By ANDREW GRIEVE

Contributing Reporter

People are always looking for the next big thing when it comes to dieting and healthy eating. People seek out the best choices of low-calorie and low-carb food. The food can be unappetizing to say the least. However, more tasty options are becoming available.

In light foods and other healthy choices, what used to be bland and tasteless, is now vibrant and delicious. Students at Oakland University can join the craze, as there are many places nearby OU’s campus to go and get your fill of lighter foods.

Located on Opdyke Road by the 7-Eleven, The Pita Pit offers seven veggie pitas, from Garden to Hummus, and also bottled water and baked chips with the purchase of a combo meal. Also, if the pita bread itself doesn’t suit you, just take it off and you’ve got a salad.

Subway, located across campus at the intersection of Squirrel Road and Walton, and in the Oakland Center Food Court, offers its usual Veggie Delight sub, as well as any other sub, made to order, with plenty of fresh vegetables. There is also a calorie and fat counter located on the menu, so you’ll know precisely how much fat and calories a meal will contain.

Also at Squirrel and Walton is Olga’s Kitchen. Olga’s offers many substitutes to the typical fast food meal, using pita instead of the usual bread and hamburger buns in their sandwiches. They offer a fresh veggie sandwich, with extra vegetables on the side, for a little extra.

Jimmy John’s, on University Drive, offers a veggie sub and a bread substitute for any sub sandwiches in the form of lettuce. Called the “un-wich,” the sub is wrapped in lettuce, rather than the calorie-friendly bread that the shop usually serves.

Also, close to campus are Applebee’s and TGI Fridays, two restaurants normally known for their bar food, that offer lighter choices now. Low-calorie additions to Applebee’s menus include a grilled chili-lime chicken salad and a tortilla chicken melt, which uses low-fat cheeses and dressings.

TGI Friday’s offers two low-carb choices: Shrimp-Key West, with broccoli on the side, and Dragonfire Chicken, served over rice with various vegetables and fruits.

Buddy’s Pizza, in the same location as Olga’s and Subway, offers a vegetable appetizers well as a soup of the day, and several salads including an Antipasto and House salad, with their own homemade dressings. Buddy’s also offers veggie pizzas, and can add low-fat cheeses or no cheese at all to make them low-calorie.

BD’s Mongolian Barbecue, on University Drive, is known for its create-your-own stir-fry, offers a vegetable bowl with a wide variety of veggies in its salad and soup bars.

With plenty of low-calorie choices close to campus, the dieting student won’t have a problem trying to find something delicious to eat.