Chicken! BAK BAK!

Cane's Chicken is quite the spot on campus.  Open most of the day, students make frequent visits primarily at night time to this amazing place.  One "meal" combo consists of three chicken fingers, fries, a very unhealthy but tasty piece of bread, and a cup for some soda to wash down all the greasy chicken with.  I mean really, how much better can it get?  While eating this juicy, savory chicken, all thoughts of your state of health are forgotten.  It can't be THAT unhealthy, right?

Look at this nicely packaged meal. Looks good huh? Let's get a little closer..

Still looks really good, right?  Just a tad closer...

This delicious bread is soaked in some garlic concoction of some sort; very unhealthy but so tasty.

Doesn't look so appealing now, does it?  You haven't even seen the fries.

Look at that salt coating!

From left to right:  Salt (1701 mg), Sugar (6.4g), fat (53.6g)

As you can see, it is, in fact, extremely healthy. The amount of fat in this meal is almost enough to satisfy your daily value!  Either way, if you're looking for a delicious meal, come to Cane's!

Wraps and Salads and Chips Ohh My!

Croutons Salads and Wraps is supposedly one of the healthier choices on our campus. You get a wrap or salad that comes with a bag of chips or piece of fruit and a water or fountain drink. As with any restaurant, the choice of being healthier is truly up to the customer. While it is very easy to quickly make supposedly "healthy" food unhealthy, we choose to do our best to see how truly healthy we could be. . .

Here we ordered a whole wheat wrap, with chicken, lots of veggies, and only oil and vinegar as a dressing. We splurged and got the healthier choice of chips, Sun Chips, and a bottled water. 

Overall, Croutons can, in fact, be a healthier option for students. With about 800 mg of Salt, it is by no means low sodium but still allows for some wiggle room later in the day. About 9 g of Sugar, still very good. Lastly, there was only about 24 g of Fat, most coming from the chips, whole wheat wrap, and chicken. In retrospect, Croutons can be one of the places a health conscious student could eat, just be wary of the dressings and fountain drinks.  

Information pulled from VCU Food Services

Cheese and tomatoes; it must be healthy!

Everyone loves pizza.  It really doesn't matter where you're from, there is going to be a pizza place around because pizza has been blown up by food giants and the taste is irresistible.  And seriously, how could you resist?  It must be healthy; cheese is healthy, tomatoes are healthy, and pizza has both of those all in one.   I guess we'll see just how healthy it is..

Look at that apple. Doesn't this meal look so healthy?

Now that looks delicious. Look at that cheese. And that glistening grease.. mmm!

Now it looks a little less good. That's quite a bit more cheese than I'd thought there would be!

From left to right:  Salt (1370 mg), Sugar (7g), Fat (26g)

So this delicious pizza packs quite a punch to our health.  Loaded with saturated fats (primarily from the cheese), eating this every day would not be good at all.  Check the "Pizza Hut" page for some nutritional information!

But It's Just a Cup of Soup and a Sandwich.....

Panera is easily one of the hot spots to find students on a college campus. With their inviting atmosphere and delicious food, Panera offers a quiet place to study and eat at the same time. Though their food is great and customer service is a top priority, their nutritional values leave something to be desired . . .

Surely just a cup of French Onion Soup and a 1/2 Chipotle Chicken Sandwich are not that bad for you; it's when you add the side baguette, 16 oz Pepsi, and Strawberries and Cream Scone that things start to get a little messy in the health department.

The meal all together clocks-in as one of the least healthy to date. There is 3,070 mg of sodium, nearly a day and a half's worth. 101 grams of sugar, the majority coming from the soda and scone, or nearly 8 1/2 TABLESPOONS. The fat comes in at 48 g, or 4 tablespoons. Maybe you'll think twice before ordering that scone for 99 cents now . . .

Information pulled from www.paneranutrition.com 

Fresh off the Wok!

It is very probable that, wherever you are, there is at least one Asian fast food restaurant in your area. It is also probable that you have gone and eaten there a couple of times already. Don't feel bad though. Who can resist all the savory foods it offers. Choices like white rice, fried rice, lo mein, chow mein, Teriyaki or Honey Fire chicken, and many other options, make it irresistible. One such place is called Nao and Zen. It offers stir fry dishes with a choose-your-ingredients servicing style.

Chicken and white rice stir fry with assorted vegetables and honey fire sauce.

 Now, you may say, that doesn't look delicious at all. Well, let's take a closer look.

Are you salivating yet?

Yes, it tasted as delicious as it looks. Also, to some surprise, its salt, sugar, and fat content wasn't bad, without the soda that is.

From left to right: 193mg of salt, 28g of sugar, and 60g of total fat.

Wow, this might be the  healthiest dish so far! Though these values are not necessarily correct, seeing that Nao and Zen does not actually have a published nutrition sheet. Read the Nao and Zen page for more info!

Some Chik-Fil-A with Tacos on the Side

                                                                                    Chick-Fil-A Meal (1)

Chicken Sandwich:
Fat: 18 grams
Sugar: 5 grams
Salt:1390 mg
Waffle Fries:
Fat: 21 grams
Sugar: 0 grams
Salt: 180 mg
Soda:
Sugar: 47 grams
Salt: 15 mg

Taco Bell Meal (2)
Burrito Supreme:
Fat: 16 grams
Sugar: 5 grams
Salt: 1140 mg
Soda:
Sugar:70 grams
Salt:50 mg
Hard Taco:
Fat: 8 grams
Salt: 310 mg
Sugar: 1 gram












Chick Fil A and Taco Bell are two of the most popular places for students to eat at in Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). It is very convenient and fast for when students get hungry in between their classes. What they do not realize is how much salt, sugar, and fat is actually in the meals they eat. The chicken sandwich meal that the majority of people order at Chick Fil A has more than the daily intake of salt sugar and fat should be. The same goes for Taco Bell's meals. All these foods that people order for taste and convenience should be looked at again, with a closer look, to see how bad the food they are eating actually is.

Subway Can't be Bad, Right?

Among a multitude of fast food restaurants, one would assume that Subway is the healthier choice. Not only is it fresh, according to them, but it allows you to build your own sub. From picking the bread all the way down to the sauces, you are the one in control. You could build a sandwich of low-fat turkey or chicken with a multitude of veggies or you could go for the meatball and pepperoni smothered in cheese. ... It is your choice!

All wrapped up and ready to go...into your stomach.

Just look at those deliciously fresh ingredients!

Now, lets look under the hood, without the soda (because, seriously, who drinks soda?).

From left to right: 1750mg of salt, 10g of sugar, and 38g of total fat.

Alright! So far, it doesn't look too bad. All of these are under the daily recommended values (DV's). Right? Well...Go look at the Subway page on the left for more information.

The Salt, the Sugar, and the Fat

Before we destroy your dreams of eating out all day, everyday, let's look at the recommended values of these essential food ingredients.

From left to right: Salt, Sugar, and Fat

Taken from the FDA and independent institutes(1, 2, 3) the daily recommended values for a 2,000 calorie diet are as follows- Fat: 65 grams, Sodium: 2,400 mg, and Sugar: ~50 grams. You will quickly notice that many of the foods discussed blow these numbers out of the water for just ONE MEAL.