As the lunch bell rings, restau- rant employees brace themselves for the swarm of students who darken their doors everyday at noon. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are allowed to leave the campus for lunch. With less than an hour to commute, eat and come back to school, fast food tends to be the easiest way for students to eat off-campus and still make it back to class. Though a convenient and relatively cheap option, it can be difficult to distinguish the healthy menu items from the less-than wholesome ones.
Sophomore Austin Shugart finds ways to eat at one of his favorite fast food joints, Wendy’s, while still managing to keep his health in mind.
“I eat the five-piece spicy chicken,” he said. “There’s only five so you don’t overindulge in salt and fat and I drink water because it’s free.”
More and more restaurants offer a Value or Dollar Menu that serve separate individual food items for a lower price.
“I like to eat at Wendy’s because of their Val- ue Menu,” Shugart said. “It’s still a meal.”
According to cdph.ca.gov, the average American consumes about 50 gallons of soda and other artificial drinks per year. With almost 17 teaspoons of added sugar to every 20 ounce serving of soda, sweetened beverages claim to be the largest individual source of added sugar in the American diet. Junior Rebekah McGregor plays basketball and constantly tries to avoid all the unnecessary sugar when off-campus for a competitive reason.
“I can’t drink Cokes for basketball because all the caffeine dehydrates you,” she said.
On game days, McGregor usually eats at Subway to fuel her body and boost her energy level. Eating regular-sized portions helps her power through every quarter.
“You’re not supposed to eat too much,” she said. “You get full and have side-cramps.”
The USDA recommends that a balanced plate allot 50% to fruits and vegetables, 25% to grains and 25% to proteins with a glass of milk on the side to include a dairy product. Shugart tries including these elements into his meals while eating off-campus.
“I like things that are good in protein so I feel energized,” he said. “And I eat things with carbs so I don’t feel empty; I usually eat chicken because it’s better for you than red meat.”
Though he recommends choosing better alternatives over the latter, Shugart also knows achieving a healthy mind and body doesn’t just come from a strict diet or crazy exercise regime.
“Eating healthy isn’t necessarily eating sal- ads or protein bars,” he said. “Eating healthy is eating smaller portions and exercising.”