With swimsuit season lurking, many people are hitting the gyms and beginning to watch what they eat.
Fast food hamburgers start getting replaced with decadent salads and personal Papa John's pizza for lunch is swapped out for a smoothie.
However, what most people may not realize is that the healthy choices they think they are making are not always the healthier option.
"If you just get a plain hamburger from McDonald's that is only 250 calories as compared to some other menu items that people may think are healthier but really aren't," said Elizabeth Purinai, junior in nutrition and food science.
According to mcdonalds.com, even its quarter pounder hamburger has less calories and grams of fat than its premium Caesar salad with grilled chicken and Caesar dressing.
Purinai said she was not surprised and that sauces and dressings are what really add up.
"Aim for oil-based dressings if you are going to get a salad," Purinai said. "Also, spinach salad or romaine salads are much healthier and contain more nutrients than iceberg lettuce which has little nutritional value."
Another common culprit is the fruit smoothie.
"By far the most common diet mistake I hear of is smoothies, which can be high in sugar," said Sara Duffy, group fitness instructor at Gold's Gym. "Another big one is yogurt. Always check the sugar. Even with light yogurt there can be a high amount of sugar."
With time and budget being major factors in what college students eat, Duffy and Purinai know how hard it can be to make the right choices. "When you're running between classes it's the easiest thing to grab," said Jordan Collins, graduate student in biomechanics of human movement. Collins also said given the on campus choices, it really is the most convenient meal for students.
"It's so easy just to grab something at a restaurant and go when you are in college," Purinai said. "However, if you cook your meals at home you can reduce fat by about 50 percent."
Purinai said most of this reduction is due to the way that restaurants prepare their foods. "I used to think Moe's was always a healthier choice because all of the protein you get in their meals," Purinai said. "Then I calculated my meal online and it was like 1,000 calories once you add the chips and salsa, which is ridiculous for one meal." Purinai said refried beans are a great example of a healthy food that is stocked full of calories because of preparation.
Restaurants commonly prepare refried beans with lard. Purinai recommends either opting for black beans or satisfying any craving for refried beans at home where they can be prepared in a healthier manner.
Another common food choice for time-pressed students is the frozen meal, Duffy said. Many of these meals are marketed as lean or healthy; however, Duffy said they are often high in sodium and fat.
It is also important to moderate one's sodium intake even at a young age, Purinai said. Reducing one's daily salt intake by only one teaspoon will have a tremendous amount of positive effects on future heart health.
Purinai also urges students to be read the nutrition labels before buying food and not to be fooled by packaging that markets a product as healthy or 100 percent natural.
Juices can often have misleading labels, Purinai said
"V8 juice often times has a lot of salt," Purinai said. "If someone is needing to supplement their diet with certain nutrients, instead of drinking such drinks just try sneaking (the nutrient) into every meal in small doses."
This method is the easiest to get nutrients that otherwise may lack in one's diet, Purinai said.
Purinai recommends adding spinach to your eggs in the morning and pasta at night to add nutrients like iron, vitamin K andpotassium.
For more information on healthy eating or to see what nutrients might be lacking from certain foods, visit mypyramid.gov.
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