Schools good for picky celiac student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a junior and we are starting to create a list of colleges. She has celiac disease and on top of that she is a very picky eater. For example she does not eat any salads, could eat gluten free cheese pasta/pizza, gluten free chicken tenders everyday if we allowed it. Every school we toured says they can accommodate all kinds of dietary restrictions including gluten free. However, when we actually walked through the cafeteria we realized that the choices were quite limited centering around the salad bar and other healthy foods that DD would not go for. Are there any schools that offer a particularly wide range of gluten free food that includes foods like gotten free
pizza and chicken tenders?

University of Richmond.

[Anonymous]

This is a fairly new non profit but has some good articles and you also have the ability under the college & university tab to search & get specific info on each school. Hope it helps.

https://www.celiaccollegeguide.org/search_results

[Anonymous]

A friend's DD with celiac loved her time at W&M.

[Anonymous]

For all of you pretending like some of us don’t “get” celiac, we do.

Some of us have or have kids who have DEATHLY allergies. We get it. I’m sorry that celiac would cause anyone illness or discomfort or severe issues, but don’t pretend like we don’t get allergies. We do. We are dealing with LIFE AND DEATH.

So we do, in fact, know that celiac is one thing, and pickiness to the point of insanity is another issue. Both need to be addressed. OP, why have you not gotten your child professional help for this life-affecting issue?

[Anonymous]

Most schools have very limited options. Even many of those that get top marks for allergy free dining in fact have fairly limited options for picky eaters.
The best we saw was Tufts. They have an entire dining hall that is gluten free, with a wide variety of options.
My celiac did not want to pick a school based on that and ended up at a school with limited gf options. Mine is picky and didn’t like most of the options (although she likes salad and so mostly ate that). First year was tough, but she is very happy where she is.

[Anonymous]

CNU worked pretty well, they post gluten free menus, the small staff was helpful and would make things for you, and once you’re a sophomore you can live in an apartment with a kitchen, and you can walk to Chipotle and Chick Fil a. But there wasn’t that much variety and the quality was average. I think VA Tech would have been ok. Loyola MD seemed like it was accommodating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all of you pretending like some of us don’t “get” celiac, we do.

Some of us have or have kids who have DEATHLY allergies. We get it. I’m sorry that celiac would cause anyone illness or discomfort or severe issues, but don’t pretend like we don’t get allergies. We do. We are dealing with LIFE AND DEATH.

So we do, in fact, know that celiac is one thing, and pickiness to the point of insanity is another issue. Both need to be addressed. OP, why have you not gotten your child professional help for this life-affecting issue?

I'm confused, if I announced that because my kid has severe allergic asthma, a condition that kills more than 10 times as many American a year as food allergies, I "understand" food allergies and can make decisions about what is safe for your child, would you be OK with that?

The fact that your kid has food allergies doesn't mean you understand celiac.

[Anonymous]

Understandable that OP’s kid will want the “away” college experience. However, if her celiac disease is so serious, she may want to consider places where she can commute from home or be allowed to live in off-campus housing from day 1. Or be close enough to home so the parents can drop off a supply of pre-made food once or twice a month. College dining halls have to feed hundreds, thousands of kids with a variety of religious, health, and personal restrictions for food . Not everyone is going to get their kind of food at every meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is also gluten free, but enjoys food and has a normal diet otherwise.

Sounds like your DD has food aversions, which is her own problem, and not a disability and no school is going to cater to pickiness.

I agree with the “grow-up” sentiment.

I have a family member who has celiac and your child's choice to be GF isn't even close to the experience of having celiac. All of you need to stop with this "grow-up" sentiment. When this family member eats gluten accidentally, they are violently sick and then have a brain fog for about 3 months. And have to do a thorough investigation of where they might have ingested it so they don't do it again. If you have been around someone with it, you will understand why they eat a limited diet. This family member is in college now and has to cook their own food in their single dorm room. OP, I think you should also explore how colleges respond to requests like needing a single room.

[Anonymous]

Family member is a chef and celiac. She moved to San Francisco and really thrives. Maybe look at schools in that area.

[Anonymous]

BU but that’s the opposite of a SLAC.

[Anonymous]

My child has Celiac and Type 1 Diabetes.

The pickiness CAN be an issue in terms of your child's health. A gluten free diet can be deficient in many nutrients if the main component is gluten free packaged foods.

Most foods labeled gluten free are higher in carbohydrates and sugar. Most importantly, they are not fortified.

The inability to eat whole grains tends to creates a deficit in fiber consumption.

If your child does not eat "salads" does she consume fruit and vegetables otherwise? Legumes?

Also, due to cross contamination, salad bars are not a recommended option for Celiac Disease.

I agree access to a varied healthy diet for a person with Celiac is an important part of tour child's overall well being. This should be a factor in college choice. Please do not let her limited palette shrink her choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend's DD with celiac loved her time at W&M.

My daughter was glutened several times there by mislabeled items. This was several years ago (2021-23 timeframe) when doing was having LOTS of issues. They have since changed food services company, so I am glad that your daughter had a better experience.

[Anonymous]

*dining

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend's DD with celiac loved her time at W&M.

My daughter was glutened several times there by mislabeled items. This was several years ago (2021-23 timeframe) when doing was having LOTS of issues. They have since changed food services company, so I am glad that your daughter had a better experience.

This is unfortunately a reality at most school dining halls at some point. Make sure you register with the disability office to get medical excuses from class if needed.