Burger King recently introduced the Enormous Omelet Sandwich -- 730 calories and 47 grams of fat worth of eggs, sausage, bacon and cheese.

"I think it's good to have your biggest meal in the morning," said Jen Stokols, a dietician for East Coast Health and Fitness, 250 W. Hamilton Ave. "Though, it is a tremendous amount of fat in one sitting."

The Enormous Omelet Sandwich has more calories than a Whopper, which contains a total of 700 calories and 42 grams of fat.

Burger King spokesman Joe Gerbino said the corporation decided to introduce the sandwich after it tested well with consumers.

"This sandwich is for people who wanted a nice, hearty breakfast," Gerbino said. "It's a breakfast platter on a bun for those on the go."

Gerbino would not comment on the amount of calories and grams of fat the sandwich contains but said that all of the nutritional values were listed on the Burger King Web site, http://www.bk.com.

Herman Reyes, a spokesperson for McDonald's, said he had not heard of Burger King's new sandwich and did not think anything on the McDonald's breakfast menu would be comparable.

"We've introduced a balanced, healthy lifestyle with our menu," Reyes said, "especially since we've undone the super-sized menu."

Michele Newhard, special projects manager for Food Services at University Park, said fast food tends to be less nutritious than home-cooked meals because fast food is mostly deep-fried.

Stokols said that although it varies between age and gender, the average amount of calories for one person per meal should be around 500 calories.

The omelet sandwich contains more than half the calories a person needs in a day, Stokols said.

"Depending on their height and weight, a person should have a little bit of carbohydrates, fat and protein each day," Stokols said.

Nutrition labels are based on 2,000 calories per day, Stokols said, and often students need the internal drive to eat healthy.

Dorothy Blair, assistant professor of nutrition, said there are three factors that prioritize a student's choice in food. "First thing is appeal, second is convenience, third is price," she said. "Health is further down the pole."

Stokols said she agreed that convenience was a factor in the mindset of students.

"Those that live in apartments don't realize that they could walk to McLanahan's and make a healthier, cheaper egg sandwich," Stokols said.

It's all about time management, she added.

Megan Tomlin (sophomore-journalism) said she usually grabs breakfast to eat on her way to class.

"When I wake up I can't eat right away," Tomlin said. "Anything I eat would just sit in my stomach."

She added she would never eat the Enormous Omelet Sandwich.

"It's unhealthy, and it's a lot of stuff on one sandwich," Tomlin said.

Stokols said she think putting nutritional information online is an interesting marketing tactic because it shows that Burger King is not trying to hide anything.

"There is an obesity epidemic at work, but the information is available," Stokols said. "The consumer can make an informed choice on their own."

Stokols said fast food doesn't have to be a bad thing.

"It would be easy to substitute the bacon for Canadian bacon and use egg whites for the omelet, with lean cheese on a whole-wheat bun," she said.