{"id":254368,"date":"2025-04-24T14:20:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:20:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=254368"},"modified":"2025-07-01T16:15:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T21:15:22","slug":"best-study-snacks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/best-study-snacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Study Snacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that <em>most<\/em> (81%!) people grab a study snack to enjoy while they hit the books? Studying and snacking are like peas in a pod, and the study-snacking options are endless. <\/p>\n<p>With so much variety, we wanted to see what you\u2019re eating to power through those long hours of studying!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"What_are_the_Most_Popular_Study_Snacks\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What are the Most Popular Study Snacks?<\/h2>\n<p>We sent a survey to over 100,000 people. When the answers started coming in, we were able to build a picture of what\u2019s been going on in the wide world of study snacking.<\/p>\n<p>What about you\u2014would you dip a pickle in peanut butter?<\/p>\n<p>Sit back, relax, grab a bag of chips, and see how people are fueling those study sessions.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Study_Snacks_Infographic_PDF\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Study Snacks Infographic PDF<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Study-Snack-Infographic.pdf\" target=\"blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Best-Study-Snacks-Image-e1746740480453.png\" alt=\"Infographic about study snack habits, showing most students snack while studying, prefer sweet or salty snacks, drink water or coffee, and often study in the evening.\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-215971\"  role=\"img\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<button class=\"shortpdfdownloadbutton\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Study-Snack-Infographic.pdf\" target=\"blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"pdfdownloadbuttonbutton-icon\" src=\"https:\/\/courses.mometrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/download-icon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" \/>Download Study<br \/>Snack Habits PDF<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n<p>We got so much insight from our study snacks survey that we couldn\u2019t fit everything in one place. Here are a few of our favorite bonus stats!<\/p>\n<ul class=\"icon-list\">\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Chart-Icon.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<span>51% of those who don\u2019t snack while studying said snacks are distracting<\/span><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Money-Icon.svg\" \/><br \/>\n<span>Almost half of the study snackers spend $10-$19 every week on snacks<\/span><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Chips-Icon.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<span>Lays&reg; is the #1 chip brand<\/span><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Chocolate-Icon.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<span>Chocolate is the #1 sweet snack<\/span><\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Apple-Icon.svg\" \/><br \/>\n<span>Fruit is the #1 healthy snack<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At Mometrix, we\u2019re all about studying effectively and getting the most from our study sessions. With that in mind, we looked at a few of the best study snacks for powering through when your nose is in the books.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"How_Much_Energy_Will_I_Use_Studying\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>How Much Energy Will I Use Studying?<\/h2>\n<p>Studying does burn calories, but not very many. You can expect to burn something like 100 calories per hour of focused study. This is certainly <em>not<\/em> an effective diet and exercise plan, but you can feel mental fatigue after a few hours. This is because your brain needs breaks and fuel, just like your muscles do!<\/p>\n<p class=\"floatingimage-right\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing.webp\" alt=\"Person wearing a yellow sweater holds papers in one hand and scratches their head with the other, appearing confused or uncertain.\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-253006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing.webp 1080w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing-1024x1024.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Confused-Student-left-facing-768x768.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><br \/>\nOur brain runs on glucose (blood sugar); it\u2019s the fuel for our thinking machine. Keeping our glucose balanced means putting high-quality gas in our brain-tank.<\/p>\n<p>Our body sends signals when we need a break or a snack. Tummy grumbles, loss of focus, and heavy eyelids start creeping in after hours of hard work, negatively affecting our ability to stay sharp while studying. If we skip a meal or study long into the night (don\u2019t neglect your brain\u2019s sleep needs!), our blood sugar can drop, and our brain loses focus.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, if we open a big bag of candy and plow through it in 15 minutes, we might feel pretty good as our body converts those simple sugars into glucose for our brain. But simple sugars get used up quickly, and <em>poof<\/em>! We start to feel worse than we did before the snack attack. You all know that feeling. The dreaded blood sugar crash!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"What's_the_Best_Study_Snack\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What&#8217;s the Best Study Snack?<\/h2>\n<p>The answer isn\u2019t simple; it\u2019s <em>complex<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p>Avoid simple sugars like candy, soda, and white flour (bread, rice, pasta, etc.). These break down quickly, causing a spike in our blood sugar. It can feel like a superpower at first, but these simple carbohydrates are swiftly used, and our body starts longing for a nap as the grogginess sets in.<\/p>\n<p>A small, sweet treat is ok now and then, but to really keep your brain sharp, you want to feed it with something we call <em>complex carbohydrates<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Complex carbohydrates are found in foods like whole grains (oats, bran, corn, etc.), fruit, and vegetables. You can avoid the rollercoaster of sugar ups and downs by fueling up with these healthy snacks.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin:auto;width: max-content;max-width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Simple-Carbs-vs.-Complex-Carbs-CBGWL.webp\" alt=\"Simple and complex carbohydrate table\" width=\"546.48\" height=\"304.865\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-252976\"  role=\"img\" \/> <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;font-size:75%;margin-top:-1.5em\">*<em>For more information visit <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/complex-carbohydrates-7100033\" title=\"Health.com\" target=\"blank\">health.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>What happens when we feed our snack attack with a big bag of candy confections? When our tummy gives a little growl and we feed it candy, our glucose spikes very quickly. But after a little while, if we don&#8217;t put something healthy in our body, our glucose will fall to levels worse than before we ate anything! Complex carbs don&#8217;t spike as high and they don&#8217;t fall off as dramatically. Healthy fats (like omega-3s found in fish) do not spike our blood sugar, and our glucose levels stay steady over a long period of time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blood-Glucose-Levels.webp\" alt=\"Line graph comparing blood glucose levels over time after eating simple vs. complex carbohydrates; simple carbs cause a sharper, quicker spike and drop than complex carbs.\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-253333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blood-Glucose-Levels.webp 960w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blood-Glucose-Levels-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blood-Glucose-Levels-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Whew! Pass me those <span  style=\"text-decoration: line-through\">jelly beans<\/span> whole-grain pita chips and hummus; studying can take a lot of energy! <\/p>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"author-image\" height=\"127\" width=\"127\" alt=\"A man with short, styled brown hair and blue eyes is smiling at the camera in a well-lit indoor setting.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Josh-Barnett.jpeg\"><div class=\"author-text\"><p class=\"author-name\">By <span itemprop=\"name\">Josh Barnett<\/span><\/p><div class=\"author-desc\"><p>With over eight years of experience in customer service and twelve years as an award-winning portrait photographer and small-business owner, Josh brings his creative eye to Mometrix. He provides dynamic images for various projects, writes promotional content, produces educational videos, and collaborates with other academic organizations. Josh lives with his wife and three children. In his free time, you can find him enjoying a craft beer at home or playing guitar and mandolin at his local church.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that most (81%!) people grab a study snack to enjoy while they hit the books? Studying and snacking are like peas in a pod, and the study-snacking options are endless. With so much variety, we wanted to see what you\u2019re eating to power through those long hours of studying! What are the &#8230; <a title=\"Best Study Snacks\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/best-study-snacks\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Best Study Snacks\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":254389,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-254368","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254368"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256756,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254368\/revisions\/256756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}