When it comes to healthy eating versus eating out, teenage students usually have had a tendency to choose the latter, opting for the greasy fast food goodness rather than the healthy homemade meal.
However, students can now manage to attain the best of both worlds with new cafes like Tropical Smoothie and Salad Works.
Competing with these eateries are the fast-food types like Subway and Chipotle that attract students with good flavor, but still ensure a limited calorie meal and organic ingredients.
“I normally go to Subway, Robeks and Salad Works to eat healthy because it is important to me to live a long life and it is important to my mom that I eat healthy,” said junior Sean Liesgang.
These choices are even becoming more popular than the globally recognized McDonald’s.
“I prefer Chipotle because it has a good variety and has naturally grown ingredients,” said freshman Philip Katz. “I don’t really go to Chick-fil-A or McDonalds because it is really bad for you.”
Other students agree, but say it all depends on your individual order.
“I mainly go to Chipotle because it’s good,” said senior Vera Barba. “Chipotle is healthy but it depends what you get. If you get a bunch of cheese and sour cream then you are not helping your body at all.”
All of these places are a part of a worldwide trend emphasizing healthy eating and exercise. Subway’s “Get Fit” initiative promotes daily exercise along with a low calorie meal, like their subway sandwiches.
“Subway is healthy because you can put so many healthy toppings on your sandwich,” said sophomore Kelly Karn.
Frozen yogurt cafes such as Sweet Frog, Pinkberry, Iceberry, and Red Mango are also becoming increasingly popular amongst high school teenagers. However, this popularity is not necessarily because of their health value.
“I like Sweet Green because you can choose what you want and it’s fun,” said junior Alex Dildine. “But I also go to Taco Bell every day, so nutrition isn’t a big factor.”
Along with frozen yogurt, many students feel that the upcoming smoothie cafes aren’t healthy either.
“I don’t think they’re that healthy,” said freshman Lisa Yanez. “How can a smoothie with sugar and artificial fruits be healthy?”