Students who have chosen to count carbohydrates have the option of eating on campus and staying true to their diet.
Three campus eateries offer some type of low-carbohydrate alternative to their normal menu: Blimpie Sandwiches and Freshens Smoothies, located in the Union Tiger Lair, and CC’s Coffee, located in the Hebert Law Center on Highland road.
Blimpie has launched an entire series of low-carb items, under the name “Blimpie Carb Counter” menu. Sandwiches on the Blimpie menu include Durango Roast Beef and Cheddar, Baja Turkey and Cheese, Buffalo Chicken and Tuscan Ham and Swiss, all containing 11 net effective carbohydrates or less.
According to www.blimpie.com, “net effective carbs include only those carbs that cause a noted effect on your blood sugar.”
Blimpie also offers Carb Counter Chips, which have five net carbohydrates, and a low-carb brownie, which has none.
Other Blimpie locations carry SoBE Lean Diet Cranberry Grapefruit juice as well as a Buffalo Chicken salad and a Sicilian salad, but the Union Blimpie does not carry these, said Gail Phillips, Blimpie Supervisor in the Union Tiger Lair.
Monday they launched a Cuban sandwich along with four new San Francisco-theme sandwiches, all available in the Union, according to Phillips. These can be low-carb upon request of the carb-counter bread.
Although many restaurants are now offering low-carb menus to meet the needs of their weight-watching patrons, Phillips said that they are not selling them any more than the normal sandwiches.
“We sell more of our regular food than this,” Phillips said.
Blimpie has carried the low-carb sandwiches since it opened in the Union last August.
“Certain [people] come for one particular sandwich, some come to try others daily,” Phillips said.
Phillips said that she has many regulars.
“One particular guy comes here every day and gets his chips, brownie and Turkey and Cheese,” she said.
Another option in the Tiger Lair is Freshens Smoothies. Freshens offers two flavors of low-carb smoothies: Peanut Butter Chocolate and Vanilla Fudge.
Each smoothie contains four net carbs.
Buck Fleanders, who has worked at Freshens for six months now, said that the smoothies have been there for a month or two.
Freshens also has regular customers, and Fleanders believes that it is due to the Atkins and South Beach diet crazes.
Edie Rogers, Tiger Lair supervisor, said that the smoothies are selling very well. She said that Blimpie is selling about half regular sandwiches, half low-carb sandwiches.
“They’re selling, not extremely [well], but they’re selling,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with the Atkins low-carb craze.”
Rogers said that eventually, there will probably be more low-carb options available for students.
CC’s Coffee in the Hebert Law Center used to carry other law-carb items besides their one Honey Oat Bran muffin, but they have not seen the success that the Union has.
“I think you have to get used to [the taste] to really enjoy it,” said Nikki Johnson, who has worked at CC’s since August 2003.
The CC’s on campus formerly carried a peanut butter brownie, a butter pecan cookie and a zucchini almond cake, all low-carb, but these have been discontinued at this location.
“They weren’t selling as well as we thought they would,” said Johnson.
Other CC’s locations also carry a low-carb Cinnamon Almond Bread, but the coffee shop on campus never offered this item.
The only item they have left is the Honey Oat Bran muffin, but Johnson said that it is not as popular as their normal food items.
“They complain about the calories, but they still eat it,” she said.