– An Easy Spread –

Somehow, I always manage to get the classes with the worst time spots – whether they’re at 7:00 a.m. or 9:00 p.m.  These classes come with the additional challenge of staying awake.  I know you’ve had this feeling before—you stayed up all night cramming or partying (it is college, after all). Class starts and you begin spacing out. Now you really wish that you had listened to your mom when she said “go to bed early.” You try pinching yourself—ouch!  It works for about five minutes, but soon the weight of your eyelids feels unbearable.  You need a quick solution.  Luckily for you, one of the easiest ways to temporarily wake yourself up is to reach for a mint.  Mints are known for their stimulating qualities, so I keep a bunch close at hand.

One of the best, and most well known, solutions is coffee.  A regular cup of coffee packs a whopping 125-150 milligrams of caffeine. The problem with coffee, and several caffeine-filled energy boosters, is that it becomes less effective the more it’s used.  So, in moderation, coffee can be a great solution.  While sitting in line at Starbucks for my Grande Latte, I read that lighter roasts actually have more caffeine, whereas darker ones have less.  Remember when you’re picking up your morning Joe—just because it tastes stronger, doesn’t mean the caffeine is stronger.  Treat yourself to a light roast twice a week, rather than everyday.

Another stimulating snack, which is an offshoot of the classic coffee beverage, is chocolate covered coffee beans.  The combined caffeine from the coffee and chocolate makes this a potent little snack.  Because they’re so potent, I carry these around in a little baggy and only use them in emergency situations.  On Mondays, I work until 10:00 p.m., so by 6:30 I’m feeling zonked.  I pop a couple of these in my mouth and let the energy set in.
Energy drinks are one of the preferred wake-up methods among college students.  I will agree that there is nothing like a RedBull or Rockstar to get you going.  But these drinks can actually be very dangerous when used too often, which I’ve seen first hand.  One of my college friends used to have an energy drink everyday before class.  After a few semesters of this regimen, she found herself having sharp abdominal pains.  When she went in to see the doctor she found out that she had kidney stones.  Her Doctor told her that the stones were likely caused by large doses of caffeine and herbal stimulants.

Caffeine is dehydrating, which can have negative effects on the kidneys.  In other words, energy drinks may be effective, but at what cost?  One can of Cocaine energy drink has 280 milligrams of caffeine.  To give you an idea of how bad that number is, the recommended daily intake of caffeine is only 200-300 milligrams.  If you use them very sparingly (once a week or less) they can be a helpful aid, but relying on them too heavily could lead to trouble.

However, there are some energy snacks that are healthier, albeit with less immediate results.  Nuts and seeds, dried fruit, and sprouted grains and beans are all healthy alternatives to their caffeinated counterparts.  They offer energy through high amounts of fructose (fruit), large doses of fiber (sprouts), and rich reserves of protein and calcium (nuts).  The next time you’re heading for that AM class, grab a small cup of light roast coffee and a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit.

Have you had a good or bad experience with an energy drink? Share it below.

Alyssa is an MFA student at GMU in Virginia. She is a fan of bar cuisine and live music.