With finals coming up, many of us will be making sure we eat the necessary food to give us that extra boost of morale, or just to get our brain going in order to get any advantage on our exams. But when it comes to food before a test there are certain foods that are actually more beneficial than others, and some that are actually detrimental to your test taking. I have been wondering what the perfect foods to eat before tests for a long time, so i decided to see what are the perfect testing foods.

When it comes to food that is beneficial to your test taking you should make sure to eat regardless. Just a little something will help because your brain needs energy to work efficiently. If you do not eat for an extended period of time before a test, whether because you are nervous, or just could not find the time, your brain will most likely be focused on your hunger, rather than be focused on the test.  You should try to eat “brain boosting foods” these include protein-rich foods which may include eggs, nuts, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Other good food choices include fish, walnuts, blueberries, sunflower seeds, and fruits. Even though it has not technically been proven, many consider fruit to be especially good to help you think faster, and also remember things easier. These foods are easier to digest, and it will be easier for you to focus. Foods that aren’t good for exam day are foods that include white flour. These foods include cookies, cake, and muffins which require added time and energy which take away from concentration to your test taking abilities. Apparently you also should avoid eating turkey because it includes L-tryptophan which is known to make you more inclined to fall asleep. There is also certain drinks that are considered “brain booster” like teas. It is essential to avoid dehydration could also take a way from test day focus so it is important to stay hydrated. Studies show some statistics which exclaim the importance of eating before school. Students who eat breakfast do 17.5% better on their math exams, and also attend school 1.5 more days.

So when it comes to eating before a test make sure to eat foods that do not take a lot of energy to digest, and also foods that will make you tired. With finals coming up its important to do anything that can be beneficial, and that starts with eating right type of foods.

Sources:

http://www.goodluckexams.com/what-to-eat-before-an-exam/

http://join.nokidhungry.org/site/PageNavigator/SOS/Breakfast_2013.html

Many people will tend to choose food products that are labeled “organic” but that does not always equate to these products being healthier than food that aren’t labeled as organic. There are rules and regulations that have to meet USDA standards about what actually makes food considered organic but the term has a looser meaning than what most would think.

Just because something is labeled “100% organic” does not mean it is the case.  For the products to have the official USDA organic label, only about 95% of the ingredients have to be organic. There are about 200 non-organic substances producers can add to food without relinquishing the title of 100% organic. That 5% could very likely be sprayed with herbicides or pesticides, and the other 95% could be exposed to USDA-approved biological or botanical pest controls. Along with that, products with the label “made with organic ingredients” can have as little as 70% organic content. That leaves an entire 30% that could very likely have ingredients that aren’t approved by the USDA as “organic” or could be a type of pesticide. Another important myth about organic foods are they are much more healthy than foods that are not labeled “Organic”. Organic foods generally are not far superior nutritionally than products that were farmed conventionally. Stanford University conducted a study where they looked at more than 200 studies of the content and associated health gains of organic and non-organic foods. They concluded that there was no clear difference between the nutritional content, although the organic food was 30% less likely to contain pesticides. Organic food also tends to be quite costly.

Even though organic labeling can be deceiving, there are also many benefits to eating organic. Organic foods generally contain more antioxidants, and other nutrients. Also organic farming is meant to be better for the environment than conventional farming. Organic farming also uses less pesticides. Regulations ban or severely restrict the use of food additives, processing aids  and  agents commonly used in non-organic foods, including sweeteners, and preservatives. When it comes to the debate between organic food vs. not organic food, there is not a clear answer. Both seem to have similar nutritional value, but organic has less additives. If you are willing to spend more money to buy organic than go ahead, but you are not necessarily in trouble if you don’t buy organic. Just know that if you live and die by organic produce, you may be getting deceived by some producers. So after this research I would suggest buy a variety of food from a variety of sources.

Sources

http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/09/little-evidence-of-health-benefits-from-organic-foods-study-finds.html

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004446

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880?pg=2

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-19465692

Since the beginning of the semester, I have noticed the increase in those who are using vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, hookah pens, and other types of devices that are vaporizers. This made me curious if these types of devices are actually healthier than directly smoking tobacco, or marijuana products using the traditional types of mechanisms. My research led me to many mixed studies where many praised the pros of using a vaporizer, but on the contrary there were many scientists that were very critical of potential intake of toxins. Vaporizers work by heating tobacco or marijuana to a temperature that is hot enough to evaporate the active ingredients, but cool enough to avoid burning. As a result, people who vaporize are not exposed to as many toxins that are found when people smoke it.

