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Better nutrition to help deal with stress during exams

Staff Reporter

HARD WORK: Students preparing for their examinations.

Kochi: Feeding children is always a problem for parents. During exams, mothers have a difficult time deciding what is best for her child.

It is natural for students to be exhausted and edgy. Stress levels are higher during examinations. It is important that parents know that they can help their children improve learning skills, concentration and overall examination performance by giving them the right balance in food intake.

A study by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, published in the January 2006 issue of the international journal, Nutrition, found that schoolchildren from middle-income groups showed high prevalence of sub-clinical micronutrient malnutrition.

Study

The study found that up to 98 per cent of apparently healthy schoolchildren had inadequate food intake and lower levels of many essential micronutrients. In fact, assessment of the dietary intake for micronutrients showed that many children were not getting adequate quantity daily.

Principal investigator Shahnaz Vazir, Deputy Director at NIN, said "the vital purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact micronutrient supplementation had on cognitive functions in schoolchildren and thereby give baseline assessment showing overall effect of such supplementations on mental functions." It showed that a micronutrient-enriched group did well in the attention and concentration parameters. The study concluded that there was a strong relationship between nutrient intake and the mental state of a person. Wrong eating habits disturbed the balances in the body. It was likely that stress and anxiety might lead to overeating in some cases or insufficient intake in others, said a dietician attached to a hospital in the city. "A balanced diet not just improves the learning skills as shown by the study, it also helps children have good sleep, which is essential to reduce anxiety," she added. "There is nothing like planning a proper routine for studies," said psychologist Anita Rajah. All work and no play during exams increases the irritability of students, she said. Children need to take their usual breaks for play and rest.

Coupled with nutritional food, they can easily combat examination stress.

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