JMU has some dorms with a communal kitchens for students with food allergies. They're in the Hillside area and the Village area. D-Hall has a worry free zone with True Balance stations. JMU was ranked 8th in the country for on campus food choices.

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.

This seems an accurate assessment, based on the information provided. She can either cook for herself, or learn to cope with a world which doesn't always conform to her preferences.

Didn't have "explosive loose stool" on my DCUM bingo card, but thanks for that.

For those saying OP's daughter has mental health issues they need to stop. OP's daughter has a physical medical diagnosis.

As a celiac prior to diagnosis I had years of explosive loose stool. Colonoscopy preps are easy for me as they are less bad than eating gluten.

I am picky because I would prefer not to have a fecal accident in the hallway before I make it to the toilet.

Also, many celiacs have a tough time eating raw salads as the fiber is too rough for the gut. Salad bars are not recommended for celiacs due to cross contamination. Legumes can be rough on celiacs due to the fiber also.

If she buys and prepares her own food with her own pans and dishes and stuff, she can in principle eat salads and vegetables and fruits and proteins that are healthy for her.

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.

*dining

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.

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.

BU but that’s the opposite of a SLAC.

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

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.

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 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.

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.