DeKALB | “You are what you eat” is a popular saying some students often choose to forget.

“It is hard for students to make healthy decisions,” said Joan Quinn, coordinator of the family, consumer and nutrition sciences’ Food Systems Lab.

Once students come to college, their eating habits often change. Some may opt to go to restaurants such as Subway, Jimmy John’s, Chipotle or Applebee’s because they may appear to be healthier choices.

“The one thing that people really have to be keyed into, if calories are their issue, is portion size,” Quinn said. “The Chipotle burrito, which has lots of fresh, nutritious ingredients, is so big that it has 1,500 calories. The average person probably needs about 2,100 calories a day.”

Sandwiches also may seem to be a healthier choice in a college lifestyle where on-the-go is the way to go.

The two most popular sandwiches at Jimmy John’s are the Beach Club and the Italian Night Club, said Justina Fulara, a junior psychology major and Jimmy John’s employee.

While the Italian Night Club may appear healthy, it actually contains 1,017 calories, according to www.chowbaby.com.

Kai Lewis, senior political science major, was fairly close to guessing the Beach Club’s calorie count: “I think the Beach Club is a fairly healthy sandwich,” he said. “It probably contains between 400 and 600 calories.”

The actual total is 839 calories.

Subway’s two most popular sandwiches are the Chicken and Bacon Ranch and the Italian BMT, said Subway employee Becky Zarr.

A six-inch Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich contains 540 calories and the six-inch Italian BMT contains 450 calories. Those calories don’t include chips and drinks, however.

“These may all be ‘healthy choices’ in terms of available nutrients and in some cases, they may be low-fat, also. But the portions are way out of control and so they do contain a lot of calories,” Quinn said. “Eat smaller portions and make choices of highly nutrient-dense foods and look for variety and freshness.”

Judy Gawczynski is a City Reporter for the

Northern Star.