The Loop: 6 things you think are healthy but actually aren’t

25 May 2011, Posted by Melissa Dalis in News, 2 Comments

I could have had a hot dog, cajun chicken entrée, slice of california pizza and kid’s fries from The Loop, all for the same number of calories as my weekly crispy chicken salad with balsamic vinaigrette–a whopping 950 calories.

Instead of that 1,300-calorie Oreo milkshake, you could have had a brownie, chocolate chunk cookie, chocolate macadamia nut cookie and an oatmeal raison cookie.

“We have close to 1,200 students a day when I cash out the register here–this is the place to be if you’re looking for something healthy or looking for something not healthy,” said Elba Hernandez, Assistant Manager at The Loop. “They know that we’re fresh and it’s delicious.”

When skinnier students walk into The Loop, Hernandez said she expects them to order salads or anything on the side–fruit, chicken breast and salads. People on the heavier side tend to order bacon cheddar burgers with onion rings or chicken tenders with steak fries, she said.

To someone looking for healthy food, Hernandez would direct them to the veggie melt, the black bean burger or, especially, any of the salads.

Are you sure about that? Here are some items at The Loop you may have thought were healthy but really aren’t:

1. Walnut, Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad (without dressing): 532 calories, 28g fat, 44g carbs
2. Balsamic Vinaigrette: 340 calories, 27g fat
3. Chili (bowl): 528 calories, 34g fat, 27g carbs
4. BBQ Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 683 calories, 22g fat, 63g carbs
5. Chicken Caesar Wrap: 632 calories, 32g fat, 56g carbs
6. Veggie Melt Focaccia: 633 calories, 30g fat, 67g carbs

These are actually healthy:

1. House Salad with Chicken (without dressing): 198 calories, 25g protein
2. Lite Italian Dressing: 80 calories, 4g fat
3. Shrimp and Black Bean Soup (bowl): 175 calories, 14g protein
4. Cajun Chicken Entrée: 170 calories, 33g protein
5. Cajun Fish Wrap: 383 calories, 33g protein
6. Portobello Mushroom Sandwich: 337 calories, 11g of protein

Freshman Marie Moyle was shocked to learn that her favorite salad, the walnut, cranberry and goat cheese has 532 calories, and probably over 200 for the dressing unless it was “lite” or “fat-free.”

“Holy s**t, that’s a lot for a puny salad,” she said.

Moyle also said that she will not order the salad anymore, now that she knows how many calories it has, adding that it would be helpful for The Loop to list how many calories are in other items on their menu.

After seeing these nutrition facts, I can tell you that yours truly will no longer be ordering that Crispy Chicken Salad or Chicken Fingers from The Loop.

Photos: Commencement 2011

16 May 2011, Posted by Melissa Yeo in News, 0 Comments

Duke awarded over 4,500 degrees to its undergraduate class of 2011 at Commencement last Saturday. Check out these photos from the ceremony by Chronicle photographer Nate Glencer.

Secret society initiation

26 Apr 2011, Posted by admin in News, 0 Comments

Tuesday night a group of robed men—presumably part of one of the University’s secret societies—appeared to be hosting an initiation ceremony on Chapel Quadrangle. Chants and hand signals were observed from 301 Flowers.

Matzah in the Marketplace

25 Apr 2011, Posted by Irina Danescu in News, 0 Comments

“What do you mean we don’t have any days off for Easter?” I incredulously asked my roommate, who happens to be Jewish. “Can they do that?”

She smiled and joked back, “You know, maybe they should have days off for Passover. It’s one of our most important holidays.”

Having grown up in the heart of the Bible Belt, I have taken for granted that the school district will respect holidays. That is, Christian holidays. Although I have never been particularly religious, I assumed that we would have time off for Christmas (a nondenominational yet coincidentally timed “winter break”) and Easter (“teacher workshops”, of course). Back home, it didn’t take any effort to follow the Christian faith—it took initiative not to.

