What kind of snack should I eat during breaks on the MCAT (something brain good)

[SonOfKrypton]

Hey everyone! So in terms of brain food, I'm debating what I should eat during my MCAT breaks! What do you guys suggest?

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[229141]

Hey everyone! So in terms of brain food, I'm debating what I should eat during my MCAT breaks! What do you guys suggest?

Not sugar.

Something that has a medium glycemic index and maybe some fat.

PB Sandwich perhaps

 

[anxiousteen]

do you really need someone to tell you what food to eat during the mcat?

 

[Protactinium]

Bread is sugar. Even whole wheat is enough to spike the OP. I'd just recommend nuts or packaged tuna. I'm very sensitive to post-prandial fatigue so I'm probably going to go as low GI as possible.

 

[muhali3]

Well, whole wheat takes much longer to break down compared to a sugar cube or other pure sugar foods. If you want brain food, I don't know if anything would have an instant effect at break times. For breaks, granola bars and water are fine, but don't have too much, because you want to have your sympathetic nervous system active during the test, not your parasympathetic. For breakfast maybe try to have some eggs and oatmeal. No sugary cereal or Aunt Jemima pancakes.

 

[rockaction]

I had bought a clif bar to eat before the writing section (as I had done on a couple practice tests leading up to it) but I forgot it. I really didn't notice it. I was so focused on the task at hand that all I used the breaks for was to piss, get a dash of water, then sit and cool off. I didn't feel like eating.

 

[Craigslist]

Special Brownie /wink.

 

[Mattabet]

Bottle of red wine, soft cheeses, a whole pineapple...

I ate a granola bar. Go with a little bit of food you like, you probably won't feel that hungry. Thank your sympathetic nervous system.

 

[229141]

Bread is sugar. Even whole wheat is enough to spike the OP. I'd just recommend nuts or packaged tuna. I'm very sensitive to post-prandial fatigue so I'm probably going to go as low GI as possible.

Wrong. Use Ezekial bread which has a ridiculously low GI....

not all breads are high GI...

 

[MirrorTodd]

Do you really need to eat something? A granola/cliff bar would be good I suppose but I never felt that eating something was necessary. Just eat beforehand if need be.

 

[PRodulous]

Agreed with others, sandwich, clifbars, etc. I also packed fruit. Only problem was that I didn't have time to chew. Bite, swallow, repeat..

I'll also suggest not drinking too much water. The room's cold and your body won't hang on to water than if it were 90 degrees. For me over 10 oz. will make make me go within 5 hours. Something salty like a few light pretzels could help... Not too many b/c the simple sugars could spike your sugar levels.

Essentially, know your body and what you'll need to stay focused. Good Luck!

 

[FIREitUP]

i like this thread. it made me realize that i shouldn't force myself to eat too much during practice tests.

i'm just afraid of losing steam at the biological section.

 

[Craigslist]

This thread made me realize how neurotic you people are..

 

[Evergrey]

The brain runs on blood sugar. It's silly to not want to keep your blood sugar high enough to allow your brain to function at peak performance.

 

[SonOfKrypton]

do you really need someone to tell you what food to eat during the mcat?

YES! lol....I'm not above asking for advice...

Anyway, I think I'm going to pack a "Nature Valley Oats and Honey" granola bar after all your advice. Thanks guys. And muhali3, you said no sugary cereals. This is what I eat for breakfast, everyday. My MCAT time is scheduled for 8:00 am. Could you please explain why a bowl of frosted shredded wheat is detrimental to by cognitive function again? Thanks dude. And thanks everyone again.

 

[Been]

I am curious as to why people are staying away from simple sugars.

The neurons are dependent on glucose to function as we know from content review. It does so without insulin. Understandably, you don't want a parasympathetically active GI to trump your sympathetics which help you stay alert during an exam. Ingesting glucose means no digestion takes place since it's already in the simple form. It's presence in the blood means more for neuronal uptake, and better function. It stays in the blood for a period of time and ingestion more glucose during breaks should keep the level up.

Why are people staying away from simple sugars like glucose?

 

[JJMrK]

This thread is ridiculous. Eat something if you feel like it, don't eat if you don't.

 

[PRodulous]

Why are people staying away from simple sugars like glucose?

