Fish Oil supplement every day...DHA and EPA are great.




****EDIT! Make sure you bring some kind of medium glycemic snack for the middle of the test. You should never go that long without eating...it WILL mess up your performance if you eat nothing***

 

[229141]

I'm also curious about this.

I've been told not to deviate from what you normally do, but for me ...

I either don't eat breakfast at all and drink a little orange juice, or drink orange juice and eat a little bit of dry cereal on the way in the car, thats it. Since I had to switch mine to an 8am from noon, this is now an issue.

I'd work to change that not just for MCAT but just for general health. It's extremely unhealthy to skip breakfast...and it sounds like when you do eat breakfast its nothing but quick carbs.

Consider eating a balanced breakfast including protein and essential fats in addition to those carbs...you will feel MUCH better I promise

 

[TooMuchResearch]

I've been eating the same breakfast every day for the last month: two bowls of generic "Honey Nut Cheerios" style cereal with skim milk. On practice test days, I'll eat a half peanut butter (sometimes with jelly) sandwich during every break...it's enough to keep my brain working without making me feel full and tired. I also drink only 16 oz. fluid (Gatorade) over the course of my breaks...that's total, not per break. Oh, and about 3/4 cup of coffee on practice test days only; it keeps me pretty alert for ~6 hours since I only drink a small amount every few days.

I'd just suggest staying away from a real heavy/greasy breakfast on test day, and make sure and bring snacks. Anything better for you than a candy bar should do...what do you normally eat during the day?

Unless you lift all the time, you probably don't need as much protein (or such a perfectly calculated diet) as Alaska21 😛

 

[swamprat]

Normally I eat cereal w/ skim milk, however sometimes the milk bothers my stomach in the morning so I'm staying away from milk this week. My breakfast will consist of 1 mini bagel plain, 2 cherry frosted pop tarts and either an AMP cherry energy drink or a sugar free redbull.. depending on my mood.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

I'd work to change that not just for MCAT but just for general health. It's extremely unhealthy to skip breakfast...and it sounds like when you do eat breakfast its nothing but quick carbs.

Consider eating a balanced breakfast including protein and essential fats in addition to those carbs...you will feel MUCH better I promise

Thanks for the concern 😛

I know this is horrible/unhealthy, but to honest, I have ZERO appetite and honestly, it makes me feel sick (stomach) to eat anything rich [eggs, meat, anything that is not basically carbs], or even think about eating, within about 3 hours of waking up. This is why I eat nothing, or if anything, bagel/cereal as it does not irritate me.

 

[229141]

Thanks for the concern 😛

I know this is horrible/unhealthy, but to honest, I have ZERO appetite and honestly, it makes me feel sick (stomach) to eat anything rich [eggs, meat, anything that is not basically carbs], or even think about eating, within about 3 hours of waking up. This is why I eat nothing, or if anything, bagel/cereal as it does not irritate me.

I know what you mean- that's why I have a protein shake sometimes instead of eggs or whatever else. I'm never really starving in the morning so I can relate lol

 

[229141]

Unless you lift all the time, you probably don't need as much protein (or such a perfectly calculated diet) as Alaska21 😛

Correct 😀 I must have gotten lost and thought this was the bodybuilding.com forum LOL 😉

 

[aevea]

The MCAT is much like a marathon and you've got to maintain your blood sugar without sending too much of your blood supply to your digestive tract.

My favorite test breakfast:
1 banana
2 bean & egg tacos
1 small class OJ
1 coffee w/ milk

mmm...

 

[sina_yn]

Thanks for the concern 😛

I know this is horrible/unhealthy, but to honest, I have ZERO appetite and honestly, it makes me feel sick (stomach) to eat anything rich [eggs, meat, anything that is not basically carbs], or even think about eating, within about 3 hours of waking up. This is why I eat nothing, or if anything, bagel/cereal as it does not irritate me.

prob bcuz you eat dinner pretty late! i usually do that and have no appetite in the mornin either

 

[2muchcoffeegirl]

I don't know if you guys are like this, but I think better on an empty stomach, so on big days I eat the smallest breakfast possible. (On my test day I skipped it in favor of coffee and ate cliff bars and chocolate during the breaks, with plenty of water...worked great for me, but as it is very unhealthy I wouldn't recommend it to anyone...) If you are not used to eating breakfast, don't eat too much before the test, just something light and balanced. And listen to your body more than to Kaplan...I doubt there is a one-size-fits-all recommendation. You need to feel as comfortable as possible, which may mean not deviating too much from your routine.

