Students attending Sacramento State have a variety of dining options scattered throughout the college campus. But, are these options healthy food choices?

Sac State’s dining services provides students, faculty and visitors with quick and easy food options. The selection varies from well-known businesses like Burger King and Subway, to privately owned restaurants like Kung Fu Fat’s and Miyagi Sushi.

Amy Wolfley, junior nursing major, said she normally eats on campus but realizes that bringing lunch is probably the more healthy option. Wolfley said that packing healthy lunches is time-consuming and something that most students avoid.

“I plan on eating my stuff and then I come in here (The University Union) and smell it, and it smells so good I end up buying stuff too,” Wolfley said.

Roberto Avena, junior mechanical engineering major, said he normally brings his lunch to campus because of the expensive prices. Avena said he does not like the large portions of food served throughout the dining services.

“Sometimes I buy something here and I cannot finish it. I am forced to eat too much here,” Avena said.

Sac State’s dining facilities cater to thousands of students and faculty each day. Although there are healthy food options throughout the campus, many of these choices have negative nutritional impact.

Sally Monical, lecturer in the Kinesiology and Health Science Department at Sac State, said a turkey sandwich, prepared consciously, can be a sensible and healthy lunch choice.

Although a turkey sandwich is capable of being a healthy choice, it is important to look at the ingredients that go into making it. The nutritional values of a turkey sandwich vary throughout the Sac State campus.

A Subway 6-inch turkey breast sandwich with American cheese has 320 calories and contains 48 grams of carbohydrates. A regular-sized turkey and cheese sandwich from Togo’s has 670 calories and 68 grams of carbohydrates.

Although both Subway and Togo’s offer a turkey and cheese sandwich, Subway’s sandwich contains far fewer calories, fat, and carbohydrates – something that students may not realize.

Though students may understand the unhealthiness of food from traditional fast food restaurants like Burger King and Round Table, they may not consider the nutritional value of these items. A Whopper with cheese and a medium side order of french fries from Burger King contains 1250 calories, 71 grams of fat and 113 carbohydrates. A personal pepperoni pizza from Round Table has 640 calories, 32 grams of fat and 64 grams of carbohydrates. Even though a Whopper appears to be smaller in size than a personal-sized pizza, the nutritional values show that a Whopper and french fries contain a significantly higher amount of calories.

Monical said she goes by the “brown bag” approach and encourages her students to plan nutritional meals in advance.

“I talk about being brown-bag people and that is going to be your best option. You need to bring your own food. It’s going to be your cheapest option. It’s going to be your most nutritional option and it’s going to be your most fulfilling option,” she said.

Monical said she encourages her students to cook on Saturdays and Sundays and prepare meals for the week ahead. She recommends that students, faculty and staff make a sandwich, pack fruit and bring leftovers in containers that they can microwave.

However, packing a “brown bag” lunch is not the only way to eat healthy at Sac State. Kalyn Coppedge, health educator at Sac State’s Student Health Connection, said it is definitely possible to eat a healthy diet on campus.

“I’d recommend using the programs available to students such as the FitHELP program where students can see a dietitian or exercise physiologist for individualized advice,” Coppedge said.

Students can pick up a guide to eating healthy on campus at the Health Education office at the Student Health Center.

Miranda Marsalla can be reached at [email protected]