College Advise From Students

[adanielson]

I am very new to gluten-free and I am finding it keeps getting more difficult rather than easier. I have be diagnosed with celiac disease for less than 3 months now. It was easier when I was at home at the beginning, but moved back to college and things are tough. So to start I go to UW - Madison. I am a beer loving Badger and now I have stopped drinking all together ( I have a slew of stomach issues associated with (but not caused by) celiac disease). I never realized how many of my relationships here were built around going out to eat or drinking. I am trying to be really clean so I pretty much have cut these two things out of my life.

The second thing is advise about how to eat at college. I share a small kitchen with 6 other girls. None of whom are gluten-free. I have my own pots/pans/plate but I am always worried about CC (so worried i often wash my own stuff both before and after). Any tips on staying gluten-free in a shared kitchen. Then comes the real problem. I'm a broke college kid. gluten-free isn't cheap. At all. How do you deal this. What are your suggestions on eating. Then there is being on the go. I am busy and I usually don't have time to stop and eat nutritiously. I have for the past month been subsiding on gluten-free meal bars, Trail mix, nuts and fruits for lunch. I can't really afford to buy lunch at a cafe and i don't have time to stop home to make something. What is something I can throw in my back pack and pull out when I have 15 minutes to eat.

Finally I want to talk about symptoms I have and see if others are having these too. I seem to be constantly thirsty. Then I always seem to be starving. I don't know if this is because I am not eating "regular" meals especially at lunch. An couple of odd symptoms I have been having is some uncoordinated and other times random racing of my heart. I have read this might be due to electrolyte imbalances. Other symptoms I have seem to be related to exposure to gluten (nausea, the big D, head foggy-ness). It always seems that I get glutened at the worst time possible.

This life style change has been really hard for me. A lot of people talk about how wonderful it is to cut gluten out. But that hasn't been the case. Its seems like a constant uphill battle to me. Which is why I am reaching out for some help.

[glutenfree015]

Hey,

I completely understand what you are going through! I am a college student and have been gluten free for 2 months now--I also had to cut out soy, dairy, and eggs a few weeks ago. I don

[Krystal K.]

I'd try and get your hands on some deli meats roll it up in some romane lettuce (cheaper than the gfreebread) put some tomato or whatever else veggies you want in it for a sandwich.. you can pack some tunafish in a Tupperware (although not supposed to eat that often!) there are cheap gluten free things not going to say they are the healthiest ..but for cheap quick emergency food lol dentimoore stew has a microvable beef stew...minute rice has a few micro. (spanish and yellow)...hot dogs are cheap and most brands are Gluten-Free...hebrew national...umm there are canned soups by progresso that say gluten free on them like mushroom and clam chowder broc. chowder... these are all quick cheap college equivlants to ramen and speggeti...not the healthiest but better than cheating and eating gluten getting sick! ALWAYS CHECK INGREDIANTS incase the things I've listed are the same where you live!

Krystal

[shadowicewolf]

Corn tortillas are dirt cheap if you can have them. You can get 80 of them for like $3 something. Freeze the stack and pull out and microwave (for about 30 seconds) as needed.

Progresso soups don't agree with me and are about $1.50 each.

A jar of peanut butter can go a long way.

Rice and a rice cooker is always a good idea to have (i still need to get one ).

rice cakes with some pb on it is good.

I spend about $30 per week thats with cleaning stuff and whathaveyous. I have a single apartment with a good (yet tempermental) stove so i can cook everything i need.

You just gotta learn how to shop smart. I don't spend much at all on gluten free stuff (chex excluded..... i have to have it).

[eglassman88]

Ugh. I remember when I was in college. What a hassle it was to eat gluten-free. I eat similar to a bodybuilders diet so what I would do is cooking a TON of food at once and just fill tupperware containers up. Then for a few days to a week all I would have to do is throw one in the microwave, or eat it cold. As the post above mentioned, rice cakes and pb is also a quick and good little snack when you're on the go.

