Can I eat that? Dealing with a dietary restriction in the dining halls

Only limited milk products.
No meat.
Nothing with nuts.
Cut out seafood.
The wheat’s gotta go.

If told to make the above changes to their diet, most college students would probably be pretty upset. Many of their favorite foods would disappear, and it would seem somewhat impossible to find suitable meals in the dining halls.

These kinds of food omissions are an everyday reality for people like Bailey Tarleton, an Ohio University student with a dietary restriction.

Tarleton figured out that she was lactose intolerant when started to notice that she got stomach aches after eating cheese and ice cream₁. She now limits her dairy products to about once a day.

“I used to love to eat string cheese, but now it has to be a treat for me,” Tarleton said.

Not only does Tarleton’s intolerance affect her snack food choices, but also the meals she eats in the dining halls.

For example, if she knows that macaroni and cheese is being served for dinner, she restricts her dairy during the rest of the day. In other foods like lasagna where the cheese is on top, she eats around it.

Tarleton’s method of planning and avoidance is only one way in which to manage a dietary restriction in the dining hall.

Matt Rapposelli, Executive Chef at Ohio University, explained that students with special needs can work with dining services to make eating in the dining halls a more pleasurable experience₂.

“We have a huge array of different needs and they’re all very personalized,” he said, adding that “we work one-on-one with individuals with whatever their needs are.”

Rapposelli said that  students can get in touch with dining services, and then meet face-to-face with him to discuss the problem. This way, he can get a feel for the foods that the student does and does not like, in order to make meals that he or she will enjoy.

“Since this is their home for two years we want to make sure they’re getting what they really want,” Rapposelli said.

He added that contrary to popular belief, many of the foods served in the dining halls are made from scratch here at OU. He said that this flexibility gives dining services the freedom to craft specialized meals very quickly and easily for students.

An OU dining services worker puts dough through the machine.

The infamous Shively cookie dough sits on the rack, ready to be baked.

Don't take the chocolate cake!

Please note the smiley face pan!

Another rather recent addition to the dining halls has been color-coded food cards that list ingredients and other nutritional information right in the serving line and an online menu that outlines the nutrition of the offered foods.

“It brings an awareness,” he said, “because there’s a percentage of students that are very concerned about what they’re putting into their mouths.”

On a diet? Hear how Rapposelli lost 15 pounds by eating in the dining hall. Jump to 8:10 on this audio clip.

Besides the convenience of finding edible foods in the dining halls, students with dietary restrictions must be able to get adequate nutrition.

Deborah Murray, a nutrition professor at Ohio University, emphasized that students must inform₃ themselves about what foods they will have to omit from their diet, what nutrients those omitted foods have, and how to get them from other sources.

Do you think you have a food allergy but aren’t sure? Get more information from the FDA.

Murray said that the most common dietary restrictions are milk, nuts, eggs, seafood and shellfish allergies.

“When you are assessing your alternatives, bringing  that to the attention of the dining hall personnel. And they do respond to that very quickly,” she said.

Students also have to be flexible themselves though, Murray added.

“They need to have a plan A and a plan B. They should then have a contingency plan in place, so if they need to go outside those dining halls, they have budget and transportation established where they can go outside the university and seek out alternative options,” she said.

Murray also emphasized that students should be educated about their condition and able to plan ahead.

“They have less of a luxury of walking through life and eating on the run like everyone else,” Murray said, adding that “a little bit of pre-planning goes a long way.”

Wondering how fad diets affect dietary restrictions? Hear Professor Murray comment on this phenomenon. Jump to 5:30 on this audio clip.

Tarleton also endorsed this method of dealing with a dietary restriction, as she has not approached the dining services staff to make a formalized request.

“I don’t want to be a bother to other people, and I’m content with taking care of myself,” she said.

Her advice for students echoed Professor Murray’s, in telling students to be wary of themselves and their habits and planning ahead.

“If it [your restriction] can be monitored by you changing your personal habits, that’s what I would suggest,” Tarleton said.

She added that students should “be self aware and responsible for your diet, because that is the health of your own body.”

Want to hear more advice from a fellow OU student? Click here.

How well are you living? Find out next week.

For those of you who don’t know, Baker is holding a Health and Wellness Fair on Tuesday, March 10th.

