STEVEN SOLOWAY/Arizona Daily Wildcat Theresa Norris, a studio arts sophomore, orders an "Atkins-friendly" sandwich at Subway on East Speedway Boulevard and North Park Avenue. Many on-campus eateries now offer a low-carb option.

Restaurants on campus are catering to the Atkins diet with menus offering "lo-carb" options and signs saying, "We can prepare any item Atkins-friendly."

An estimated 20 million people worldwide have adopted the Atkins diet, the Associated Press recently reported, but some students at UA say the craze is dying down.

"I think cutting a major part of your diet is not the way to go," said Evelyn Hirsh, a junior majoring in journalism and Spanish, sitting at IQ Fresh with a friend.

Both Hirsh and her friend have tried the Atkins diet, which allows for an unlimited amount of protein and fat but drastically limits carbohydrates. But now, both students said they think the diet is a bad idea.

Hirsh followed the Atkins diet for six months as a freshman, and she said she never ate on campus because it was too hard to find Atkins-friendly meals three years ago.

"I would cook at home and bring my own stuff," she said. "At least when I make it, I know what I'm getting."

But sophomore Jessica Stromme said it is easy to find Atkins-friendly food on campus now.

On-campus eateries like Bruegger's Bagels, Panda Express and 3 Cheeses & a Noodle advertise "lo-carb" menu items.

Stromme, a biology major, said she goes on and off the diet "depending on willpower."

"You feel like you lose weight really fast," Stromme said.

She also said she chooses restaurants on campus like the Cactus Grill or On Deck Deli because there is "a lot of variety."

At On Deck Deli, she said she usually orders the Caesar salad or meat and cheese with no bread.

Arizona Student Unions associate director of dining services Victoria Christie said the student union has "answered the Atkins call" by working with a nutritionist and offering low-carbohydrate options.

"Every single restaurant that is run by the student union can accommodate Atkins-friendly diets," she said. "But you've got to be an educated consumer."

Christie said IQ Fresh, the newest addition to the Student Union Memorial Center, is a success not only with Atkins dieters but also students who prefer fresh and healthy food.

"It has had an unbelievable response," she said. "Sales are more than double than we expected."

Christie said the color-coded menu key at IQ Fresh can help students easily identify "lo-fat," "lo-carb" or "vegetarian," and said by the end of the semester, all of the student union menu boards will hopefully have the same key.

"Atkins has been around for such a long time, I think it's always going to be around," she said. "And I think we'll always offer it."

But Gale Welter, a registered dietitian and nutrition counselor on campus, said she doesn't see Atkins a realistic diet for college students.

"I think it's as popular as it is unpopular," she said. "It's not a diet that college students can tolerate for very long."

Welter said most students who claim to be on the Atkins diet are actually adopting some concepts of the diet and aren't following it "by the book."

"College students have a hard time because it involves a lot of thinking," she said. "But I can almost guarantee you they're going to eat less calories period."

Welter also said side effects like headaches, constipation and irritability decrease students' success on a low carbohydrate diet.

"One thing I like about these diets is it helps [students] organize some different food choices," she said. "But I don't think Atkins will work and I don't think the long-term is very healthy."

Tips for a healthy diet, Welter said, include staying away from fried foods and sugary drinks, eating on some sort of schedule and looking for opportunities to add fruits or vegetables to a meal.

Hirsh had some different advice about healthy living for incoming freshmen.

"Focus on other things than your diet," she said. "That should be the least of your worries coming into college."