By Kert Mitchell

Whether you love or hate the meal plan, we’ve all got one now. Many of us, myself included, use the meal plan money to try to facilitate a healthier eating style. Given the dining options available on campus, finding something healthy to eat can sometimes prove to be a challenging task. The difficulty in simply finding this information can be compounded by the fact that few restaurants have any nutritional information readily available for students.

To that end, here are some things to keep in mind when you’re eating at the following places:

Subway & Freshens

I grouped these two together because they actually have their nutritional info proudly displayed for all to see. Yogurt and fruit smoothies or Dagwood-esque sandwiches comprised of a plethora of toppings. How can you go wrong?

Recommendation: These are virtually no-brainers. Check out Subway’s menu of sandwiches with less than 6 grams of fat or try any Freshens shake.

Damon’s Grill

I tried to find some meal that wasn’t absurdly high in calories. Despite my effort, I couldn’t find a single thing on the menu that had less than 700 calories.

Recommendation: Everything on the menu is very high in fat and calories. If you’re looking to watch your intake, it will be difficult to do here.

Garden Toss

They didn’t have any nutritional information readily available, but most of their salads seem pretty healthy. Fresh vegetables and grilled chicken are always good for you, right? I know this seems like common sense, but it never hurts to say it.

Recommendation: Flip out. Go nuts. Eat here as often as you like.

Global Market & Mein Bowl

These two are lumped together because neither have nutritional information available and choosing food here can be difficult. Try to get smaller portions if you dine at either of these, and exercise a little common sense.

Recommendation: Aim for white rice and look for lighter, non-sweet sauces at Mein Bowl. At Global Market, try for non-fried foods.

Papa Johns

One piece of the cheese personal pan pizza has 180 calories and 9 percent of your daily value of fat. Eat at your own risk here, just like Damon’s Grill. Don’t get me wrong; I love their pizza. It’s just not particularly healthy for you.

Recommendation: If you have to eat here, try eating half a personal pizza instead of the whole one.

Einstein Bros

Most bagels here are fair game, sailing gracefully under 400 calories. Although getting a schmear can tack on another 100 calories or so. And most sandwiches leap over 700 calories.

Recommendation: For lunch, the Veg Out as well as the Nova Lox and Bagel are great and both under 500 calories.

Chick-Fil-A

The nutritional information for Chick-fil-A can be misleading. Most of their food is over 400 calories, with a whopping 25 percent of your daily value of fat.

Recommendation: Try the chargrilled sandwiches, the 4-count strips or 8-count nuggets. None of these are low in fat, but they are low in calories. Eat here sparingly.

Wendy’s

Most sandwiches are well over 700 calories, and dripping with either grease or oil. The salads are almost as bad, since they have fried chicken or taco toppings all over them.

Recommendation: The chili is good, and low in calories. The Jr. sandwiches aren’t too bad either, most of which have less than 300 calories. And it’s nice that they top them with a few fresh veggies.

Taunami

These people make the sushi packs you’ve likely seen all over campus. Everything they have is tasty and healthy. And you can eat a whole pack while remaining under 500 calories. I love this stuff.

Recommendation: I can’t say enough good things about omega-3 in fish and other seafood. This helps in brain function. If you haven’t developed a taste for sushi rolls yet, I recommend Osaka or Sapporo.