[maximoo]

Get a good thermos. You can fill with hot rice, meat, vegetables, or soup or stew. Make big pots on sunday so you'll have enough for a few days . You can use rice noodles & make wonderful chicken noodle soup. Rice noodles are cheapest at oriental stores & are similar to a box of spaghetti not on sale--16 oz for like $1.39. You can also make a ramen like soup with rice noodles. Instant Mashed potatoes are relatively cheap for quick & easy Cruchmasters crackers ar gluten-free as are Nut Thins. You can make your own cookies or flourless cake.Perhaps you & roomies can go to Sams or Costco's & buy a few bulk items & split the cost .And don't forget to use coupons, buy generic & look for buy 1 get 1 free deals especially on chex cereal, pebbles cereal, peanut butter whenever possible. Some gluten-free snacks-- Lara bars, kind bars, lays chips, doritoes, hersheys chocolate, raisins, fruits snacks/rollups. Its a learning process that takes time--keep plugging away. Search this forum there are tons of ideas if you take the time to look. Good Luck!

[keeponsingin]

I don't have any advice, but I can say that I understand. I don't drink much, and that is far from the norm at my school. Since I go to a small school in a not very large city, there is a very large drinking culture. Most people drink at least 2 days a week (Friday an Saturday), and many people also drink on Thursday as well. It's because there simply isn't much else to do.

[EmiPark210]

You mentioned that you were "being really clean" so just enjoy all those good fruits and veggies you can get. Instead of buying lots of gluten free pastas, I julianne a zucchini and put some pasta sauce over it which is a really easy meal. And I might just be weird but I also love cooked, cubed sweet potatoes with a little pasta sauce. If you (ironically) stay away from the "gluten free" zone and just pick out whole foods, it helps grocery shopping become a bit easier. I still spend 150$ ish a month and that's with having a substantial meal plan, but I was also raised in a "foodie" household so I can be a product snob. But you can buy things like chicken or frozen burgers in bulk for pretty cheap. Just keep track of what you buy and how much of it you actually end up using.  

[DerpTyler]

i sure hope you are right on the whole heart racing thing, it happens to me and it scared the crap out of me. i thought i had some sort of heart problem

[lbeehenderson]

Everyone has such great ideas!  I'm a grad student and have been gluten free for almost 3 years but I still struggle with my food issues weekly, if not daily.  My biggest symptom is my nausea, which really sucks when trying to do research/study.  Most days, I'm at school for 12+ hours and run out of food... it's a constant battle between eating enough, not passing out (when I am low on food), drinking enough water (I'm also constantly thirsty) and not getting "secretly" glutened when I have to buy food on campus.  

 

I've been thinking about starting a Gluten-free group on my campus but haven't done it yet... maybe that is something we should all think about.  I'm sure there are more students who would also love advise/help with their food problems.  

[taynichaf]

I am very new to gluten-free and I am finding it keeps getting more difficult rather than easier. I have be diagnosed with celiac disease for less than 3 months now. It was easier when I was at home at the beginning, but moved back to college and things are tough. So to start I go to UW - Madison. I am a beer loving Badger and now I have stopped drinking all together ( I have a slew of stomach issues associated with (but not caused by) celiac disease). I never realized how many of my relationships here were built around going out to eat or drinking. I am trying to be really clean so I pretty much have cut these two things out of my life.

The second thing is advise about how to eat at college. I share a small kitchen with 6 other girls. None of whom are gluten-free. I have my own pots/pans/plate but I am always worried about CC (so worried i often wash my own stuff both before and after). Any tips on staying gluten-free in a shared kitchen. Then comes the real problem. I'm a broke college kid. gluten-free isn't cheap. At all. How do you deal this. What are your suggestions on eating. Then there is being on the go. I am busy and I usually don't have time to stop and eat nutritiously. I have for the past month been subsiding on gluten-free meal bars, Trail mix, nuts and fruits for lunch. I can't really afford to buy lunch at a cafe and i don't have time to stop home to make something. What is something I can throw in my back pack and pull out when I have 15 minutes to eat.

