Au Bon Pain, Freshens, Rye of the Tiger. What do these three dining venues have in common? They are all thought to be some of the healthiest dining options available options on campus. It's sad to say, but this is probably true.
The fact is that, even though most of Au Bon Pain's sandwiches fall into a range of more than 600 calories, and though some of the biggest-selling items at Freshens consist of sugary coffees topped with whipped cream and donuts, they are still probably some of the healthier options on campus.
One of the most popular venues, Chick-fil-A, has fries with enough calories to be mistaken for an entire meal.
Over the summer I had Papa John's every day for breakfast and Chick-fil-A every day for supper just because they were the only things available on campus, and the only kitchen in the dorm I lived in always smelled funny.
The University has now had the opportunity to bring in some new food options for students, and they bring Panda Express. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Chinese food, and my inner fatty is totally celebrating the change. But if I think about it rationally I can't help but feel that this was not the best decision to make for the students.
If you've ever read any of the "Eat This, Not That" books, you'll find that all that fried chicken really can pack on the calories, and even though there are vegetables in the fried rice it's still not all that healthy. One meal can go up to more than 1,000 calories.
So why does the University continue to bring in all of these unhealthy food choices, when there are better options on hand? I think it is so students don't start complaining even more about the dining card system they keep in place.
If the University didn't provide anything for students but the kinds of meals they need to stay healthy, I'm sure a lot of students would be even more outraged at the $995 they are forced to put on their Tiger Card every semester, unless they live off campus.
I think providing healthier dining options on campus would go a great ways to getting students out of an unhealthy mindset when it comes to food.
Surrounding them with junk, on the other hand, is probably going to cause problems for them later on.
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