Living on Campus with Food Sensitivities

Now I know I said I was going to do another post about comics but that topic got boring for me; so now I am going to do something else. This post will be about surviving on campus with food sensitivities. Those who know me or who have been following my posts know that I have a condition that doesn't allow me to eat certain foods. This of course makes it difficult living on campus where I, and many other students, are required to have a meal plan which pays for our food during the year. That way we don't need to go off campus to go grocery shopping and try to cook in our Residence Halls. However, since I can't eat a lot of the food on campus it makes spending the money difficult. Now I am here to help those like me who are struggling to cope with their new on-campus diets.

First suggestion: A very easy way to help get around the tricky meal plan is to get the smallest plan available. That way there is less money on your account to spend, then you can purchase the things you can eat while having some money to go off campus to get other stuff. However, the downside to this is that if you are a student without a job then it can be hard to spend money on groceries. 

Second suggestion: Get the basics. This may seem vague, but here is the skinny: your school has a variety of ways to get the basic building blocks of a good meal.  

Basic 1: Protein, this can be hard to get depending on what sort of sensitivities you have I am covering stuff for those who are not vegan or vegetarian (sorry I don't know much about those types of things). The easiest way to get protein is from your school's grill I am going off of what Central so hopefully it's the same for you. This is a good place to get proteins. Since I can't have gluten, beans, garlic, or onions at the moment things like burgers are a no go (if you can have that sort of thing then you go Glenn Coco), but the grill also serves  plain chicken breasts. This is a very easy way to get your protein plus it is very versatile, I can make lots of different meals just from that. Get a couple of pieces of chicken and you can make pasta, teriyaki, and other things. Quick, simple, and easy. 

Basic 2: Rice and pasta. Rice is gluten free and pasta comes in gluten free varieties, both are great ways to balance out a meal. There is probably an Asian place on campus and if you ask nicely they should be willing to serve you up a plate of just plain rice (brown or white offerings may differ between campuses). For the times when that is not available you can visit the food store that may be on campus (again speaking from experience, but this may vary by campus), this small convenience store has a variety of offerings including a small selection of raw foods like rice. Buy a bag of this and you can make it on a stove top or in a rice cooker if you have one at your disposal. Gluten free pasta could also be offered in a variety of places. If there is an Italian place on campus they should have a gluten free option, though I am not sure how strict they will be with keeping that stuff separate so if you have severe sensitivities I might recommend avoiding that. As with rice, the on-campus convenience store should offer several varieties of pasta including boxes of gluten free mac and cheese.

Basic 3: Fruits and Vegetables. This is probably the easiest group to get a hold of. Many places on campus will sell different fruits, from the coffee stands to the convenience store. Now while the variety of fruit is probably not great, something is better than nothing and if you do get bored of oranges and bananas you can always go to the store and get something new. Vegetables are a little harder to come by but you can find them. If your school has a salad bar that is an easy way to get veggies, the sandwich and wrap shops, and grill are also good places.

Third suggestion: Stick with meals that you can control. If you know exactly what goes into your food you can control what goes into your body. Most of the places on campus will let you choose what you want to eat, so that makes it easy. There is probably also a place that serves sandwiches or wraps (Central has one), and of course that is the easiest way to control your meal you can pick and choose what meats, cheeses, veggies, and spreads you want on your wrap or sandwich. Also from experience the sandwich shop should have gluten free bread (the grill might also, just ask); however, I doubt that your school will have gluten free tortillas for wraps so be wary of that if you cannot have gluten. And sticking with what Central has, there might be a salad bar which is another easy way to customize your meal just pick out what you want, then weigh it at the end and pay.

Fourth and final suggestion: Do your research. This may seem like a really basic suggestion but it is true. Your campus has lots of options to make sure that you can eat and be happy.  The grill should have gluten free options, the pasta place is the same. Another good source of options is the convenience store. There are lots of things that you can buy and save for later, everything from snacks to actual food staples, including specialty milks like almond and soy. And if you are still concerned about what you are eating you can try talking to the dining staff on campus, they are there to make sure that you are happy and healthy so they will try and make accommodations as they can.

I hope this helps everyone! College is a time where you are supposed to branch out and figure out what you want to do with your life, not worry about being sick or not being able to eat. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions fill free to message the the Facebook page "Ordinary Adventures of Sarah Hoot" and I will try and answer any of your questions.