Most students spend their college years snacking on pizza, cookies and grilled cheese. For some students, though, the dining hall is a minefield.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects 1 in 133 Americans, or about 2 million people, according to the National Institutes of Health. That effect is being felt at Ohio University as more students are diagnosed with the disorder.
“I was diagnosed in August of 2009, literally three days before I came to school,” said Shannon Welch, a junior studying political science. “I was really upset. I cried all day. I never thought I would have it. Going to school and having to adapt to a new environment and a new diet at the same time was hard. I was just worried about how difficult it would be.”
Celiac disease damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients, so ingesting gluten, a protein found in foods processed from wheat, can cause health problems. The only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet, which means no pizza or cookies.
For students with celiac disease, the biggest challenge is finding food that won’t make them sick.
“Today, I went to Baker to have lunch, and all there was, was salad stuff, and you don’t know if the dressing has gluten in it or not,” said Diana Steuber, a senior who created her own field of study and was diagnosed in 2009. “There’s hidden ingredients in things. It doesn’t always say it has wheat in it. You have to learn the secret words.”
Welch plans her meals in advance so she won’t end up hungry with nothing to eat.
“I cook almost every night, and I’m always worrying about when I’m going to be hungry and what I can eat,” Welch said. “I pretty much plan my whole day. If I don’t plan ahead, I don’t eat. It’s hard finding options eating out.”
Alex Borsuk, a 2011 alumnus, was diagnosed in 2010 and has a unique understanding of celiac disease and eating gluten-free because she studied applied nutrition.
“The common misconception about celiac disease is that it’s not a big deal,” Borsuk said. “Because it is not a disease that is necessarily always visible on the outside, people without the disease think that you can just eat a little bit of gluten and you will still be fine. People tend to think that people with celiac make a big deal about eating gluten-free, but if gluten is present in food, it can make someone sick.”
Celiac disease can also take a toll on a person’s social life, Borsuk said — particularly at the bar scene, because beer contains gluten.
“Honestly, it was hard,” Borsuk said. “I couldn’t play beer pong or flip cup. I couldn’t partake in the normal party atmosphere because I always had to have my own drink. Everything always seemed more complicated — I couldn’t just go out for a beer with my friends like any normal college student.”
But, Welch said, advances are being made to include gluten-free options on campus.
“West 82 has gluten-free pizza, and Latitude 39 has gluten-free pasta,” Welch said. “They didn’t have any of those options when I first got here. I think people are becoming more aware of it, and OU is starting to adapt to people needing gluten-free options. It’s slow, but it’s happening.”
Steuber also sees improvements but acknowledges that OU has a long way to go.
“I wish there were more options on campus and that there was more awareness,” Steuber said. “It’s annoying having to ask a bunch of questions when you just want to eat a meal. I don’t want to get funny looks at restaurants when I ask for a gluten-free menu.”
jf392708@ohiou.edu
