About 274,000 pounds of french fries are consumed each year in the Ohio University dining halls, said Rich Neumann, director of OU Dining Services.
When it comes to collegiate dining, most students would not describe their meals as being gourmet or healthy. Between limited dining hall options and greasy fast foods, it might seem hard for students to maintain a healthy diet in college.
Amber Miller and Kevin Chagin, both OU sophomores, consider their eating habits unhealthy. Both students have dining hall meal plans and eat at the dining halls frequently.
Pretty much I don't like the main food
Miller said. I always get a toasted bagel with cream cheese which is usually about six times a week.
Miller also frequently dines on the fresh fruit salad offered at Bromley dining hall, ice cream sandwiches, tater tots, french fries and at Bromley's Taco Night every Wednesday, she said.
I think I eat more regularly at school because people remind you to eat when you go to dinner together. In that aspect I eat better at school because at home I'll eat like once a day sometimes
Miller said. I eat fruit and salads here
which is healthier than I eat at home
he said.
Chagin prefers to eat mostly salads and cereal if he doesn't like anything in the hot food line, he said. His two favorite places to eat Uptown are Taco Bell and Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers - the two cheapest
he said.
Francie Astrom, an OU nutrition counselor, said the key to eating healthy is to eat a variety of foods. She advises to eat the colors of the rainbow
such as orange carrots, red apples and green peppers.
The colors of the fruits tell us about the nutrients
she said.
For instance, orange and pink fruits, such as oranges, papayas and grapefruits, are high in Vitamin-C.
It also is important only to purchase as much fruit and vegetables as you think you can eat in a certain period of time, Astrom said.
A college-aged male, not playing sports or participating in daily physical activity, should eat 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day. A college-aged female should eat 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day. More active students require more calories, Astrom said.
Todd Leinberger, a fifth-year senior at OU, said he thinks it is harder to eat healthy when living off campus. In the dining halls, the food already is prepared and right there. It is also harder to go out and buy food, he said.
I usually end up eating pizza or something
Leinberger said.
Eating Uptown is a daily occurrence for Leinberger. He eats between classes daily at the two cheapest restaurants, Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers and Taco Bell, he said.
It might be hard to find something that hits the spot in the dining halls, and resorting to fast food is not always a bad thing, Astrom said. Fast foods and foods such as cakes, cookies and pies are categorized as occasional foods, whereas fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy products and grains are everyday foods.
Most foods in the dining hall will fit into a balanced diet as long as proportion and variety are taken into consideration, Astrom said.
Neumann said the dining hall menus are chosen by a committee that considers students' suggestions.
The most popular foods in the dining hall, according to consumption records, are grilled chicken, chicken Parmesan, chicken patties, chicken nuggets, pizza, macaroni and cheese, carved turkey, steak and broccoli cheese soup. French fries are also at the top of the list, Neumann said.
One 3 1/5-ounce serving of crinkle-cut french fries contains 293 calories and 16.3 grams of fat - 50 percent of the total fat caloric intake for a normal person for one day, according to the interactive nutritive analysis on the OU Dining Services Web site, www.facilities.ohiou.edu/food.
