A Good Diet Scores "A" In Exams

Loopy.

"Reaching for fast foods and energy drinks to get through exams may lead to worse outcomes on the report card, dietitians have warned.

A recent survey of US teens found 35 per cent regularly use energy drinks, up from 19 per cent in 2003. And many Australians have these drinks on a daily basis, without realising they are usually packed with kilojoules and sugar, and not much nutrition."

This is crap.

There are precisely seven nutrients: water, vitamins, minerals, alcohol, protein, fat and carbohydrate.

All foods are almost 100% nutritious/nutrition (with certain exceptions such as some chemical additives, e.g., preservatives).

It is impossible for a food to not have "much nutrition." Food is virtually all nutrition.

You may have a beef with the proportions of the nutrients in the food, e.g., you might want more carbs if you are training, but to suggest that there is "not much nutrition" in food is misleading and demonstrates a basic flaw in expert thinking.

The users of energy drinks are looking for a fast boost. Not what this nut is describing here - not that any of it will definitely work, anyway:

"Accredited Practising Dietitian Lisa Renn said students should focus on regular meals and low glycaemic index (GI) foods for sustained energy, instead of caffeinated beverages and sugar-laden energy drinks.

Ms Renn said: 'What we eat has a big impact on mental performance, so we need to give our brain the best fuel to help it perform at its peak. Any boost to energy levels from caffeinated beverages and sugar-laden drinks is short lived.'

She explained there are also key nutrients that will enhance study efforts, including omega 3 fatty acids, iron and zinc.

'Omega 3 fatty acids, found in foods like tuna, salmon and sardines, play an important role in brain function.

'Getting enough iron, from foods like lean red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, green leafy vegetables and nuts, will help prevent tiredness. And eating vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables will help your body absorb the most iron from food.

'And zinc, found in lean red meat, fish, eggs and reduced-fat dairy foods, has been shown to play an important role in immunity, which can help ward off untimely infections,' said Ms Renn."

Assuming she eats the same as she speaks, I submit that she hasn't even proven it works for her, let alone that she is qualified to offer advice to others.