When you have allergies, the idea of someone else making your food can be scary. Going to a restaurant can be more stress inducing than fun, as you ask yourself a million questions. Will the server take you seriously when you say “no gluten”? Will the kitchen understand that no milk also means no butter? Or will they actually check the ingredients for that weird spice that seems to show up in everything that your body wants absolutely nothing to do with? At least when you go out you usually have an idea of what is safe and what’s not. You may even be able to check the menu and ingredients beforehand! But when you go to college, you bring your allergies with you. And going to college means that you’ll probably be eating in a dining hall, which can feel pretty overwhelming. So what’s it like eating in a college dining hall when you have to avoid common ingredients?
I’m so glad you asked.
Dining hall eating isn’t always the easiest, and having to avoid certain ingredients just can sometimes make it all the more difficult. But I’m here to show you that it’s possible! How? By sharing what I eat in a week at college. Mostly in the dining hall. All of it is dairy free. All of it is gluten free. I know, I know, no one would really think of dairy free gluten free college dining hall as three things that would go together. That’s why I’m here to show you that it’s not impossible. Most days I actually have a pretty nice selection!
I did an Instagram poll the other week asking if you would prefer an in-depth day (including snacks and all) or an entire week (Monday through Friday) of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Obviously from the title of this post, a week won! And quickly before we get into things, if you want to have a say in polls for future posts and content, follow me on Instagram @andpajamas!
Monday:
Breakfast
Plain cheerios with almond milk topped with Udi’s gluten free granola
Lunch
Açaí bowl with mango, coconut, and pineapple
Dinner
Oven roasted turkey and potatoes with fruit
Tuesday:
Brunch
Omelet with spinach and tomatoes
Dinner
Flank steak with sautéed spinach and tater tots
Wednesday:
Brunch
Scrambled eggs with sausage and fruit
Dinner
Rotisserie chicken with rice and fruit
Thursday:
Breakfast
Apple and a toaster waffle
Lunch
Salad with grilled chicken
Dinner
Italian beef on a gluten free roll with fruit
Friday:
Breakfast
Omelet with spinach and tomato with fruit
Lunch
Vegan chicken on a gluten free roll with lettuce and pickles
Dinner
Dijon Salmon with cooked squash and zucchini
And that’s a week of (mostly) dining hall eating!
A couple of days this week you may notice I put brunch, instead of a separate breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately in the middle of my week we started to have cancellations due to a snow storm and campus shut down, altering the dining schedule. You can read all about my snow day experience here! But as a result of all the snowy chaos, I ate in the dining hall more for breakfast this week than I typically would. My mornings of cereal and apples and freezer waffles were mornings I ate in my dorm before class. Mornings with eggs, I ate in the dining hall!
I’d like to think that overall with lunches and dinners I have a nice variety each week, even if sometimes my options are more limited.
The main dining hall I eat in has two floors, the first being where I usually get my food. They have a deli, a pizza station (which I’ve personally never eaten from as there are no dairy free options), a chicken/burger/fries station, a big salad bar, a fruit wall, two soups, and then a rotating station that has usually two entrées and three or four sides available, and an allergy station with at least one entrée and two sides that are always dairy and gluten free! There’s more, but I think you get the picture. Lots of options. Sometimes I can’t have any entrées because of my other allergies, and whenever that’s the case the amazing chefs at my university will make me gluten free pasta. They’re the best!
At the end of the day, dairy free gluten free college dining hall life isn’t as difficult as one might think.
Everything is labeled with the allergy information, and sometimes I’ll double-check with the chefs to make sure my choices are safe before making my plate. You can never be too careful!
I’ve found that most universities have allergen information readily available, and that the chefs are more than willing to work with you to make sure that even with dietary restrictions you get exactly what you need. If this is a concern for you in any way, make sure to ask about how dining deals with allergies on your college visits! For more questions you may want to ask on your college visits (chronic illness friends this one is for you!) check out Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next College Visit. And even if you aren’t chronically ill, those may help you out too!
Know someone who needs some meal dairy free or gluten free meal inspiration? Send this post their way!
