Few college students living in the dorms would dispute the fact that there is always a wide array of foods to choose from at mealtimes.
Yet few stop and think about what that extensive food spread looks like to someone with a food allergy.
“Gluten-free foods are for people that have celiac disease, which is a disease in which the small intestine can’t absorb (gluten) derived from wheat,” said Nick Marek, sophomore in Media and campus spokesman for Udi’s Gluten Free Foods.
“But they’re also good for most people with any kind of food allergy in general,” he added. “For instance, our bagels tend to also be soy-, nut- and dairy-free too.”
Udi’s has been supplying gluten-free foods to campus dining halls for several years now, so students with celiac disease or food allergies have the ability to notify the staff of their conditions and get access to special meals.
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Several gluten-free foods can also be found at County Market in Champaign — with granolas, muffins, bagels and even cookies all coming in gluten-free varieties.
“The snickerdoodle cookies are awesome,” said Nadia Mahmood, freshman in LAS and also a campus representative for Udi’s.
The aforementioned snickerdoodle cookies are only 75 calories each.
Meanwhile, gluten-free muffins tend to boast fewer calories than the common varieties as well, while a typical gluten-free bagel checks in at roughly 250 calories. That’s pretty similar to the bagels found at the grocery store, such as Pepperidge Farm or Thomas’s.
“Gluten-free also tends to be a healthier choice,” Marek added. “It’s not drastically healthier or anything, but they tend to be slightly lower in calories and still taste pretty good.”
All in all, Mahmood said she and Marek are simply hoping to make campus more aware of the gluten-free options available both in the dining halls and at grocery stores.
“We’re not necessarily trying to sell products, but we’re hoping to make students more aware that there are options out there in case they cannot eat some of the foods their friends are eating,” she said.
