Competition has become an inseparable part of our life. To be a part of 
competition one has to pass the examination. EXAMS – one of the most dreadful words for every student. They are those strenuous stages of student’s life that had pressurized every one of us. No matter whether you are appearing for your boards, or your entrance exams, or your graduation & post graduation exams, you go through the same level of anxiety and stress.
However, some positive steps may help the examinees to reduce their stress and assist them in achieving their target. Even if during the time of examination if eating habits can be improved, it will help a lot to improve the mind power and to combat the so called examination fever.
Eating habits: –
Avoid this, as it will weaken your mind:
• Sugar (Cold drinks, Sweets etc.)
• Starch, Maida (Bread, Biscuit, Piza, Noodles etc.)
• Milk, Lassi and Paneer etc.
• Fried items, heavy diet & non-vegetarian foods.
• Tea, Coffee – Soft drinks, artificial drinks e.g. Bourn Vita, Boost, Malta etc.
Try this to sharpen your mind : –
• All kinds of fruits, dried sweet fruits (take after soaking) Cashew nuts, Walnut, Coconut, Almonds, groundnuts and oilseeds etc.
• Fresh juice of all kinds of fruits and fresh vegetables.
• Salads, sprouted cereals (e.g. moong, moth and grams etc.)
• Whole-wheat or maize chapatis and bread with bran fiber.
• All cooked vegetables and simply prepared food.
• Dried nuts e.g. peanuts, nuts, cashews, walnut and other nuts e.g. almonds, pistachio and and whole-wheat or maize flour with barn or fiber etc. provides ample and enormous energy combined with phosphorus and vitamin B complex and calcium to the mental cells. Non-vegetarian food, milk and cereals are toxic proteins whereas nuts and sprouted pulses are non-toxic proteins.
• Non-vegetarians may limit themselves to fish and light meat.
For Powerful Mind and Sharp Memory
• Never use Ayurvedic and other kinds of medicines. All these medicines are intoxicants and are, ultimately, harmful to the mind.
• Do not waste your money on Chyamanprash and other tonics. These tonics can never compete with correct eating habits, e.g. the habits of taking fruits, nuts and sprouted cereals etc. No tonic in the world can ever be better than this with regard to mental health and/or mind related matters.
• Powerful mind and sharp memory depend upon powerful circulatory and nervous system of the body.
For Powerful Nervous System
• Take complete rest and undisturbed sleep during the examination. Study maximum four hours in one sitting. Always empower your mind first and then cultivate it with the seed of study to sharpen your memory and get brilliant result.
• You should also entertain yourself with magazines, music, humor and viewing television for a limited duration which will release you from tension and refresh you. It is always better to study for a shorter duration while being careful of your health than to study for a longer period while ignoring your health.
• Before studying, ensure that you have had a lighter meal; your stomach should not be full. You will feel drowsy if you have had a full meal. You may divide your meals into 4 to 5 times but take it in a smaller quantity. It is better to take fruits before going to study and after it you may take your usual meal.
• Please do not study after taking your full meal of cereals. In cereals, rice and daliya is lighter than dal and chapattis.You may study after taking proteins from nuts and sprouts. Pulses, carbohydrate (starch), cereals, etc. induce sleep rather than proteins.
Weakening Effect of Hot Water.
You should take bath with only fresh or warm water, as the hot water loosens your nervous system and induces laziness and sleep weakening the body temperature.
During Examination Days
Please proceed to the examination hall after taking light meals e.g. daliya, khichri, rice, kishmish or sprouted cereals etc. and take full meal only after giving the exam. Research has proved that chewing of chewing gum, mint etc. sharpens memory by 35%.
Ensure this
Before going in for regular study, the students should take a glass full of water and keep positive thoughts for the success. Never ever keep any negativity in your mind as it will always break your concentration. Give your best with positive mind and success will be yours.
(Inputs given by Dr. N K Sharma, veteran Naturopath and founder of Reiki Healing Foundation)
