Healthy eating options needed on campus

Seeking nutritious alternatives to Fresno State's on-campus eateries

IF YOU WALK around the University Student Union, you can see the indecision on the faces of some students everyday as they navigate the long lines before finally settling on something to eat.

The number of healthy food options for students on campus is a problem that has been recognized and is slowly being solved.

It is bordering on absurdity for a school like Fresno State who prides itself in its local San Joaquin Valley roots to lack the fruits and vegetables grown in this area for students on campus.

The Valley is the breadbasket of the state, and Fresno State in many ways considers itself to be an agricultural school.

This is a farming community, yet there aren’t healthy food options for students on campus.

Instead, students are reduced to choosing between the same fast food (or in the case of Panda Express pseudo fast-food) choices when forced to eat on campus.

There are no fresh grown vegetables and fruits for students to choose from when examining food choices in the student union. The fresh vegetable supply in the student union is dire at best.

There is the salad bar at Round Table, which is probably the best vegetable option on campus, but eating at the salad bar more than once a week is probably a test for some students. Soup would be a good addition to the salad bar, especially during the colder months.

Subway offers a healthy alternative for students, but it seems like its supply of wheat bread is always in short order.

There are fruit smoothies near the bowling ally downstairs, but it seems like they contain as much sugar as fruit. The thought of adding nachos or a piece of beef jerky to accompany the smoothie is a little disturbing.

That leaves students who seek a pure fruit smoothie to make the trek to Jamba Juice across the street.

Before making the journey across Shaw Avenue, let me be the first to wish you good luck in maneuvering your way through oncoming traffic and getting back to class in under an hour.

The Pub is a personal favorite among many students on campus and it’s not because it is the only food option that serves alcohol.

But rather, it is the only food joint on campus that offers a full assortment of deep-fried foods. Simply by walking through the doors, students can immediately smell like french fries and chicken strips for the rest of the day.

Fresno State Director of Food Services, David Binkle, has started to initiate healthier changes on campus.

The addition of vegetarian and vegan alternatives at the Residence Dining Hall now provides students with healthier alternatives.

However, students are often forced to grab food in a rush as they scurry between classes. Students don’t always have the time to walk over to the RDH, stand in line and then sit-down and eat.

In addition to changes at the RDH, there are also plans to make changes to the Pub’s fried foods menu.

Currently, the closest whole-grain item students can order at the Pub is the limited amount of wheat and barley that comes in a glass of lager.

Despite some of the healthier changes on the horizon, Fresno State still has a lot of work to do to reduce the stranglehold that Taco Bell and the other greasy and fried fatty foods have on campus.

Until then, students that are tired of the status quo and want a quick and healthier alternative will just have to continue to brown bag it.

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