{celiac & college.}

*Just FYI before I start...I did not know I had Celiac disease before I applied for colleges. Unfortunately.*

Okay. So college and celiac disease don't mix. I learned this the hard way. No one else has it at my school, so obviously the dining hall isn't going to prepare a gluten-free meal for me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This makes it tough.

My dining hall is set up in different stations: pizza, sandwiches, salads, grill, etc. (notice 2 of those 4 are automatically poisonous for me?) They always make grilled chicken, which SAVES me, but I get sick of it. But how could I not? I eat it all the time. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, they will have turkey, or roast beef. But seriously, this school is carbohydrate-obscessed. Most lunches and dinners are pasta. Imagine my frustration.

Breakfast is always fine. Everyday I get scrambled eggs or an omelete. Pair that with fruit or a yogurt and I'm golden. It's lunch and dinner that is the issue.

Luckily, there is a Who.le Fo.ods within walking distance. I am able to stock up on biscuits, pretzels, soy crisps, and other GF goodies every Saturday. However, my meal plan is already paid for at school, and the extra bill from Who.le Fo.ods isn't ideal. So after a few meetings with the dining hall manager, they ordered some GF pasta and cookies for me. This was great news. The only downside is the planning. Having celiac disease, you must always plan ahead. I have to call them 25 minutes prior to wanting pasta. I know I shouldn't be complaining, because it is really not a big deal. But it's just another frustrating reminder of how different my life is now.

::sigh::

I must point out, though, the one silver lining in all of this: If I were not gluten-free, by now I would have gained the "freshman FOURTY". I mean HELLO?! Belgian walffles, cupcakes, french toast, hamburgers galore, fries....oh my.