University and Nourishment

Hi, everyone!

My name is Jasun (pronounced like Jason), and I’m a new writer for UTSC Pulse. I’m a second-year Journalism student, and I’m very happy to be here. Stay awhile. You might find something entertaining, or something that you didn’t know about UTSC, your home. Either way, you’ll find yourself deeper in the campus experience. Belonging here is, the way I see it, more important than your GPA.

Now the important part. Pay attention. 

We all eat on campus. The food options surrounding the campus are slim, and often far too inconvenient to travel to. There are delicious things on campus, no question, but eating here is rarely a question that you weigh in your mind. It’s not a question of either/or. You just eat here. Maybe the question of how healthy you’re eating never comes up, because there’s no other option.

But aren’t you curious? When you’re stuffing that HERO burger into your mouth, does a little part of your mind (it’s called the superego, psychology fans) wonder how healthy it is for you?

There are ways to find out, but it’s circuitous and difficult. UTSC’s business development website lists a few nutrition sheets, but doesn’t even come close to covering all of the food options on campus. Most chains put their nutrition facts on their websites, but some (like La Prep and Spring Rolls) don’t.

For your convenience, I’ve compiled what can be found right here. A few notable dishes are in nutrition tables, just to give you an ballpark idea of what you’re eating at each place.

Subway:

Six-inch steak and cheese (nutrition facts are obviously doubled for foot-longs)

Six-inch BLT

The rest can be found here.

KFC:

Regular (12 oz) chicken bowl

2-piece chicken meal (drumstick and thigh) with individual fries

The rest can be found here.

Pizza Pizza:

Two cheese slices

The rest.

HERO Burger:

Hero burger

Tim Horton's:

Banana nut muffin

Breakfast sandwich: sausage, egg, and cheese (note how it’s worse for you than even a Hero burger)

The rest.

Bento Sushi:

California roll

The rest.

The nutritional info of the remaining establishments is up to guesswork. La Prep has ostensibly healthy food, but they don’t list their nutritional information anywhere, and wouldn’t answer my email requesting that information*. Bhoj’s food shouldn’t be too bad, but Indian food is inherently salty.

And if you’re looking to eat healthy on campus, I’d avoid Bene Pasta (whose rich alfredo cream is almost assuredly fattening), Bonfire and Grille (typical burgers-and-grilled-chicken affair, whose meals usually come with fries), Asian Gourmet,  and, devastatingly, Spring Rolls (a Toronto Star article found its Pad Thai to have a whopping 1,400 calories).

Remember that UTSC has a gym for a reason, which you’re already paying for with your course fees. If you’re truly health-conscious you should bring meals from home. Eating out, no matter where it is, is never the healthier option. UTSC has some good, fast, cheap food, and, just as long as you know what you’re getting in to, you’re free to enjoy it as much as you please.

Over and out,

Jasun

*Edit: La Prep promises to put its nutritional information on its website by next year.