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[ Monday, May 1, 2000 ]
Students cram brains, stomachs during finals
By Elena Caracappa
Collegian Staff Writer
Many students flood local eateries and coffeehouses to cram their brains full of information for their upcoming finals. However, the snacks they are consuming may not be the best choices for them.
The dining commons around campus see more food consumption by weary students during finals week, said Lisa Wandel, associate director of Food Services.
"There is an increase in the volume of food people eat at the dining hall," Wandel said. "It's high for desserts and snack foods."
"We thought it would be a nice surprise," Wandel said. "A sort of good luck on finals."
Director of HUB Food Services, David Gingher, said the HUB will offer extended hours for Chat's, the coffeehouse located on the ground floor of Union Street, during finals week.
All of the dining commons will give out study sacks today, which contain candy and other snacks.
PHOTO: Cara Davis Herter/Collegian
Andrea Specht (freshman-art) snacks in a friend’s room while doing her studying.
"Chat's will be open 24 hours," Gingher said. "Everything else is open normal hours."
All of the restaurants in the HUB will also offer a special for the week. Any size soda or beverage will be 25 cents.
"We're giving this a shot with the new building," Gingher said. "We'll see the difference between closing Chat's at 2:30 a.m. and keeping it open all night."
Local establishments also see an increase in sales during final exam week since they provide convenience for students while they study.
Marya Kononov, general manager of Irving's Bagels, 110 E. College Ave., anticipates a noticeable increase in business.
"We attribute this to many factors," Kononov said. "People's food supplies are dwindling and they don't want to go grocery shopping just for the last week. People are studying and come here. The stress levels go up and students eat out more. They don't want to cook for themselves."
The salty chips or sweet candy bars students reach for at these eateries may cause more harm than good.
Crashing from that sugar high and falling asleep before cramming for that last final will not be well received.
To remain alert, Monica Montag, whole health consultant at Be Well Associates, 669 Berkshire Drive, recommends students snack on something with complex carbohydrates such as Triscuits with cheese or peanut butter to stabilize their blood sugar.
"Because they're stressed and the body is seeking B complex, a stress stabilizer, they reach for grains and crave sweets when stressed," Montag said. "This can cause a sugar crash which lowers the immune system so you may get sick during the week of finals."
Dorothy Blair, assistant professor of nutrition, has a trick she uses when she needs to stay awake as an alternative to snacking.
"I personally use peppermints to stay awake," Blair said. "Spearmint gum also works well."
Blair also believes that jaw movements aid in keeping the body awake.
Registered dietician, Bettye Nowlin, does not recommend eating snacks with an abundance of sugar when trying to stay awake for long periods of time.
"If it's too high in sugar, it makes you sleepy," Nowlin said. "A cool glass of fruit juice will wake you up."
According to Nowlin, sugar raises the glucose level for one hour. When a person crashes off of that sugar high, their body becomes sluggish. This causes a shortened attention span and limited concentration.
"I recommend a little protein and a little fat with sugar," Nowlin said. "It will sustain you much longer."
Montag said she thinks students snack because of a combination of boredom and hunger.
"They crave a pick-me-up," she said. "They choose pretzels or something sweet which gets the opposite effect of what they're looking for."
Nowlin also said students snack out of convenience and because it accommodates their busy schedules.
"Writing papers and studying gets emotional," Nowlin said. "You become bored and anxious."
