Exam Takers Use Food to Beat Stress

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2009 -- Kelsey Bilodeau is busy, to say the least. The Syracuse University senior is dual-majoring in history and psychology, and minoring in entrepreneurship. With a big week of tests and papers coming up, she is prepared—with muffins.

"It's just senior year: applying to internships while applying for law school and trying to figure out how I can afford to live in a city of my choosing," said Bilodeau. "Muffins are just a good comfort food."

Cookies and Caffeine

Whatever their snack of choice, most college students find this is the perfect time of year to indulge in favorite comfort foods.

Bilodeau bakes up a fresh batch of blueberry muffins whenever she's feeling a little too stressed out. But to make her muffins, she shuts the cookbooks and gets creative.

"They were always what my mom used to make me when I was little, and I was going to have a special day," she explained. "To make them a little healthier, I add whole-wheat flour and applesauce instead of oil or butter. I mean, muffins are still not good for you—ever. But, adding this makes them that little bit healthier. It makes it OK to eat three instead of just one."

'Special Place in My Heart'

"Blueberry muffins have a special place in my heart," she said, laughing. "But blueberry muffins have a special place in everyone's heart, don't they?"

Students around Syracuse University's upstate New York campus had definite ideas on what to eat during the midterm crunch.

"A food that I rely on during midterm time is Swedish Fish," said senior Kevin Kern. "You can buy them in bulk at Wegman's [supermarket] and they never go bad. It's not really for the sugar high, I just like the way they taste."

Grad student Alex Suskind opted for Eggo waffles. "They're delicious," he said. "There's no other reason. They're just a good snack food and good to munch on, you know?"

"During midterms my comfort food is pizza, primarily because I'm—I guess you could say—addicted to Diet Coke and that's what helps me stay up and study," said senior Amanda Giger. "So, pizza complements Diet Coke very well. And when I get hungry it's something I can eat and drink together and it helps me to stay up later."

Pasta and Gummy Bears

Nachos top Ashley Jerzak's comfort-food list. "You can make them in five minutes and they're delicious," she said. "It's all my favorite ingredients, cheese, salsa, sour cream and salty chips."

"My favorite comfort food is gummy bears," added grad student Eric Powell. "When I drink too much caffeine I get a stomachache, so I like to eat gummy bears to fill it up. I'm kind of a candy junkie, I'll be honest."

Senior Norino Mirra's favorite comfort food is chicken parmesan. "It's awesome, and you can eat it on a sandwich or with pasta," she said. "It helps me fall asleep. I eat it and I usually like pass out and then I just don't study until the next day. It's a good thing—that's how I deal with it."