Food allergy friendly colleges?

[historymom]

Ohhhh ikf725 you reminded me. My son's allergist ordered what he called a "Cap Rast" test for my son to determine the likelihood that he would react to the foods he was allergic to. It's a blood test that measures antibodies and it gives more data than the skin test. You may want to ask about it at his next visit. Here is a link: http://www.foodallergy.org/downloads...rgyTesting.pdf

[lkf725]

I had the skin tests about a bazillion years ago, so it makes sense that there have been improvements. It's good to know that people don't have to go through the careful (or sometimes accidental) trial and error system of yesteryear. Thanks for the info historymom!

[snowball]

Like lkf, my child also has an anaphylactic allergic to peanuts, but also tested positive to soy. While she doesn't eat tofu or drink soy milk, she can eat foods with soy protein in them. If a food has a lot of soy protein, her lips might tingle a bit and her tongue get a bit scratchy, but that is all. She will take a benadryl if the reaction bothers her too much, but rarely does that. She was not aware of the soy allergy until she went to college and started drinking soy lattes and buying soy milk for her cereal. For some reason the soups at Panera Bread also have soy proteins and a few of them give her a mild reaction, but not enough to stop eating them. According to her allergist, she will not have an anaphylactic reaction to soy, so just to watch what she eats.

[twomules]

Here in Minnesota we have a couple of chains of storefront food preparation centers: example Let's Dish and Sociale Gourmet. I was speaking once with the woman who owned our local one and she said that a college student was one of her best customers. The girl with many food allergies would come in once a week and prepare food. The college let her keep in in a dorm freezer and she would pop it in the dorm oven. Great food made just the way she needed it.

[orchid_2010]

lkf725, I know you have food allergies yourself, but nevertheless, your comment "Not to be harsh, but people with a "food disability" need to learn how to get along in the real world" is a little bit of an oversimplification. My son is allergic to soy and peanuts. He has not yet had an anaphylactic reaction (although his reactions are pretty severe) but his soy allergy is quite serious. He keeps an epi-pen with him at all times, but soy has become so ubiquitous in our food supply that it is nearly impossible to avoid. His only safe place to eat is in our home -- but realistically, he has to leave here someday. College should be a place where he can go get a bite to eat without risking death. He is well educated about his allergy and does not expect undue accommodations, but the problem is that kitchen staff often do not understand the many forms of food products that contain soy, such as "vegetable oil" and "natural flavoring". Because of this, he is afraid to eat anywhere except in my own kitchen. This makes his "real world" quite limited, unfortunately.

[Sierra Lin]

I truly appreciate everyone's perspectives on the college side of the discussion and the food allergy side. At this point in time DS's allergies cause him to be sick to his stomach and sometimes other reactions. In the beginning his daily reactions sent us for scratch tests which identified the wheat and soy problems. A change in diet cleared all his problems up. Later additional reactions appeared leading to blood testing. I went through alot of recipes and through a year the tests rang true even when I fed him things that he didn't know the ingredients. Sadly I think he got his problems from me since I have food allergies, though I think my knowledge helped lead to the diagnosis. DS would cheerfully return to eating normally if he didn't get sick.

Many foods have soy proteins (some impure soy oils too) and soy lecithin which at this point in time he avoids as well. The allergist is going with total avoidance to give him a better chance of outgrowing his food allergies. He is to be retested in a year possibly via challenge tests.

Sounds like many colleges will provide either dining options and/or allow dorm freezers or have small kitchens. It is giving me lots of ideas to keep in mind.

I know this is a college thread, but some great tasting prepackaged gluten free/allergy free products we have found are Against the Grain Gourmet breads, Namaste mixes, and some kinnikinnick products (pizza crusts are only safe one for us).

It gives me confidence that so many of you have successfully launched your food allergy children into college and the world.

[lkf725]

That is really difficult when the offensive product is "hiding" in various foods. I totally sympathize. (Even when I do check ingredients, I also have to see if the product was made in a factory that also manufactured nut products! Sometimes one batch is okay and another is bad...you just can't tell). I guess the best option is to get released from the food plan and have a suite or apartment with a kitchen. It's really the only way to be 100% certain.

I have noticed that some products will say "made in a plant that manufactures nut products" on the packaging. Also, the prepared foods section of my grocery store has little signs by every item that indicates "contains soy/dairy/wheat/etc". The store also has a gluten-free slicer in the deli department. As I mentioned before, many restaurants have ingredient books. It is possible to help us food-allergic people...I guess you just have to find a college willing to do so.

