section 4: Celiac Disease
Celiac disease can be very manageable in college and many of the tips and tricks for food allergic individuals going to college are the same for those with celiac disease going to college. Luckily, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has their own college guidelines which can be found by clicking here. Because gluten free diets are now a common trend, one important thing to do when meeting with dining hall staff or when asking about ingredients is to make it clear that you have celiac disease and you are not on a trendy diet. One of the biggest issue with celiac is cross contamination with gluten. Having celiac disease is not the same as electively avoiding gluten and it is important that you make sure food preparation staff know that so they can help keep you safe. Separate microwaves and toasters for gluten free food can be provided at dining halls. Depending on a person's food allergy, celiac may be more difficult to manage in college than the allergy - wheat is in more food products than peanuts or tree nuts, for example. Keep shelf stable gluten free foods on hand in your room in case of emergency and the dining hall can't accommodate you. If they have to bring in outside food to manage a power outage or other systems failure - it will probably be nut free and peanut free - but not gluten free.