Many of you might be wondering how in the world I survive in the college dining halls with my dairy, gluten, and sugar sensitivities. While I do supplement with a lot of snacks, I also have a meal plan to eat in the dining halls. It has been really great so far because I talked with the director of the Dining Services to tell her about my food allergies. She worked with my food allergies and actually already had a few other gluten-free students for whom she bought gluten-free breads, pasta, and pizza crusts for.
Simply call or email your director of dining services.
Talk with them! Their email and number can usually be found on your school’s website. Set up an appointment to discuss what kinds of options they have for those with food allergies and special diets. You might find that they will feed you even better food than what they have at the cafeteria!
Here are just a couple of meals I have had from the cafeteria:
Breakfast of an egg white and veggie omelet with plenty of fresh fruit.
Turkey sandwich with hummus on gluten-free bread with a side of vegetable soup.
(These above photos were taken from my instagram. Follow me @SugarFreeAlex)
Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:
How do you eat at cafeterias, restaurants, etc. if you have a special dietary need?
Your food ALLERGIES? When were you diagnosed by a doctor?
I have an allergy to dairy, and so I have to avoid all forms of milk (which I must say isn’t the most fun thing to do, as it’s all over the place!). I’ve found that always being prepared helps. I think I’m going to be doing half cooking for myself (breakfast and dinner) and half using the cafeteria (probably with lunch, so I can just grab and go).
I too have dairy and gluten food allergies. When going to fine dining restaurants I call ahead after checking out their online menu. Most places are more than happy to make a few minor tweaks to best serve their customer’s needs. It doesn’t hurt to shower the waiter with kindness too. If we’re going to a casual place and not a lot of information is available I ask a lot of questions (very kindly) and usually end up ordering something simple unless the chef offers to make something up special for me. Always show appreciation and let their manager know how great their employee is.