[Sierra Lin]

Orchid_2010 - I am sorry to hear that yours has severe reactions to soy. Your post rang true to our lives at home. That we were able to take our oldest on the college tours was a huge accomplishment.

How do you handle the college thing via commuting?

[Ctheflute]

I just have to add:

As a college student with a food allergy (mild/moderate anaphylactic response to milk - trace amounts cause digestive issues), the experience of cooking for myself has been far from isolating. When I was on the meal plan I often had to deal with feeling unwell because I had difficulty determining what foods were safe for me to eat, and that caused me to isolate myself from many activities I might have otherwise been involved in. This year I have taken over cooking for myself, and I've had more energy and been far more involved in all aspects of my life.

Unfortunately a lot of college bonding does occur over food, so students that miss that interaction during daily meals should make an effort to eat with other students whenever possible. That could mean packing a lunch or snacks to eat while everyone else grabs whatever is available.

On weekend evenings, my friends come and cook with me far more often than we used to go out to eat. It's cheaper than eating out, and they are enjoying learning how to cook. It takes a little work to adapt meals so that the others won't feel like they're missing out on "real food", but overall it is fun. (I've been known to hold "bring your own cheese" homemade pizza parties that have been a big hit.)

[Sierra Lin]

Ctheflute
Great that you have come up with some creative and fun ways to combine safe eating and friends. Could I PM or email you privately with some questions about CASE?

[Marian]

I don't think that being especially concerned about living with a food-related disability at college is being too sensitive or overprotective.

In most stages of life, people can choose to buy and prepare their own food. They can drive to a supermarket and get whatever they need. They can keep foods that would harm them out of their own homes, and they can bring food with them when they need to eat away from home. If necessary, they can minimize their contact with food service establishments, which is where the hazards are often greatest.

College is different. For students living on campus, especially those in their first year, ALL meals may need to be eaten in a food service establishment, access to a supermarket and cooking facilities may be limited or nonexistent, and they may have to share a small room with another person who has the right to keep any food he or she wants in that room. In most instances, they also do not have access to a car. This would be an extremely difficult situation even for a 40-year-old. It's not babyish for an 18-year-old to consider it extremely difficult, too.

The thing of it is, orchid, that college isn't the real world when it comes to food allergies. It's WORSE than the real world.

[Hunt]

"I have noticed that some products will say "made in a plant that manufactures nut products" on the packaging."

More and more products are adding this warning--almost everything at Trader Joe's has it, even regular bread. It makes me think that legal departments have decided that it's safer to put the warning on, even if the risk is very low. Of course, this makes it impossible for somebody with a nut allergy to accurately evaluate the risks--you just have to avoid everything with a warning.

[lkf725]

True. Cross-contamination could occur if somebody walked from the banana nut muffin line to the white bread area, but the risk would be negligible. Still, some products are run on the exact same assembly line. I sure wish they would distinguish the risk level, rather than making that blanket statement.

Other areas of risk are as ubiquitous as public coffee grinders and ice cream parlor scoops. It's not easy for young people, but you have to figure out how to live with whatever degree of sensitivity you have, whether it be as simple as checking the ingredients in cafeterias or as complete as eating only self-prepared food.

[paying3tuitions]

In addition to checking out and dealing with food service, Sierra Lin, perhaps it would be wise to also note these issues on the housing form. After a student is accepted, generally they receive a questionnaire about their housing preferences (late night/early riser, smoking/non-smo, noise levels,,). Roommates are matched this way. Some schools handle this task carefully, others less so. I think this is a place to wave-your-arms at them in terms of paperwork submitted.

Maybe you'd want to affix a big letter t0 the roommate form about the seriousness of the allergy, and concern for cross-contamination in the dorm room. Perhaps a doctor's letter attached would be taken very seriously, too.

Then, you have basis to ask either for a single or to room only with someone equally involved/aware/diagnosed what3ever with food allergies.

The roommate will want to have snacks in the room, and your kid will too. Niether would want to risk harm to the other!

Usually, housing and dining are handled as two different arenas for entering freshmen, so communicate separately to each.

[Sierra Lin]

Good thing that I am thinking about food allergies and colleges for my 2nd starting a bit early as there certainly is alot to think about and everyone has great suggestions.

I agree that more products are being labeled with "manufactured on equipment with...." and I would guess that it has to do with legal ramifications. Even college food services protect themselves. As we visit admitted student days for my oldest I am deciding to inquire about food services since most schools are having us eat in their cafeterias and often my youngest is dragged along!

My reactions are mostly skin problems and I even notice that I suffer after eating from things that are labeled with ingredients that should be safe for me - I have to wonder!