Everybody has to eat, but where and what can be a tough call.As students decide where they are going to live next year, they are also faced with the question of how they’ll eat.Students have the option of eating on campus with a meal plan, eating out or ordering in, cooking for themselves or some combination.”I have lived on and off campus, and I have eaten on and off campus,” said Samantha LeBlanc, communication disorders senior. “I prefer eating off campus and cooking for myself because I have more control of what I eat, and I think it’s healthier.”David Heidke, LSU dining director, said 4,610 students purchased meal plans this semester, which leaves another 21,651 students finding another way to eat, according to the University Office of Budget and Planning’s spring 2010 headcount enrollment.COSTSHeidke said meal plans are a more cost-effective way to eat on campus as opposed to paying for each dining hall meal individually.Fall 2010 meal plan prices for typical students range from the $685 “Tiger Commuter Plan,” which includes 75 meals and $100 worth of Paw Points, to the $1,675 “Tiger Max Plan,” which includes unlimited meals on weekdays and $50 worth of Paw Points.Heidke said approximately 10 percent of the meals purchased through meal plans are never used, but those missed meals are planned in dining hall budgets before each year.LeBlanc said she prefers to cook her meals for herself at her off-campus apartment because it’s cheaper.”I paid over $1,000 per semester when I lived on campus and had a meal plan,” LeBlanc said. “Now I live off campus and I pay around $950 per semester on groceries and the occasional meal from a restaurant.”Andrew Brien, finance freshman, said his meals are included in his fraternity dues.Chris Simmons, engineering sophomore, said he pays about $2,000 per semester on food purchased at Winn-Dixie supermarket.But Childs said she pays less than $500 per semester on food purchased at Winn-Dixie.OPTIONSStudents at the University can purchase a meal plan before each semester, giving them a set amount of meals to use on campus in dining halls like The 5 or the 459 Commons.Heidke said the University requires first-year students to purchase meal plans.With meal plans, students also get Paw Points, a debit system used toward on-campus food purchases. Students can also use meal plans to purchase food at on-campus restaurants like Quiznos, Einstein Bros. Bagels and McDonald’s during weekends when the dining halls are closed.Heidke said the benefit of having a meal plan is the flexibility it offers.”Students have a balanced meal available to them at a number of times during the day with a meal plan,” Heidke said.Brien said he has three meals a day provided for him at his fraternity house.He said the food is usually tasty, and having food prepared for him three times a day where he lives is convenient.Jordan Wilkenson, finance junior, said his fraternity had catering at the Delta Chi house in past semesters, but he said it got too expensive.Wilkenson said he got an on-campus meal plan for the current semester, but it was easier when his meals were catered.Simmons said he doesn’t have a meal plan, and he orders in or eats out almost every day.”I am too lazy to cook for myself, and I did not want to get a meal plan because I feel the on-campus dining options are limited,” Simmons said.HEALTHY EATINGHuman Ecology professor Beth Reames said proper planning for meals is more important than where you eat.”You can eat nutritious anywhere; you just have to make good choices,” Reames said.Vanessa Richard, dietician at the Student Health Center, said students should aim for between 500 and 600 calories in their fast-food meals.Reames said cooking for yourself offers more options for healthy meals, but they have to be prepared correctly.She said students need to avoid over-cooking foods in order to retain the foods nutrients.Reames said the nutritional value of dining hall meals depends on students’ choice because they offer some unhealthy meals.Heidke said having a meal plan allows students to have a balanced diet throughout the semester.Heidke also said the University requires first-year students to purchase a meal plan so they can focus on academics and other things instead of worrying about what to cook or how to get food.Heidke said students have access to salad bars offering plenty of fruits and vegetables in dining halls.LeBlanc said part of why she decided to stop buying a meal plan was to start eating healthier.”I found a lot of the hot food offered at the dining halls was deep fried, and that’s not healthy,” LeBlanc said.LeBlanc said she cooks a lot of chicken and fish to keep a healthy diet.Simmons said he likes to eat at cheap restaurants close to campus.”One of my favorite places to eat is Inga’s Subs and Salads on Chimes because it tastes good, it’s healthy, it’s fresh and it’s cheap,” Simmons said.- – – -Contact Jacob Most at [email protected]