Can We Eat That?

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

 

-Be positive and educate gently.  

-Be realistic and empower your child to follow through.

-Trust that you've raised your kids well enough, and don't stress.   

 

GENERAL TIPS

*Send care packages to your child (and his/her roommates).

*Familiarize your child with basic cooking skills and a few easy recipes (printed out for him/her).  If he/she has access to a fridge/freezer, stocking a variety of easy to heat/prepare meals, bread, pizza crusts, etc. can be helpful.

*Check with prospective schools for food allergy clubs or support groups.  Or, google local celiac support groups for stores/restaurants in the area with GF food options. 

*If you know of any students with celiac or food allergies, find out if you can contact them to ask questions about their experience.

*Some people feel that colleges don't want the parents doing the work, that they feel scolded when they try, and that they wanted the individual student to communicate with them.  

*Some people say that they thought smaller schools, in general, were more accommodating, while others say that it would be easier to manage a GF diet at a larger school because there's more variety.

 

USEFUL LINKS

Two great articles available at -- 
http://www.celiaccentral.org/Resources/Kids-Youth/Heading-to-College/360/

The NFCA has an archived webinar entitled "Heading Off to College with Celiac Disease" at 
http://www.celiaccentral.org/Events/Free-Webinars/Archived-Webinars/208/

www.glutenfreetravelsite.com --  a month or two ago, this website added a feature for gluten-free dining options on college campuses

The following book is recommended: "Gluten Free College Student Cookbook--201 GF/CF Recipes for Campus Cooking" by Joanne Bradley

*Glutenfreeda did a series of articles on college living and here are the links:
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/apr10-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/may10-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/mar10-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/feb10-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jan10-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/dec09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/oct09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/sep09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/aug09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jul09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/jun09-college-living-gf.asp  
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/may09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/apr09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/mar09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/feb09-college-living-gf.asp
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/Jan09-college-living-gf.asp

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.

 

AllergyEats Founder Offers Tips for Dining Out with Food Allergies & Intolerances | Business Wire

Press Release, March 14, 2011 

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dining out is one of America’s favorite pastimes, but for the millions of people with food allergies and intolerances, the experience can often be frustrating and stressful. Paul Antico, founder of AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), the biggest and fastest growing source for finding allergy-friendly restaurants, understands these challenges first-hand, from dining out with his three food allergic children. Over the past year, AllergyEats – a free, peer-based resource – has significantly improved the way food allergic and gluten-intolerant individuals find “allergy-friendly” restaurants. Now, Paul is sharing his personal tips for dining out with food allergies and intolerances.

“Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a completely allergy-safe restaurant. While many restaurants have gone to great lengths to be as allergy-friendly as possible, food-allergic individuals – or their caretakers – still need to take 100% responsibility for their own safety,” Antico continued.

As the father of three food-allergic children, the founder of AllergyEats, and a proactive food allergy advocate, Antico offers the following advice based on his personal and professional experience:

• Do some homework in advance. Find dining recommendations from others within the food allergy community through an online resource like AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com). Check menus and allergen information on restaurants’ websites, which is also available on AllergyEats. Call a restaurant with any questions before you leave the house.
• Try to dine at off-peak hours when restaurant staff is less harried and better able to take the proper precautions with your order.
• Once you arrive at the restaurant, inform the host/hostess and server about your food allergies. Be very clear, but polite. Ask them how they will be able to accommodate your specific needs. If you do not feel completely confident after speaking to the server, ask to talk to the manager and/or chef. Most importantly, if after speaking to the restaurant staff, you don’t feel comfortable, leave and find another restaurant.
• When you speak with the restaurant staff, you should receive confident answers to any of the following questions: What protocols do you have in place to serve food-allergic individuals? Which items on your menu are not safe, given my specific food allergies? How are diners’ allergies communicated to the kitchen and other staff? How is the kitchen set up to prevent cross-contamination? Is separate equipment used to prepare orders for food-allergic individuals? What kind of oil will be used in the preparation of my order and is it safe, given my allergies? Can I see the list of ingredients for a given menu item?
• When you receive your meal, politely ask the server if he or she is sure that this food is safe for you and if there was any chance of cross-contamination.
• Stop and look carefully at your meal to see if any of your offending allergens are present (i.e. grated cheese, pesto, nuts, etc.). This may sound obvious, but Antico has found that some restaurants follow all of the “rules” to accommodate a food allergy, and then mistakenly do something as obvious as grating cheese on top of a dairy-allergic diner’s salad.
• If the restaurant answered all of your questions and accommodated your special requests, be sure to thank them, leave a generous tip and let them know you’ll return thanks to your positive experience.

Whether your experience was positive or negative – or somewhere in between – do the food allergy community a great service by rating the restaurant on AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com). Rating a restaurant is simple and quick (it takes less than a minute) and helps other food-allergic individuals determine which restaurants to visit, based on the peer ratings and feedback.

AllergyEats, a free website, lists well over 600,000 restaurants nationwide, which food allergic diners can rate. The site also offers information on restaurants’ menus (including gluten-free menus), allergen lists, nutrition information, certifications, web links, directions and more.

This free, user-friendly website provides valuable peer-based feedback about how well (or poorly) restaurants accommodate the needs of food-allergic customers. The peer ratings and feedback allow food-allergic and gluten-intolerant diners to quickly and easily find restaurants that will cater to their special dietary requirements – and avoid the ones that won’t.

Most restaurant review sites include information about establishments’ food, ambiance or service, but AllergyEats is singularly focused on food allergies, with peer reviews spotlighting where people with food allergies or intolerances have more comfortably eaten.

AllergyEats has been endorsed by highly-respected food, health and allergy organizations, including the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Gluten Intolerance Group, Massachusetts Restaurant Association and more. Antico serves on the Board of Directors for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, both nationally and for the New England Chapter, and he’s a passionate advocate for food allergy awareness and education.

For more information, please visit www.AllergyEats.com.

via www.businesswire.com