By Krista Reaves
Special for The State News
Many East Lansing area restaurants are following the nationwide trend of adding healthier selections to their menus, and students are taking advantage of these low-carbohydrate, low-calorie and low-fat options.
Norman Hord, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, said the offering of healthier choices at restaurants is "a step in the right direction." He suggested trying local restaurants that serve Mediterranean foods such as Woody's Oasis or any Chinese, Japanese or Korean restaurants.
Woody's Oasis Bar and Grill, 211 E. Grand River Ave., serves food from a traditional Mediterranean diet, which mostly consists of olive oil, garlic and fresh produce.
"I just want to extend that and get the Mediterranean diet out there," general manager and owner Julie Sawaya said. "It's the way I was raised."
Sawaya said everything the restaurant serves is fresh, which is something they take great pride in.
"We have a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options and we always use the leanest meats," Sawaya said.
Rice Kitchen, 551 E. Grand River Ave., is a locally owned restaurant offering authentic Chinese, Szechuan, Hunan, Cantonese and Malaysian cuisine.
Rice Kitchen's "Special Diet Menu" features items that are steamed without any oil, cornstarch, salt or sugar and all sauces are served on the side.
Carrie Chiam, Rice Kitchen manager, said a lot of customers order off of the diet menu and the most popular choice is usually chicken with mixed vegetables.
Some MSU students said they are excited about the new choices.
Premedical freshman Angela Ye said she often chooses where she will eat based on the healthy choices a restaurant offers.
"It's good that they have all of these new choices, especially now when everyone seems to be very health conscious," Ye said.
Marketing junior Patrick Fogle said he is very concerned with health and almost always chooses where he eats based on how healthy the food is.
"Not everyone is health conscious, but for those who are, this is a very important issue," he said. "It is nice for restaurants to offer a variety of healthy meals, besides just salads."
Other local restaurants that offer healthy or low-carb options for customers are Iggy's, 623 E. Grand River Ave., and Flats Grill, 551 E. Grand River Ave.
Many national restaurant chains as well as locally owned restaurants are making revisions and additions to their menus.
Following chainwide regulations, the local Ruby Tuesday, located at the Meridian Mall in Okemos, has added many options for the health conscious to its menu and all of its fried foods are now prepared in canola oil.
But if a restaurant does not offer specific healthy options, Hord said there are healthy ways to get around it.
"Choose the freshest, most colorful foods on the menu," he said. "Choose foods that have been cooked minimally.
"Avoid deep-fried foods if possible and have veggies added to your pizzas and pasta sauces."