According to Science Daily, vaporizers are known to eliminate the intake of harmful toxins. Studies show that the burning of marijuana is linked to the creation of 100 harmful toxins where many are considered cancer causing toxins. Another positive of using a vaporizer is safer for your lungs. Since vaporizing is generally new, there are no long term studies that can technically prove this, but there have been some experts to show that vaping is better for your lungs than smoking. Vaping also gives faster relief to those who use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Since they can control the doses easier and the lungs absorb cannabinoids in a matter of seconds, providing almost instant relief when cannabis vapor is inhaled. Finally vaping comes along with fewer side effects.  According to a large study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine ranked vaporizers the highest side effect satisfaction.

Even though I found a lot of positive feedback and research on the use of vaporizers for medicinal marijuana, there were a lot of negative feed back on the use of electronic cigarettes. According to WebMD News, E cigs vapor produces particles that users suck deep into their lungs, potentially causing or worsening respiratory diseases. Norman Edleman who is senior medical adviser for the American Lung Association, condones the use of E Cigarettes and says it is not a safe option. They have found traces of formaldehyde and other toxins from the use of the e cigarette.

Smoking is never a good alternative, but according to my research it seems like the use of vaporizer has its benefits and seems to be a little safer than the traditional smoking tactic. Even though this use of smoking is relatively new, many scientists have found revolutionary benefits, and have found results which could conclude that it may be healthier for you than smoking. Sure there maybe variables that go along with this, but vaporizers maybe the future of smoking.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515151145.htm

http://www.leafscience.com/2013/11/09/advantages-vaporizing-medical-marijuana/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24175484

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20140507/e-cigarette-vapor-contains-potentially-harmful-particles-review

With the change of weather, I noticed I have been less inclined to be active and more inclined to focus and study my schoolwork. This got me wondering if there is any correlation between the temperature, and your academic performance. When it is hot out I find it difficult to concentrate and easier to be distracted or sleepy. Due to these observations I decided to see if there were any studies that would go along with my hypothesis.

When researching this I found out that there was a study that had similar results to me. In the study they organized students from Westview High School in Oregon where an initial test was administered  in six different classes. The test included how they would memorize shapes, recreate them, name basic shapes, colors, and solve basic math equations. The students were randomly picked, and the tests were random so no student had a greater opportunity. Also the students were given a 10 min waiting period before receiving the test so they could get adjusted to the temperature. After administering the tests, the reuslts showed that when it was 70.5 degrees students scored an 86.7%. When it was 73.6 degrees the students recieved an 82.5%, and when the temperature was “neutral” at 72.5 degrees students received an 86.9%. Even though these results matched my hypothesis, the numbers were not really spaced out. So I researched some more and found out the school did the same study with more drastic temperature change and these were the results…

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This experiment shows that students will perform better when the temperature is colder rather than warmer, but they will do the best when the temperature is neutral. This makes sense because students won’t feel as distracted by the temperature, and also wont be drowsy or tired by heat. Even though this makes sense this experiment had some faults. The tests were administered in different rooms which could cause different distractions, also there were different people taking different tests which could result in a louder or quieter classroom. Also they took the tests at different times of the day.  This could one mean students who took the test earlier could be more tired, and also more sunlight which also make students less tired. This experiment rules out reverse causation. Taking away from this study I agree that I would rather work in a place that is cooler than hotter but the ideal place to excel is a classroom in which it is a neutral temperature.

Source: http://healthyschools.cefpi.org/temperature.html

Hello everyone, my name is Jon Winneg and I am from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Cheltenham is 5 minutes outside of Philadelphia. I was never really that interested in the science throughout school, until I took microbiology senior year. Even though I enjoyed microbiology, I knew I didn’t like it as much as other topics like in the social sciences, and english. Also I knew I didn’t like it enough to make a career out of it. Instead I plan on majoring in Political Science. I took this class because I believe that learning about scientific controversies will be interesting, and change my view on science.