The Food Chain
The Food Chain
BBC World Service
Can we eat for exam success?
26 minutes Posted Apr 22, 2026 at 11:01 pm.
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Show notes

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: Getty images.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk