Best places to get your greens on campus

When you’re in a hungry mood between classes, it’s easy to want to satisfy your hunger with a sugary granola bar or with orange chicken from Panda Express. But if you’re looking for something substantial to eat, consider getting a “green-centric meal.” There are many ways to incorporate some greens into your diet right on campus.

1. Seeds

Seeds is one of my all-time favorite dining hubs to grab lunch or dinner at before I head to work. Their salad station offers guests with a menu of pre-selected salads as well as the option to create their own. One of the best things is the customizability; you can add certain ingredients to add nutrition benefits and you can even swap out your mixed greens or iceberg lettuce for kale! Although I didn’t think I was a fan of kale, I switched to it from iceberg lettuce when getting the cobb one day and asked for ranch dressing. The pieces were cut to chewable size, and I found the kale to add great depth and flavor and it made me fill up sooner.

2. Lemonade

If you head upstairs directly above Seeds, you’ll be greeted with a great variety of seasonal favorites. Lemonade is a great dining option if you want a small portion or if you want a little bit of everything. It’s great that they switch out and mix up their salad specials section on a regular basis to accommodate for seasonal veggies and students wanting something new. They offer kale here too in some salads, and practically everything from an arugula and pear salad to one of my favorites: shaved brussel sprouts. Again, I didn’t think I was a fan of brussel sprouts but Lemonade’s additions and light vinaigrette really makes it a great and healthy dish to snack on.

3. Nekter

But wait, this is an acai bowl place, right? Correct, but Nekter also offers students with a menu of juices and smoothies. Not a fan of spinach or kale? Then this is the option for you. Although smoothies can be high in sugar content, they’re a great way to sneak in some vitamins and greens into your diet here and there. Their tropical cooler smoothie for example comes with fresh spinach and kale and is masked by pineapple, banana and coconut. The first juice on their list is actually called “the greenie” as it is a juice made from parsley, spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, apple, and lemon. Those sure are a lot of greens and nutrients in one drink!

4. The Dining Halls

And last but certainly not least, are the beloved dining halls. Each of the dining halls is equipped with some version of a salad bar, and I must applaud USC Hospitality for the variety of greens, toppings and dressings available to students. Before you head for a burger and fries or whatever concoction the dining halls are serving for dinner, why not get a plate of customized salad first? Plus, there’s sometimes chopped bacon in those bars as well.

It’s so easy to forget to eat healthy foods and get your intake of greens especially when they aren’t exactly the tastiest. Instead of picking up fast food or something sugary to satisfy your cravings, consider getting a big filling salad from seeds or the dining halls, a hand-crafted seasonal salad from Lemonade to snack on or even a juice or smoothie to sip on during class to get your share of greens for the day!