BTW, have any of you noticed that being dehydrated causes you to feel daft?

 

[229141]

This is just an observation and not meant to offend anyone in this thread, but I find it interesting that pre-meds in general do not know very much about eating an optimal diet considering how much bio/physiology they've had. Not pointing out you guys...the kids at my school are exactly the same way. I know that I am the weird one for caring about nutrition way too much 😀

 

[Zona Pellucida]

This is just an observation and not meant to offend anyone in this thread, but I find it interesting that pre-meds in general do not know very much about eating an optimal diet considering how much bio/physiology they've had. Not pointing out you guys...the kids at my school are exactly the same way. I know that I am the weird one for caring about nutrition way too much 😀

Oh, I (and probably we) know what is healthier/better... I just am so used to my normal routine and I seem to function fine (as of now 😛) so I don't see it as a huge deal to alter my routine. I'll worry about this during the summer when I'm not stressed with MCAT/semester classes.

 

[Revilla]

This is just an observation and not meant to offend anyone in this thread, but I find it interesting that pre-meds in general do not know very much about eating an optimal diet considering how much bio/physiology they've had. Not pointing out you guys...the kids at my school are exactly the same way. I know that I am the weird one for caring about nutrition way too much 😀

That's not surprising to me. It's not like cell biology or molecular genetics teaches you much about nutrition. Even physiology doesn't teach you about an optimal diet. It just teaches you what happens during digestion of whatever it is you do eat.

 

[229141]

Oh, I (and probably we) know what is healthier/better... I just am so used to my normal routine and I seem to function fine (as of now 😛) so I don't see it as a huge deal to alter my routine. I'll worry about this during the summer when I'm not stressed with MCAT/semester classes.

I totally get this. During horrible times in school I abandon the gym for a day or two and even give into fast food (yes I admit it!).

I just make sure I eat good 90-95% of the time heh

That's not surprising to me. It's not like cell biology or molecular genetics teaches you much about nutrition. Even physiology doesn't teach you about an optimal diet. It just teaches you what happens during digestion of whatever it is you do eat.

True, very true. To best honest I learned a lot about nutrition from books in combination with my bio knowledge.

 

[moldovanits]

dont eat penaut butter right now. its tainted at the moment.

i recommend taking multi vitamins. maybe even a vincopetin for a memory boost. drink some green tea, eat eggs and enjoy your test!

 

[229141]

dont eat penaut butter right now. its tainted at the moment.

 

[Vihsadas]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/health/23scare.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm

 

[newtonsfriend]

In my opinion, a cup or two of coffee is okay for the alertness it will give; however, too much caffeine is a mild diuretic so unless you want to urinate a lot I would not drink a pot of coffee. Secondly, I would drink gatorade rather than water because it takes longer to pass through the system compared to water, thus, you won't have to pee as much!

 

[Vihsadas]

In my opinion, a cup or two of coffee is okay for the alertness it will give; however, too much caffeine is a mild diuretic so unless you want to urinate a lot I would not drink a pot of coffee. Secondly, I would drink gatorade rather than water because it takes longer to pass through the system compared to water, thus, you won't have to pee as much!

It depends on each person. If you normally drink a coffee everyday then have a coffee before the MCAT. If you don't drink coffee everyday normally then don't have one! In terms of caffeine you don't want to deviate from your normal dosage. 😛 adding it to your diet or taking it away can have equally disastrous effects.

 

[Institute]

milk + honey.

sour patch kids later on.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

In my opinion, a cup or two of coffee is okay for the alertness it will give; however, too much caffeine is a mild diuretic so unless you want to urinate a lot I would not drink a pot of coffee. Secondly, I would drink gatorade rather than water because it takes longer to pass through the system compared to water, thus, you won't have to pee as much!

For some reason, it always seems like the yellow Gatorade FLIES through my system and I have to go before I can even finish it. Probably all in my mind.