Below is some information from the Office of Health Promotions about the event:

Health and Wellness Fair is Tuesday at Baker Center

The OU Department of Health Promotion is hosting its annual Health and
Wellness Fair on Tuesday, March 10. The fair will be held from noon to 5 p.m.
throughout Baker University Center.
A variety of vendors from both the University and community will be at the fair,
covering a variety of topics, including:
• Blood Drive
• Free Anonymous HIV/AIDS Testing (12 noon 3pm)
• Body Composition Analysis
• Yoga (1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Interactive Games
• Prizes
Come discover issues relating to your overall health and wellness and help make
your community a healthier and happier place to live.
For questions or more information, contact Zach Rosen at zr265505@ohio.edu or
740-593-4742.

It sounds like a great way to get some free information about your health. I would recommend checking it out!

College of the Overwhelmed: sound familiar?

The past couple weeks have been stressful for us college students. Between midterms, projects, pop quizzes and essays, it’s tough to find time to breathe– and that is only academically speaking. I’ve witnessed friends crumbling under the stress of balancing the demands of college life, finding respite in a fifth of vodka. Research continues to prove that we are more stressed out and overwhelmed than ever before.

Students who are experiencing these issues, who want to help other students across campus face them, (or both) have many information resources.

Those who seek information about general mental health issues can check out ULifeline. It offers a lot of great information for students who are unsure of where to look. Sites like this can be a great first resource when you aren’t sure where to turn.

There are also many resources available to students on campus: Counseling and Psychological Services, Counselors-In-Residence, Relaxation Sessions, Resident Assistants, etc. And of course, friends and loved ones.

For students interested in being involved with mental health issues on campus, organizations like Active Minds are a good place to start. Students can start chapters at their own university, and   “increase students’ awareness of mental health issues, provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness, encourage students to seek help as soon as it is needed, and serve as liaison between students and the mental health community,” according to the Active Minds “About” page.

Here at OU, there is already a group called Students Overcoming Stigma, which helps to raise awareness about mental health issues and help to address the stigma that still tends to be associated with seeking psychological assistance.

So whether you’re in need of some help, or would like to aid in improving the mental health of your peers, there are many avenues to get started.

Love is in the air… and so is SEX

It’s Valentine’s Day: a time of year dedicated to the beauty, splendor and wonder of love.

Now let’s get real.

Once we graduated from putting Loony Toon valentines in each other’s decorated shoe boxes, this holiday was about one thing: sex. Or perhaps more accurately, Valentine’s Day became less about the sentiment and more about the romance, whether that was holding hands, a peck on the cheek… or other stuff, depending upon your age (and/or your audacity).

Arguably on a college campus near February 14th, it certainly has to do with home base (and we’re talking baseball, not tag).

Accordingly so, organizations and students across campus are gearing up for this sensual celebration.

The Safe and Sexy Social 1

is this Friday, complete with sex toys, condom demonstrations, food and games.

“The idea is that everyone can come, whether they’re a couple or a single. They can come and make necklaces that say ‘I’m single’ or ‘I’m dating’ or ‘It’s complicated,’” said Terry Koons, Associate Director of Health Promotions at Ohio University.

Although the event is touted as a fun social, serious topics like sexual assault and romance responsibility will also be covered 2.

Koons said that the office of health promotions makes it a priority to educate students about these kinds of topics. He noted that they tend to do programs tying together high-risk drinking and sexual assault. They try to stress to students the necessity of avoiding high-risk behaviors.

“We think that’s probably one of the most preventable ways of not being involved in an assault,” he said, adding that “If you or your friends have been drinking or using drugs, people need to step in and take care of them, and get them out of a situation where they might be having sex.”

A subset of the Health Promotions department, Promoting Ohio University Wellness Education and Responsibility, or POWER, assists in providing events like the Safe and Sexy Social, and weekly programs 3 that address student health issues, like “Latexology” or “Relationships 101.”

POWER is also in charge of the Latex League, a group that promotes the informed usage of contraception. To join the League, a student must watch a demonstration of the 13 steps to correctly put on a condom 4. In return, students get a discount on the contraceptives sold in Baker 355.

“You can get condoms for 25 cents if you come in and show your latex league card in here,” said Brian Albrinck, a member of POWER.

Watch the 13 steps in the video below.

Laura Colman, treasurer of POWER, said that she has gotten many interesting questions from curious students.

“The main one I get is ‘There are really 13 steps to putting on a condom?’” she said.

Learning how to use latex effectively may be more crucial now than in the past.

“There has been a recent increase of chlamydia on campus,” said Koons 5.

Listen to the full audio of my interview with Koons here.

He added that the office is encouraging people to get tested for sexually transmitted infections at Hudson, where costs are relatively low.

When asked about their preferred methods of contraception, students had varied responses.

