Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Gluten Free College

punker18

Recommended Posts

punker18 Rookie
punker18
Posted

I just found out that the University of New Hampshire has a gluten free section ( gluten free fridge, toaster and tons of food) in each dining hall. I was so scared that when i went to college i was going to be making all my own food. I was wondering if anybody else knows of any other colleges with gluten free sections?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

All Colleges are are required to meet your dietary need, under the Disabilities Act.

Choose the best for your educational needs and they will work with you. There are several college age people that regularly post and I am sure that they can supply you with their information sources.

Don't let your diet hold you back from your college or university of your choice. Don't let celiac hold you back from anything. :)

Press on. :)

Anonymousgurl Contributor
Anonymousgurl
Posted

I'm in college mode right now too :)

I've got to choose between UC Davis and University of San Francisco (USF). Does anyone know about either of those colleges regarding food and food allergies?

It's good to hear that colleges HAVE to meet your needs though, thanks for that bit of info :)

whitney728 Newbie
whitney728
Posted

I had a difficult time at college freshman year (difficult enough to make me drop my meal plan for sophomore year). While NYU will work with you, I found it extremely difficult to guarantee my safety without eating the exact same thing every day. It got to the point where I was living on salad/whatever I could make in my microwave in my room.

You can see an article I wrote about it for the school paper here: Open Original Shared Link

On the other hand, you can see an article that someone wrote this year, with a much more positive angle:

Open Original Shared Link

I was interviewed for that one, but I wasn't quoted. I think I was much too cynical. Campus Dining Services has apparently had some staff changes, so that may have helped the situation. Dining halls still make me nervous though.

The most allergen-friendly dining hall I've seen is at Cornell, because they label EVERYTHING.

Personally, what I would do (i.e. what I should have done freshman year) is get some kind of option with a kitchen for freshman year if your school has it. NYU does, and I'm still not sure why I didn't do that, but I got diagnosed around the time I got my housing forms, so that may have been it. Even if you have to be on a meal plan, I would try to get some kind of kitchen access so you can cook for yourself if need be.

  • 3 weeks later...
azul Newbie
azul
Posted

Yay for college, and bigger yay for them being required to provide for a gluten-free diet.

Is anyone else here going to be at the University of Rochester next year, or have experience dealing with their dining hall staff? Anyone that will be living in the general Rochester, NY area? Just curious, I'd love to meet more celiacs :)

Hi, by the way. I'm new--see you around. (Waves)

mandasmom Rookie
mandasmom
Posted
Yay for college, and bigger yay for them being required to provide for a gluten-free diet.

Is anyone else here going to be at the University of Rochester next year, or have experience dealing with their dining hall staff? Anyone that will be living in the general Rochester, NY area? Just curious, I'd love to meet more celiacs :)

Hi, by the way. I'm new--see you around. (Waves)

Food-Tek makes these great micorwavable gluten free breads--really!! Waffles and brownies and buscuits. they arent cheap but my celiac daughter found them hugley helpful in her dorm room!! Other dorm room staples included peanut butter, tuna. soup cups. If you can get to a grocery store now and again to augment what you can safely eat from the cafeteria you should be fine!! Dorm life is such a ownderfu experience--it would be a shame to let your intestines keep you from enjoying it!!

kbtoyssni Contributor
kbtoyssni
Posted

The University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse is great at accomodating gluten-free students, too. They've got a fridge in back stocked with gluten-free food and a microwave. I was there visiting my brother and wanted scrambled eggs so they gave my a clean pan and real eggs rather than the egg mix that's sitting out for everyone to use. The staff was wonderful - they wanted to make me about three meals worth of food, and I had to keep saying no, that the eggs and fruit was enough.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kochac Rookie
kochac
Posted

Gettysburg College has a great gluten-free mini-fridge stocked with bread, doughnuts, cookies, etc. I can go back to the kitchen and check on the ingredients of anything, stop by ahead of time and request gluten-free pasta or pizza, or for some meat to be kept separate from the sauce/gravy. All the stuff is incredibly helpful and friendly. I was diagnosed halfway through college and was very surprised and relieved at the support I got from dining services.

katrinamaria Explorer
katrinamaria
Posted

hello!

