7TheJournalOctober2011

Healthy living

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 easi-est way for students to eat o! -campus and still make it back to class. " ough a convenient and relatively cheap option, it can be di# cult to distinguish the healthy menu items from the less-than wholesome ones. Sophomore Austin Shugart $ nds 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 $ ve-piece spicy chicken,” he said. “" ere’s only $ ve so you don’t overindulge in salt and fat and I drink water because it’s free.” More and more restaurants o! er 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 arti$ cial drinks per year. With al-most 17 teaspoons of added sugar to every 20 ounce serving of soda, sweetened bever-

ages claim to be the largest individual source of added sugar in the American diet. Junior Rebekah McGregor plays basketball and con-stantly tries to avoid all the unnecessary sugar when o! -campus for a competitive reason. “I can’t drink Cokes for basketball because all the ca! eine 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.” " e 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 o! -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.” " ough he recommends choosing better al-ternatives 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.”

Would you like fries with that?Students seek healthier options for o -campus lunchParis Waltherparis.walther@gaggle.net

Sugar RushHow much sugar does it

really have?

20 oz Mountain

Dew

1 Can Red Bull

12 oz McDonald’s

Oreo McFlurry

=sugarstacks.com

47 grams or 11 1/2

sugar cubes

===

77 grams or 19 1/2

sugar cubes

27 grams or 6 1/2

sugar cubes

73 grams or 18 1/2

sugar cubes

Starbuck’s Grande Mocha

Frappuccino w/ whipped cream

[[SWAP]] >>Wendy’s o! ers better alternatives to the classic fried option

Small French FriesCalories- 320Calories from Fat- 140Total Fat- 16 gSodium- 350 mgSugars- 0 g

Trade this... For this...

Garden Side Salad

Calories- 210Calories from Fat- 120Total Fat- 13 gSodium- 400 mgSugars- 4 g

Or this...

Apple Slices

Calories- 40Calories from Fat- 0Total Fat- 0 gSodium- 0 mgSugars- 7 g

Side