Living Gluten-Free in University: My Top 5 Tips
Introduction
When I first started experiencing symptoms of a chronic illness, I heard a lot about how nutrition plays a major role in inflammation and chronic fatigue. I thought about the idea of going gluten-free and dairy-free for a while before I actually took the plunge. I quickly realized that dairy wasn’t a problem for me, but I noticed a huge difference in my gastrointestinal health (I think that’s the right word) when I stopped eating gluten. I’ve probably been “gluten-light” for over a year. My aunt coined “gluten-light’ as a way to say that you’re eating mostly gluten-free, but not completely. More recently, I’ve been gluten-free except by necessity.
Why am I Gluten-Free?
There are two major kinds of gluten sensitivities: Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS). Celiac Disease comes in a wide variety of shapes and forms. I’ve known one person who couldn’t eat food that had even touched gluten or she would risk death. Other people with Celiacs test positive, but don’t even experience any noticeable symptoms. People with NCGS experience some or all of the symptoms of Celiacs, but do not have the antibodies for it to be autoimmune. I have suspected Celiac disease, but to be diagnosed I would have to eat gluten for at least two months. I previously took a test after cutting out most gluten and had a very weak positive. So, I’ll only go through the pain of getting diagnosed if it’s absolutely necessary.
1. Know Your Restrictions & Your Likes
Dietary restrictions don’t just involve gluten, but for the sake of this post that’s what we’re going to focus on. Get used to telling people that you are gluten-free and watch out for ninja gluten (this is when there’s gluten in places you don’t expect). If you don’t see the gluten-free banner or know that all foods of this kind are gluten-free, don’t risk it. Additionally, if there are foods that you always like and are always gluten-free, let people know, ask the restaurant if they have it as an option, etc. Don’t just give someone the terrible news that you can’t eat their world famous brownies. Tell them that you’ll bring something next time or that they could try making a dessert that is naturally gluten-free.
2. Search for Local Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurants
There are so many restaurants that only serve foods with gluten. However, things are slowly starting to look up for us. There an amazing FREE website/app that is here to save the day: Find Me Gluten Free. Search for a restaurant near you and read reviews to see if the food will be worth it!
3. Go to the Grocery Store & Look for the Labels
Whenever you walk down the aisles in a grocery store, there are usually different pictures on or next to the labels. Some might say kosher or vegetarian. What you’re looking for are labels that say gluten-free, GF, or have a picture of wheat with a no symbol. Another really helpful free app is Shopwell. You tell them your dietary restrictions and they will tell you what foods are safe to eat. You can scan barcodes or search for the food you aren’t sure about. Not everything is on there, but it has helped me find so many more foods that are safe to eat, than I even realized were out there.
4. Make a Plan for WHEN You Accidentally Eat Too Much Gluten
It says when because unless you have a gluten detecting service dog, you will probably forget to ask about or check whether something is gluten-free. What are your usual symptoms? Tell a friend that you are gluten-free and let them know what happens when you eat gluten if it’s life-threatening or affects the way you’ll be able to proceed throughout the rest of your day. Do you need to use a special lotion for hives? Whatever it is that you need to do, make sure you have an organized way to proceed for when you’re actually experiencing your symptoms and can’t think about it with as much clarity.
5. Reach Out to the DRC for Meal Plan Accommodations
If you have been diagnosed with some sort of gluten sensitivity by a medical professional, reach out to your DRC as soon as you can. Tell them about you dietary restrictions and they will most likely be very helpful and accommodating. However, if they cannot accommodate you, they may give you a meal plan exemption. This is important because it will save you from wasting thousands of dollars at a cafeteria you cannot eat in. Keep in mind that this is the last resort because they don’t want to lose money.
Conclusion
These are all things that I’ve been learning how to do so I can better manage my gluten-free lifestyle. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to eat dry bread if I don’t have to. If all else fails, you could always become a world class cook and start a revolutionary gluten-free brand for the rest of us. I’m fairly confident you would be rich. Also, if anyone knows how to make gluten-free pulla and wanted to share your recipe, I would love you forever. Alright, that’s it for now on being gluten-free in university. Until next time!
