Fit At Purchase: Dealing with No Calorie Count at Campus Eateries

Some students at Purchase who are trying to stay fit and healthy are running into a roadblock- this missing calorie count on regular Chartwells items.

Kyle Pleva, marketing director of Chartwells, said the calorie counts were not advertised because of the variations in recipes.  “With recipes like these we can’t exactly pinpoint every exact ingredient,” he said.

However, Pleva is hoping to make this easier for students in the future, by instituting Webtrition, which will allow students to go online and find out everything from calories to every ingredient of what they eat.

Despite this, Carson Allen, a junior history major and vegetarian, believes the calorie count to be a good idea, even though what’s healthy and what’s not should be apparent. “I think they should have a calorie intake, but you can look at the food and tell what’s unhealthy to eat,” he said.

Alyssa Woods, a chef from Chartwells at the Hub, recommended that students who are counting calories stick to eating things are obviously healthier options.  “We serve tofu, portabella mushrooms, rice and beans, salad and fruit, lots of fruit” when asked what some healthy options to choose from are. She also suggested the tomato and mozzarella sandwich at Thuman’s Deli as a healthy sandwich option.

“We have dry turkey sandwiches on wheat bread and a salad bar,” said Pleva when asked his opinion on what’s healthy for a diet. “You also need exercise and you need to eat right,” he said.

Some students, however, have decided to turn to other locations for healthier eating. “I think the food in the hub is really good and there is a lot of variety, but the healthiest place I think you can find food is at Terra Ve,” said Stephanie Spencer, a junior journalism major.

Kimberly Alyse, a premed psychology sophomore, is always eating healthy and is usually found working out at the gym. Even though she can’t tell exactly how many calories are in her food from the Hub, her main goals are staying fit and healthy.
 
“Students should feel inspiration and it should be gained by their sense of pride and progression to help their self-esteem,” she said.