By Gwenyth Davenport
For many college students, grabbing food from the dining hall is just another part of their day. But for students with chronic illnesses like Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, eating on campus can be extremely difficult. Most colleges do not provide enough safe, nutritious, and assorted foods for students who need specific diets. This leaves them to fend for themselves everyday, usually leaving them hungry and drained. College academics are already challenging enough to balance and without the proper nutrition it is even harder to focus in class, get homework done, and have time for their social lives. It’s time for colleges to take this issue seriously and take these students into account.
Most college dining halls only focus on rotating the cheap and convenient processed food that usually contains high levels of sugar, gluten, and dairy. For students with chronic illnesses, those types of foods aren’t just unhealthy, they are dangerous. Someone with Celiac disease can get extremely sick if their food even touches gluten, someone with Crohn’s disease can become ill from traces of dairy, and someone with Hashimoto’s, their body can attack itself leaving them weak. When colleges don’t provide students with safe and balanced meals, students are forced to skip meals and spend unnecessary money to eat off campus. Not to forget, underclassmen do not have the privilege of having their car on campus, therefore spending more money on delivery fees.
This goes beyond physical health, the lack of accommodation takes a strong toll on these students’ mental health and well being. Kids who can’t safely eat in dining halls often feel embarrassed or feel like a burden. They watch their friends enjoy campus food while they have to worry about cross contamination or ingredient labels. College is supposed to be a time to focus on friends and academics, not a time to struggle to find food. Imagine your friends are having a fun night out and they order food, but you have to sit there not being able to enjoy it with them. Colleges have made great progress in other areas of accessibility like ramps, mental health resources, and disability accommodations. But nutrition is treated like a luxury instead of a necessity. Colleges need to expand menu options, clearly list all ingredients, and train all staff members in special dietary restrictions. We need to start partnering with reputable nutritionists and listening to our students with chronic illnesses.
According to Priya Krishna in The New York Times, over 300 parents had reached out to Michigan State University about special dietary restrictions. Michigan State involved two outside companies to help deal with this problem, where they taught staff how to prevent cross contamination and helped them build a menu free of major food allergens. Most colleges require a meal plan, which ranges from $3,000-$7,000, even if you are not able to eat you still have to pay the amount due. Many colleges claim to have a dietitian easily accessible to all students as well as a dining manager but unfortunately many students do not know this. Colleges need to properly advertise these things, tell students clearly and loudly where the ingredients and allergens will be listed, not just put it hidden on your website. It should not take a parental email as well as weeks in advance planning to get students the proper nutrition.
Every student everywhere deserves to feel included and nourished. Food shouldn’t be a barrier to education and happiness, no one should have to choose between these. That’s why we need to make sure we are properly advertising and updating our menus and ingredients, as well as professionally training our staff in food contamination and food related chronic illnesses.By offering more inclusive and safe dining options, colleges have the ability to create campuses where students with chronic illness can thrive.