Can we eat for exam success?

Can we eat for exam success?

From The Food Chain by BBC World Service

April 22, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of diet on exam performance and stress, featuring insights from students and nutrition experts.

It's exam season in many parts of the world and with her own daughter studying hard, Rumella Dasgupta began wondering how much food matters during this difficult and stressful time. Is there such a thing as a brain food and are there any foods in particular that we should be aiming to eat while studying hard? Rumella talks to students and experts about the role diet plays and what happens to our eating habits when we're under intense pressure. Plus are energy drinks ever a good idea before an exam, and what should we do when the junk food cravings hit? Featuring Professor Julia Rucklidge, director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and Lucy Upton, a UK based paediatric dietitian who supports her teenage clients to eat better during this stressful phase of their lives. Plus teenagers and university students in the US and India discuss what they like to eat and drink when studying. With special thanks to Zumix in Boston. Producer: Lexy O'Connor Sound engineer: Andrew Mills Image: a dark-haired teenage girl is sprawled on her bed. She has a biscuit in her mouth and is writing in an exercise book. Credit…

People in this episode

Host: Rumella Dasgupta

Guests: Professor Julia Rucklidge, Lucy Upton

Topics covered

  • exam success
  • brain food
  • diet and study
  • stress eating
  • nutrition
  • student life

Keywords

  • brain food
  • exam diet
  • nutrition
  • stress eating
  • energy drinks
  • junk food cravings
  • student nutrition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Te Puna Toiora, University of Canterbury, Zumix

Places: UK, US, India

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