It was not until I came to college when I realized I had to make a choice: continue independently in my parents’ beliefs or follow the less religious path toward which I had trended over the last few years. I also realized that choosing to remain a practicing Christian would not be something I would do on my own—Christians make up the greatest proportion of students who identify with a religion at Duke, and there are countless organizations, services and celebrations that make it easy to feel part of the greater Christian community.

Students practicing minority religions, however, may have a distinctly different experience when they are faced with the same choice I had to make. I have had the opportunity to interact closely with the Jewish community on campus, both through my friends and as an intern at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, and I have come to appreciate the importance of organizations like the latter in maintaining a community based not only on religion but also on a common social tie. I’ve realized that one does not need to be devoutly religious to practice his or her faith in college.

My roommate explained that certain holidays, such as Hanukkah, are going to be celebrated regardless of one’s level of religion. She compared it to Christmas—a time to spend with family, have a good time, share presents and, of course, remember its religious significance. To her, celebrating Hanukkah made her feel closer to her family, even if she was not able to physically be with them due to our somewhat Christianity-favoring winter break.

Despite the relatively small size, the Jewish community has a strong presence on campus, from the Freeman Center offering kosher meals and an area to socialize, to holiday celebrations open to all. Having worked with the center on programming, though, I saw the great emphasis on creating a community. I worked on community service, marketing and planning events at the Freeman Center that focused on allowing Jewish (and non-Jewish) students on campus to get to know each other.

My roommate explained that she always thought that the events at the Freeman Center sounded interesting but never went because she didn’t know anyone that would be there. Another friend of mine, a senior who was looking back on her last four years at Duke, recalled that she had felt the same way her freshman year. She participated in a project at the Freeman Center through which she met many Jewish students on campus, with whom she now celebrates holidays. It seems to be a vicious circle: students don’t get involved because they don’t know anyone, but they don’t know anyone because they don’t get involved.

I’m going to take this time to make a plug to Jewish students who have not had a chance to get involved with Jewish life on campus (and non-Jewish students interested in learning more about the Jewish faith or just meeting new and interesting people). Come to the Freeman Center the next time there is an event. Whether it’s just Thursday night mac and cheese, a movie or a basketball game, I promise you’ll have a good time. You’ll find a community that isn’t hindered by its relatively small size, but is rather closer because of it. After all, who wouldn’t benefit from a little more support (and a little more matzah)?

Earth Day

22 Apr 2011, Posted by Ashley Mooney in News, 0 Comments

On Thursday, green and white balloons lined the walkway down to the Levine Student Research Center’s courtyard, signifying the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Earth Day Celebration.

Over 500 people turned up for the event, which was advertised heavily amongst Duke’s graduate schools.

Festivities included free food, live music, and the first annual Tour de Duke bike parade.

The Tour de Duke bike parade circled through West and East campuses.  Prizes were awarded to those donning the best costumes.  There was also a prize bike made entirely of recycled material that was given away.

Around the courtyard, there were several booths representing local farms, the Durham farmers market, the Coastal Society, Duke Student Health, and other organizations.  Many provided demonstrations: one station run by the Fuqua Energy Club allowed participants to make themselves a smoothie using a bike-powered blender.

Attendees could register for the Fuqua School of Business’ spring symposium and listen to panels on the water crisis and domestic and international water markets.

There was also a large crowd gathered around a dunk tank, where professors–many donning arm-floaties, costumes, and even a toy alligator attached to a fishing pole–climbed in and awaited their fate.

“The dunk tank is funding the Environmental Internship Fund, which funds internships for graduate students,” said Lindsay Spurrier, a third-year graduate student at the Nicholas School.

Other than funding internships, the goal of the celebration was to raise awareness for both the Nicholas School and conserving the environment.

“We just really wanted to demonstrate to the rest of the school what we do here,” said third-year graduate student Madeleine Foote.

The celebration concluded with a screening of the award-winning documentary “Addicted to Plastic” in the LSRC’s Love Auditorium.