Finally I want to talk about symptoms I have and see if others are having these too. I seem to be constantly thirsty. Then I always seem to be starving. I don't know if this is because I am not eating "regular" meals especially at lunch. An couple of odd symptoms I have been having is some uncoordinated and other times random racing of my heart. I have read this might be due to electrolyte imbalances. Other symptoms I have seem to be related to exposure to gluten (nausea, the big D, head foggy-ness). It always seems that I get glutened at the worst time possible.

This life style change has been really hard for me. A lot of people talk about how wonderful it is to cut gluten out. But that hasn't been the case. Its seems like a constant uphill battle to me. Which is why I am reaching out for some help.

I can't give you much advice... but we live in the same state! I thought that was kinda weird ha... we live like a few hours away from eachother.

 

If your afraid of CC you could probably lock up your pots and pans that way you KNOW no one has used them. As for going out... just don't eat the food! Like you said, your broke anyways, so just save all the money you can for food you can cook yourself. Maybe you could get your own mini fridge somehow and prepare gluten free dishes that will last you about a week, so that you have food on the go. And also, when i go gluten free I'll probably be carrying around protein bars in my purse for an emergency snack:)

 

I hope this gets easier for ya! I think college would be the toughest time to be diagnosed, but I'm sure you'll find a way to work things out

[taynichaf]

i sure hope you are right on the whole heart racing thing, it happens to me and it scared the crap out of me. i thought i had some sort of heart problem

This is actually one of my first "glutened" symptoms. And I get out of breath just from walking!

[ryann14]

I am very new to gluten-free and I am finding it keeps getting more difficult rather than easier. I have be diagnosed with celiac disease for less than 3 months now. It was easier when I was at home at the beginning, but moved back to college and things are tough. So to start I go to UW - Madison. I am a beer loving Badger and now I have stopped drinking all together ( I have a slew of stomach issues associated with (but not caused by) celiac disease). I never realized how many of my relationships here were built around going out to eat or drinking. I am trying to be really clean so I pretty much have cut these two things out of my life.

The second thing is advise about how to eat at college. I share a small kitchen with 6 other girls. None of whom are gluten-free. I have my own pots/pans/plate but I am always worried about CC (so worried i often wash my own stuff both before and after). Any tips on staying gluten-free in a shared kitchen. Then comes the real problem. I'm a broke college kid. gluten-free isn't cheap. At all. How do you deal this. What are your suggestions on eating. Then there is being on the go. I am busy and I usually don't have time to stop and eat nutritiously. I have for the past month been subsiding on gluten-free meal bars, Trail mix, nuts and fruits for lunch. I can't really afford to buy lunch at a cafe and i don't have time to stop home to make something. What is something I can throw in my back pack and pull out when I have 15 minutes to eat.

Finally I want to talk about symptoms I have and see if others are having these too. I seem to be constantly thirsty. Then I always seem to be starving. I don't know if this is because I am not eating "regular" meals especially at lunch. An couple of odd symptoms I have been having is some uncoordinated and other times random racing of my heart. I have read this might be due to electrolyte imbalances. Other symptoms I have seem to be related to exposure to gluten (nausea, the big D, head foggy-ness). It always seems that I get glutened at the worst time possible.

This life style change has been really hard for me. A lot of people talk about how wonderful it is to cut gluten out. But that hasn't been the case. Its seems like a constant uphill battle to me. Which is why I am reaching out for some help.

Hey, I would suggest eating foods that are naturally gluten free, washing everything before and after, getting a desperate sponge and just talking to your roommates about how serious it is. Good luck! I know how you feel I'm in college too and have to share a kitchen and some of my roommates don't care or notice that they get gluten on my food. If you don't have one look into a separate cutting board too