there is lots of information about college+celiac on here so take advantage! :) in my experience (i'm a sophomore) the dining center i go to has 2 other gluten free kids and the plan i made with the dietition was great, lots of variety and everything. but the kitchen never followed through... it wasn't ready at the right time or i just got vegetables and rice all the time. so i dunno, i think it really depends on the college. (mine is a state university but not a huge one). def talk to your dining centers but also have a fridge and microwave to fall back on just in case... oh and just accept that you're going to be wasting loads of money for the meal plan (ah! it's so frustrating... i just have to let it go...)

on a side note, i read those articles you posted the link to...they kind of made me angry! i dunno...something about them....i guess i don't like when people who don't understand pretend to know what it's like because unless you have this issue i just don't think you can. even if you are just lactose intolerant or something it's still different. a lot different. oh and i just loved how they put the the GI symptoms at the end of the article...the girl in it was trying to be discrete about what happens and then they annouce to the whole campus she'll get diarrhia when she it's gluten...i'm sure that was pleasant... ;)

Eriella Explorer
Eriella
Posted

While all colleges have to comply under ADA, they only have to if you are formally diagnosed AND have a letter from your doctor to attest to it (my current problem). When you have that, go to that special accommodations officer (ask your RA or Orientation Guide-- who do I go to for ADD accommodations, it will save you a ton of time and is 99% of the time the same person). Then they send a memo to the head of the dining services who should meet with you.

If you can't get the paperwork or are having problems, make nice with the lunch ladies and they will normally help you.

  • 1 month later...
DarkIvy Explorer
DarkIvy
Posted

I'd like to point out that just because colleges are supposed to do something about meals for people with such strict dietary restrictions, they don't always follow through very well.

I go to University of Colorado at Boulder, and finding gluten-free food is pretty difficult. I know a girl who was diagnosed shortly before the school year started, and they got her in touch with the dietitian. For the first month, the dietitian contacted her (and the other handfull of celiacs) with menus for the dining halls and hi-lighted the items that were "safe". She said that after the first month or so, the dietitian never got back to her and didn't offer much further assistance. It got so bad she ended up transferring to another school closer to home so she could live and cook in her own kitchen. Even the "safe" foods made her feel sick a lot.

I went gluten free for the last month or so of school, and without an official diagnosis I couldn't request any services, so I don't have personal experience with that. I gave up on eating in the dining halls within a week, however, because there wasn't much that I could eat. It was basically down to salad and fruit. I got sick off of that even, which isn't surprising. Hundreds of kids go through the food lines, sprinkling their crumbs about and using the wrong tongs for the wrong dish. The girl I already mentioned echoed similar complaints: what was safe to eat was utterly repetitive and not filling enough. I was always hungry within a couple of hours, she said the same thing. Another girl in my dorm ended up being diagnosed midway through the year and she had similar issues. It was all salad, all the time. I think all three of us dealt with it mainly by walking across the street to the health food store and buying lots of the gluten free frozen meals to stick in our room fridges and heat up as needed. I don't know how they put up with it for so long, I did this for just a few weeks and don't think I could ever eat Amy's Cheese Enchiladas EVER again.

CU doesn't have any special fridges or a gluten-free section at all. They always mark the items that are vegetarian, vegan, or have nuts or shellfish, but never mark gluten-free items. The regular line food tends to be fried or breaded somehow anyway.

There ARE a few dorm buildings that have kitchens. Usually it's reserved for upperclassmen, I don't know if it would be possible for a freshman, even with celiac, to get one. It would make sense. Their food isn't bad for dorm food, but it's not terribly nutritious to begin with and they don't seem to do much for anyone with serious dietary restrictions. However, it does seem to be improving. I lived in the dorms for two years, and I saw a lot of positive changes in my second. Still, I wouldn't trust them with a ten food pole unless they did some major changes...

Mahee34 Enthusiast
Mahee34
Posted

Honestly, I've never heard of a college that won't be willing to sit down and talk with you about your dietary needs. Gettysburg College and Messiah College are both WONDERFUL...however, becoming more and more expensive...I'm from that area....I went to a school in Virginia and they were amazing...you just need to be proactive and contact the chef and be very open!! GOod luck

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing...
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    3. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    5. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,874
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jen J.
    Newest Member
    Jen J.
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.