Can We Eat That?

Important Tips for Living Gluten Free At College and University--Part One

Here is a summary of concrete steps to take when attempting to put a GF plan in place at a college/university.

People handle this process in a variety of ways -- some ask questions about special diets/food prep on their college tours and don't even bother applying if they don't feel assured by the responses they get at that time; others begin tackling this issue once their child is admitted to a particular school, but before accepting an offer of admission; and some begin this process when dropping their child off for the start of the school year.  Clearly there is no one right way to handle this.  However, there are some general things that get mentioned over and over again that seem to make a lot of sense.  

(Please note that the offices and personnel at the various schools seem to go by different names)


TIPS FOR APPROACHING/WORKING WITH A COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY

*Get a letter from your child's doctor stating that your child has celiac disease and will require a special diet. Such a letter can sometimes be helpful, even necessary, when discussing meal plans and housing options.

*Register with the Office of Disability Services/Office of Specialized Services.  It is possible that someone from this office can really help a family navigate the proper channels and serve as an advocate for your child on campus.  If Food Service and Housing are approached through the Office of Disabilities, a refrigerator and microwave might be provided free of charge or it might be possible to get a larger refrigerator than usual.

*Find out whether a Meal Plan is required -- at most schools, it is required for freshmen. Find out if some of the "bucks" or "money" that you are sometimes required to purchase with the meal plan can be used to buy food items at the school grocery stores.  Some suggest inquiring about the possibility of a student living alone off-campus to avoid the stress of cross-contamination issues from roommates, but admittedly loneliness and safety can then be concerns.

*Meet with the Nutritionist/Dietitian and Foodservice Director/Head of Dining Services/Chef.  Ask detailed questions about kitchen protocol and ingredients. You may want to consider discussing some/all of the following:

-whether the kitchen has a refrigerator/freezer dedicated to GF foods
-if they have dedicated counter space in the kitchen for GF food prep 
-if they have dedicated pans/utensils for GF food prep
-whether they would be willing to order/stock special food for your child 
-if they have a list of GF meals that they could prepare
-if the student needs to let the chef know ahead of time what they want to eat (this can be problematic given
 that kids don't always know ahead of time when/where they will be eating)

If you sense from their answers that they need training/additional info, you can purchase an online training course through NFCA for the kitchen staff--you can Google this. 

*Meet with the Director of Housing.  Inquire as to the possibility of appliances in the dorm rooms. Various people mention the following appliances: a small refrigerator w/ a freezer, a separate freezer, toaster oven, rice cooker, microwave.  Ask if you will need to rent the fridge from the school or purchase your own.  (In schools that rent them, some suggest making these arrangements early to ensure that your child gets one.) Some colleges will allow students with health-related dietary restrictions to live in a dorm suite that has a kitchen, so ask about this. Or, inquire as to the possibility of a room assignment close to a kitchen.

 

Cupcakes For All!

 

 

                                             

I'm a big fan of the cupcake. And of course, my kids love them, too. When my first child entered preschool and I had a newborn, my mother would make full batches of GF cupcakes, frost them, wrap them up in saran wrap and foil and freeze them.  This way I always had GF cupcakes on hand for any and all birthday and holiday celebrations. They defrost within about an hour and a half.

She continued doing this for several more years.  *She's amazing--have I mentioned how much I love my mom?!?*

I  have also made my fair share of lovely GF cupcakes with Pamela's mixes or Gluten Free Pantry. We make both vanilla and chocolate and frost them either with Cherrybrook Kitchen frosting mix or in a pinch, GF Duncan Hines.

I have also made every layered and delicious GF birthday cake this way for my children each year, except once this past Fall (more on that later!)

If you don't have time to make them, there are several recent alternatives that are fantastic. The one I mention today is the  Whole Foods dedicated gluten free baked goods cupcake in the freezer section. Last year they added these giant cupcakes to their offerings in the frozen aisle. They come in sealed containers of 4--Chocolate with chocolate frosting and Vanilla with vanilla frosting. They are big enough that my kids can split one to share.

 

 

What joy to find such an amazing product locally, made in a dedicated gluten free bakery by Whole Foods. And now even Betty Crocker  has gotten in on the gluten free baking mix goodness, sold with all the other boxed mixes in your grocery store.

                                  

Mellow Mushroom has gluten free pizza!!

                                        

I thought it might be a mirage or a dream, but it's finally happened; a mainstream regional restaurant chain has incorporated a full service pizza selection on their menu. OMG.

A few months ago, I started digging around the interweb looking for what I thought I'd heard someone mention to me about Mellow Mushroom serving gluten free pizza soon. I called around, checked all of their local individual websites that MM maintains and found that the Brookhaven one is the closest to us. Awesome. 

My older child has "Pizza Tuesdays" at school where they order in pizza for the whole school. Since Kindergarten last year, we've had homemade gluten free pizza every Monday night for dinner; and sent the leftovers with him to be heated at school on Tues. That way he could participate with the rest of his class.

Now, we order pizza from Mellow Mushroom for dinner almost every Monday night instead and he takes the leftovers on Tuesday. *Click the side graphic on the front site page where it says "Gluten Free" in the middle. The pizza is really delicious.

It's a small thrill that means a lot, both in terms of real change and personal normalcy. I mean, we can go as a family out for a pizza! They even have a gluten free beer on the menu if you're looking for the total experience. 

The staff knows us by name now at the restaurant and the tip is that they need 30 to 45 minutes to make your pizza gluten free. There is a chef trained to clear a space and make the cooking environment gluten free. Just for you :)

Here's what they say on their website:

"Gluten-Free Dough

After months of research and testing, we have created a Gluten Free dough exclusive to Mellow Mushroom. The recipe includes bean, rice and tapioca flour, starch, yeast and egg. We believe in providing quality and tasty food for everyone and take every precaution to avoid cross-contamination. Enjoy our Gluten-Free pizza offered in a 12" size with an array of gluten-free ingredients. Now available at all locations!"