Tyler Carson, a sophomore studying journalism, endorsed the birth control pill.

“As long as it’s taken properly it’s very effective. I don’t always have to go through the hassle of buying condoms if I don’t have to,” he said.

Tolupe Osunsanya, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, preferred condoms.

“I like rubbers. They’re convenient, cheap, and pretty basic,” he said.

Graduate student Kayla Lennon said that she chooses the more traditional tactic of abstinence.

“That’s the easiest way not to get a disease… or a child,” she said.

So this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re strolling through Baker, bored on a Friday night, talking to your friends, or reading a blog (shameless plug!) there are plenty of ways to get information about sex… and maybe even love.

Going against the grain: living gluten free

The following blog post is the first in a series of student profiles about Ohio University students with dietary restrictions.

Imagine eliminating some of your favorite foods from your diet: cereals, pastas, stuffing, even beer! This hypothetical scenario is a reality for students like Joseph Zielinski, a junior studying history at Ohio University, who suffers from gluten intolerance.

Joseph Zielinski

According to the Gluten Intolerance Group, individuals who “are unable to tolerate gluten… develop an adverse reaction when eating gluten.” Gluten intolerance can be caused by many different reasons, but unlike celiac disease, gluten intolerance doesn’t appear to damage the villi in the small intestine, the site said.

Joseph discovered this problem the summer after his freshman year of college when he started to really evaluate his nutritional habits. “Freshman year I always had acid reflux, I was always nauseous, and I always felt tired… repeated nausea and illness led me to that conclusion,” Joseph said.

He explained that his mother and sister also realized their gluten intolerance around the same time period as he did.

Listen to how Joseph discovered his intolerance

Deborah Murray, a health professor at Ohio University, explained that even though gluten intolerance is certainly an inconvenience, “there are some things you can do dietarily to manage a food allergy.”

When Joseph initially switched to a gluten free diet he ate mainly rice, vegetables and fruit. As time went on he began expanding and researching other types of products.  ”Essentially it’s staying away from wheat and wheat by-products, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds,” he said, noting that “at the same time, if you know where to look, it’s remarkably easy.”

Joseph also added that the Athens eateries are also very friendly to his gluten free lifestyle. He cited Casa Nueva, Star of India, Salaam, Big Mamma’s Burritos and Chipotle as some of the restaurants carrying options for “glutards,” as Joseph affectionately refers to he and his fellow gluten free eaters.

However, Joseph said that eating in the dining halls on this diet was remarkably difficult. “I talked with dining services and they said they would work with me, but in order to work with me I would have to eat in the same dining hall for every meal,” he said. Due to his schedule, Joseph said it wasn’t plausible for him to stick to the same dining hall.

“I ended up eating the exact same thing every day, which was incredibly monotonous, but healthier,” he said.

Listen to Joseph describe his food choices and where he eats in Athens

For students looking to purchase gluten free foods off campus, the local Wal-Mart offers some options, but not many.

The lone section of the Athens Wal-Mart dedicated to gluten free foods.

“A lot more gluten free products are coming out now,” said Murray.

Joseph warned that although there are innovative food choices available, the budget of a college student doesn’t exactly allow for the purchase of much. “I try to avoid the specifically labeled organic ‘gluten free’ and just try to find the stuff in the regular store that’s cheap, available and still healthy for me,” he said.

Below are some examples of the price disparity between regular and gluten free products at the Athens Wal-Mart.

Chocolate chip cookies:

Regular chocolate chip cookies, 16 oz., $1.24

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies, $3.27

$2.03,  164% price difference

Pretzels:

Snyder pretzels, $2.58

Gluten free pretzels, $6.52

$3.94, 153% price difference

Blueberry breakfast bars:

Nutri-grain bars (8), $2.00

Gluten free bars (5), $5.12

$3.12, 156% price difference

Honey nut cereal:

Honey nut spins, 17 oz., $2.36

Gluten free cereal, 10 oz., $5.12

$2.76, 117% price difference

Box Dinners:

Tuna Helper, 6.4 oz., $1.50

Cheeseburger macaroni, 8.3 oz., $3.38

$1.88, 125% price difference

Clearly, gluten intolerant students or those considering a gluten free diet must be creative when trying to be thrifty shoppers.

Listen to Joseph describe his improved health and suggestions for fellow gluten intolerants

Although Joseph likes feeling healthier now that gluten has been eliminated from his diet, there are certain things that he misses. “I miss the convenience and taste of Avalanche or Papa John’s pizza,” he said, but “the hardest thing for me in Athens is–no beer.”