Photo by: Katy Owens
When you pick up a piece of pizza, do you think about its potentially allergenic content? If you have a gluten allergy, that’s your first though before chomping on a piece of possibly dangerous food.
Two DU students, Julie Bourne and Rose Martin, experience this situation on a regular basis. Bourne, a sophomore majoring in International Studies, has Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that requires one to live 100 percent gluten-free. She was diagnosed a few months before leaving for her freshman year at DU. Martin, a sophomore at Lamont majoring in percussion, does not have Celiac, but is allergic to gluten. It runs in her family and she has known about her allergy for years.
Fortunately for Bourne and Martin, gluten-free options on college campuses and in restaurants are slowly increasing as awareness grows. DU is joining the bandwagon, progressively getting better at their gluten-free options. However, according to Bourne, the university could still use some improvement in increased variety and availability, as well as avoiding cross-contamination between gluten and gluten-free foods.
Living gluten-free in college can be tricky, but Bourne and Martin find it feasible, and quite often, very tasty.
DU is willing to work with allergic students, adjusting meal plans to meet their needs. Martin lives off-campus and has the commuter plan, while Bourne uses the Bronze meal plan, which is 40 meals + $175 meal plan cash.The C-stores in Halls and J-Mac, as well as the store in Nagel, offer some gluten-free foods.
Martin and Bourne have found it is easier to make food in their own kitchens, where they have more variety and can be 100 percent sure the food has not been accidentally contaminated.
“The dining halls have gotten a lot better at providing gluten-free options like bread and things, but after a while those few options get boring,” said Martin. “I’m glad that I can make meals at my place, and that my mom delivers me a weekly supply of homemade gluten-free meals and yummy gluten-free treats.”
With awareness of allergies, gluten-free foods can also be found at many restaurants and stores.
“King Soopers has a really good selection of gluten-free options, and I have found that it is less expensive than Safeway, which I love,” said Martin. “I also buy lots of things at Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage on Evans and Colorado.”
Grocery stores are nearby and accessible for students with lots of options for those with allergies.
“I go to Safeway for my basic needs like fruits and vegetables, but for specialty items I’ll go to the Wash Park Whole Foods – they are only a light rail ride away, great for those of us without a car, and they always have great selections for anyone with food restrictions,” said Bourne.
A few of Martin and Bourne’s favorite gluten-free brands include Udi’s, Annie’s and Nature’s Path.
“Conveniently enough, my favorite foods are usually naturally gluten-free: tacos, kettle corn and peanut butter,” said Bourne. “My favorite ‘gluten-free’ food item is probably Udi’s Gluten Free Millet Chia Bread – it doesn’t even taste gluten-free.”
“And although it is fun to make things like cakes, brownies, and cookies from scratch, if I’m in a hurry Betty Crocker actually makes really good gluten-free desert mixes! I love Annie’s gluten-free mac and cheese, Udi’s blueberry muffins and Nature’s Path waffles,” said Martin. “I can’t get enough fruit, specifically berries, which is guaranteed to be glutenless.”
In case cooking and cleaning gets boring, or time is limited, gluten-free restaurants abound.
Both Tokyo Joe’s (on Colorado Boulevard) and Chipotle (on Evans Avenue) are conveniently near campus.
A light rail or bus jaunt away are places like Mad Greens, Beau Jo’s, Mod Market and Snooze A.M. Eatery.
“Snooze A.M. Eatery has amazing gluten-free pancakes, and Mod Market has fantastic salads and soups,” said Bourne.
“Mad Greens is divine and has a lot of gluten-free salad dressings, which is really nice because you never know with the ones at Nelson,” said Martin.
Gluten-free in college can be hard, but both Martin and Bourne have also found resources and support from other college students. They recommend blogs, books and other gluten-free students to communicate with and learn from.
Martin recommends a few books, including The Gluten Free Bible and A G-Free Diet.
“Starting out as gluten-free in college, it was a little bit difficult to track down people who were in a similar situation as me – moving far away from home, no car, no full kitchen, limited dining hall options – but I’m seeing more and more resources emerge,” said Bourne. “For gluten-free students, I would recommend they look around gluten-free blogs. There is some great material [on the web] if you know how to look for it.”
Bourne has her own food blog, titled “The Campus Celiac.” It is directed towards gluten-free college students, a well-written and interesting read with tips and recipes for a gluten-free life.
