Thinking about what to eat finals week? Probably not. Most students’ top priority now is staying up late with little or no sleep, darkening hundreds of Scantron bubbles and writing last-minute papers. Eating the quick and satisfying crappy food easily available may be the way of life for students.

But it doesn’t have to be. You can get quick and healthy snacks other than what the vending machine has to offer and tote them around with you and fuel your mind and body for the upcoming challenge. Here are some ideas for snacking on the go:

– Fruit is healthy, portable and quick to eat. Bananas, apples, peaches, pears, plums and strawberries are a great way to satisfy your sugar cravings. Oranges and citrus may be messy, but this is the citrus season – just take a few napkins with you. Drinking fruit juice – as in 85-100 percent fruit juice – is a great idea too: Think cranberry, apple or orange and many more. Eating candy will induce a sugar-high that may give you energy to study history, but you’ll crash and burn like a Japanese kamikaze pilot in World War II soon enough.

– Veggies are a great option if you’re not up for sweet fruit. Try a little dressing with carrots and red, green or yellow pepper slices – take your anger and stress out on those crunchy carrots! Or try the grade school favorite, ants in a boat: a celery stalk with peanut butter in between and raisins stuck in peanut butter. Makes you think of those grade school days when all that mattered was coloring in the lines to get a gold star, didn’t it?

– Dairy products are an awesome snack as well; didn’t someone once dub milk as “the perfect food”? If drinking milk is not your thing, try cottage cheese for a salty craving and low-fat yogurt for when you want something sweet.

– Don’t underestimate a hard-boiled egg: a batch can be boiled at once and lasts for a few days. Sans yolk, eggs are a good source of protein and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

– Going nuts? Get some nuts! Nuts are high in fat, but they promise a source of minerals. Cashews, macadamia, pecan, almonds and walnuts are among the tasty options in sweet or salty flavors available.

– If you’re not worried about carbs, try sweet or salty crackers (goldfish, teddy bears or plain saltines will do), granola bars, popcorn cakes/chips, whole-wheat pretzels, rice cakes or Rice Chex mix.

– Energy bars promise sustained energy if you don’t have time to make a meal. But watch out – these bars are high in fat and calories and are best counted as a mid-sized meal. I just tried a Snicker’s Marathon bar today and I plan on eating them when a regular Snicker’s bar craving hits.

Until next semester, happy snacking and good luck with finals!