Going against the grain

Walk through a dining hall at Princeton and you’re likely to see a number of options for students with special dietary needs. Little placards declare whether items are vegan or vegetarian, while a sign reminds students that kosher meals can be pre-ordered. But there’s one option nowhere to be found: gluten-free.

What is gluten anyway? That’s a question most people still ask upon hearing of this alternative dietary lifestyle. Gluten is the protein part of wheat, rye, barley and other related grains. People sensitive to gluten experience a range of uncomfortable symptoms when they ingest it, from abdominal bloating and pain to chronic diarrhea, vomiting and constipation. Those with Celiac Disease, a complete intolerance to gluten, can have more serious symptoms, including malabsorption of nutrients, anemia, arthritis and infertility.

So for people sensitive to gluten, it is critical to maintain a gluten-free diet. A gluten-free diet is one completely free of wheat protein, which is found in anything made with flour and also a large number of foods that have flavorings or stabilizing or thickening agents. Basically, in layperson’s terms, no baked goods, regular bread, processed food or eating in restaurants because of the risk of cross-contamination.

Gluten sensitivity may sound like a rare affliction, but it’s actually quite common, even epidemic by some estimates. Experts say it affects anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of the population. The fact that it potentially affects so many people has made gluten-free one of the most popular alternative dietary lifestyles. Even Betty Crocker has bought into the craze and now sells two types of gluten-free cake mix, available at Walmart.

But while Princeton has added dining options in recent years that cater to other dietary needs, there remains relatively little in the dining halls for students avoiding gluten by choice or medical necessity. Students on gluten-free diets find the lack of gluten-free options in the dining halls distressing. “It’s not like I’m a vegan who is choosing to this,” one freshman told me. “I have Celiac [disease]; I have no choice.”

The University website claims, “We take food allergies very seriously at Princeton Dining Services." As they stand now, however, dining halls don’t seem to endorse this policy. Though items are marked as vegetarian or vegan, common allergens like gluten, eggs and soy are not. As a student on a gluten-free diet because of medical necessity, I can comment as to the difficulty of trying to get a meal in the dining halls. The days of grab-and-go are over — prepare to spend a lot of time and effort to get a meal. It requires talking to cafeteria staff, waiting to have special meals prepared and having a very limited number of food choices. Though a dining contact is mandatory for freshman and sophomore years, other students on restricted diets I’ve talked to say they are so frustrated with the whole process that they often eat in the dining halls less.

Princeton seems to be one of the only Ivy League schools with such an antiquated approach to food allergies. Yale is regarded as one of more progressive schools in dealing with food allergies and has developed a comprehensive label system to help students avoid allergens. Every menu item has a placard with all ingredients and stickers that indicate the presence of particular allergens like gluten, eggs or soy. For those who eat gluten-free, Yale offers a variety of breads, pastas and cereals to fit this dietary need, and the school notes that it is always willing to order other products.

Columbia is even better regarding gluten-free dining options. Not only does the school label all items; there is actually a full line of gluten-free foods available. The chef prepares gluten-free meals twice a day at lunch and dinner, which means there is always a gluten-free entree in the regular serving line. Gluten-free students even have access to their own refrigerator and locker, stuffed with leftover meals and other gluten-free goodies!

It is clear that it is possible for a small private university to have a system that empowers gluten-free students and allows them to easily maintain their chosen dietary lifestyle. Yale and Columbia offer extensive gluten-free options and make it incredibly easy for students to maintain what is often a difficult and frustrating diet to adhere to. If these two fellow Ivies are able to offer gluten-free dining options like this, there is no reason why it isn’t possible for Princeton to have a similar system. Making gluten-free an easy-to-maintain dietary lifestyle in the dining halls at Princeton is a perfectly feasible goal. For a university as focused on the well-being of its students as Princeton, that should make it an easy decision.

Kelsey Zimmerman is a freshman from Glen Allen, Va. She can be reached at kzimmerm@princeton.edu.