I'll explain it in regards to running a marathon. In a marathon, after 1.5 hours you intake carbohydrates (usually a packet of liquid pure sugar) to keep your blood sugar levels up (which, like you said, are good for you and brain function). Problem is, the body quickly uses it/stores it after 30 minutes. After every 30 min. you'll have to take more sugars. The same thing goes for taking your test. If you take in a simple sugar (i.e. frost flakes) it'll shoot your blood sugar up and after 30 min, it'll come back down. Imagine your blood sugar and your brain performance crashing 30 minutes into VR or BS. That'd suck.

Do yourself a favor and eat a complex sugar (i.e. bread, oat cereal, granola bar), which will slowly be absorbed and keep your sugar levels more constant.

 

[229141]

I am curious as to why people are staying away from simple sugars.

The neurons are dependent on glucose to function as we know from content review. It does so without insulin. Understandably, you don't want a parasympathetically active GI to trump your sympathetics which help you stay alert during an exam. Ingesting glucose means no digestion takes place since it's already in the simple form. It's presence in the blood means more for neuronal uptake, and better function. It stays in the blood for a period of time and ingestion more glucose during breaks should keep the level up.

Why are people staying away from simple sugars like glucose?

Please chug like 10 soda's during the break.

Jk.

Please wiki Glycemic index/load

 

[229141]

I may be a huge hypocrite for saying this but who cares...

Adrenaline alone will fuel you on mcat. Fight or flight will take over and very little will depend on what you eat in reality..

My best exams came from when I studied 5 hrs before, took the exam (often a 3 hr long final), and THEN ate something 8 hrs later. I was so nervous I couldn't eat before!!!


So should you eat some good snacks? Yes- physiologically absolutely.


I would just say do NOT overload with caffeine or sugar during/before. You want to be CALM in my opinion...I have no clue why people abuse stims on this test. It'd hurt me imo

 

[pakbabydoll]

chocolate!

 

[Mellymel09]

Complex carbohydrates would be a good choice as was mentioned in a post above... the digestion process will be slower allowing your blood glucose level to remain more constant. Furthermore, apparently Gatorade is good too, as its osmolality is close to body fluid osmolality (it's an isotonic drink) and hence you don't need to go to the bathroom as often while still keeping hydrated.

In the end, you should listen to your body and do what feels right. I should point out that the breaks aren't that long and seeing as they have to finger print you (annoying machine that isn't all that reliable) everytime you come out and in of the room (sometimes there's a line-up if a bunch of you finished a section around the same time) so therefore, you should plan accordingly. Bring something that you can eat relatively fast and that won't cause you too much stress.

Good luck!

 

[Beren]

I am a fit guy, but for the test I stuffed myself with a donut and a muffin before my test, and left my breaks to drink some water and regain my focus after every section. It worked well enough.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Peanut Butter. Jif makes "to go" cups.

 

[rgatt2]

How about some caffeinated drinks?

 

[dapmp91]

eat a damn cookie and don't waste our time again

 

[MSUSpartan642]

Stop even worrying about this. At my site there was so little time to get out and eat between I only checked out once. I gobbled up my Cliff back, went #1 and got back in the room with a couple of minutes to spare. Just bring a little snack you'll be way to focused to be worrying about food anyway.

 

[Shawnpremed]

I've tried different types of bars. Energy bars, Cliff bars, Power bars...

Which do you guys recommend? I've been getting pretty buff too lately

 

[surftheiop]

I always liked the nature valley oats and honey bars but now my jaw is screwed up and I cant eat them.

Peanuts and wheat thin crackers is my favorite quick snack combination.

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

redbull. some adderall. ur good to go man

 

[Iced]

gin and tonic

 

[BigDolla]

Tiger's Milk (a protein bar that doesn't taste like crap) or something with peanut butter (protein again) and Red Bull.

 

[ochemdoc]

How about some caffeinated drinks?

Dont over do the caffeine. I got the idea last minute to sip on redbull somewhere on here and on test day I was cracked out by the end from a pregame coffee, 1/3 can redbull total sipped on breaks, and nerves. Factor in the nerves to keep you rollin. Ive never had a problem with nerves like that on a test, so just keep your cool and dont sweat the caffeine too much. good luck.