Everyone knows that eating healthy in the dining hall can be difficult. There are so many delicious, unhealthy options everyday and so few healthy ones. It often feels like the only way to eat a healthy lunch in the dining hall is to have a salad. But, if you’re a 225-lb. man like me, a simple salad rarely cuts it as a meal.
Although it doesn’t feel like it, there are a number of other ways to eat right in the dining halls if you look for them.
The West Quad burrito bar
Serving burritos, tacos and sometimes nachos, the burrito bar is a great healthy lunch alternative. The burrito bar typically has chicken and burger meat, black, pinto and refried beans, rice and the usual burrito toppings. A burrito with rice (sans tortilla) comes in around 300 calories (depending on the bean/meat combination). Even when you add in a tortilla and other toppings, the West Quad burrito is still much healthier than a Chipotle burrito, which can often run well over 1000 calories. Tasty, filling and healthy, there are few better options than the West Quad burrito bar.
The West Quad Olive Branch
This spot has falafel, chicken schwarma and beef kofta, along with a number of salads and flavored hummuses everyday at lunchtime. While none of the food at Olive Branch is outstanding, it is a good change of pace from normal dining hall fare. Most importantly, the options are filling and healthy. A serving of falafel (3 pieces), hummus and tabbouleh salad, a relatively filling meal, is only 390 calories.
95 air max
There are many more delicious, healthy lunch options in the dining halls that will fill you up more than a salad without busting your belly. The best way to make sure you are maintaining healthy eating habits in the dining halls is to keep track of everything. Make use of the dining hall’s NetNutrition page if you really want to know exactly what you’re eating.