School provides healthier options than students realize

Nowadays, students are spending more time on campus than they are in their dorms. Backto- back classes, followed by long nights spent studying in “club lib,” create the perfect excuse to munch on your favorite Chick-fil-A waffle fries and sip on a Starbucks Frappuccino. Truth is, reaching for the most calorie-conscious item on the menu is the last thing on one’s mind. I mean, who could make a wise food decision when the smell of fried chicken nuggets, coming from the Cohen Center, is clouding your ability to think?
Eating meals high in fat is okay every now and then, but if it becomes the norm of your campus life, you’ll be feeling more than just sluggish.
Just because you get more bang for your buck doesn’t make it a practical choice. At the campus Chick-fil-A a medium sweet tea, eight-count chicken nugget, and a medium waffle fry comes to a total of $7.73. In comparison, the grilled market salad with a reduced fat berry balsamic dressing and free cup of tap water is $7.79. In the end, the salad proves to be more rewarding: The eightcount nugget meal comes to a total of 800 calories while the market salad is only 290 calories.
At Einstein’s Bagel Brothers, substituting their Honey Almond shmear with a Whipped Light shmear and blueberry bagel with a whole-wheat bagel thin can cut 210 calories off of breakfast alone. Craving this season’s Peppermint Mocha coffee from Starbucks? Swap the 420-calorie Grande Frappuccino and make your own inspired version. By ordering an iced coffee with an added pump of mocha and peppermint, more than half of the calories are removed.
If you find yourself, more than often not, making unwise food decisions, it might be time to realize other health-mindful options out there. This isn’t a reprimanding article for those unaware of the calorie count of food, but rather a gentle nudge to think more in-depth about what your body is consuming.