<p>Do the cafeteria type dining halls on campus offer gluten-free options? Unfortunately it looks like this will be a necessity for my child. </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>There is a specific food line in the grand market place called Planet Healthy that features gluten free plus also some vegan, vegetarian. Looks pretty good most of the time but not as wide a selection. Look on USC dining page for more info. The question would be if there are items on other lines/dining locations that would also be good. I have celiac but not my student so these things catch my eye but haven’t investigated it. The dining page does offer the opportunity for those with food issues to contact a dietitican there, which I would advise. Is your child a freshman now or looking at this for possibly next year? </p>
<p>Fortunately, although USC requires freshmen to have meal plan, it doesn’t have be a full one where you’d be likely to lose money (my child never ate at campus facilities enough to make large meal plans worth it.) There is a chick fil a on campus that has options that count as menu swipe that are GF. Breakfast may have some options with breakfast meats, eggs, grits, yogurt, milk (bring own cereal). You may not find tons on campus, but at least you won’t have to pay for food you can’t eat. When I have been at weekends for scholarship interviews with my child, etc. I was always provided a safe GF meal.</p>
<p>The good news, in general, is that its easier to get good GF frozen dinners. Columbia is getting a Whole Foods and Trader Joes this year and there is a good selection of gluten free at most stores…Earth Fare has large selection and is a hike but walkable from campus if you don’t have a car.</p>
<p>If you have any specific questions about gluten fee in Columbia, feel free to email me.</p>
<p>My D is gluten-free and eats regularly at the Plan-iT Healthy line, she seems to like it. It is true gluten-free, there is no risk of cross-contamination.</p>
<p>It is only open for lunch and dinner M-F, no breakfast, no weekends. I think it is great that USC provides this, as limited as it is.</p>
<p>You can of course generally find “gluten-free” foods at any of the other dining halls, although it can be hit or miss. D reports sometimes the dining hall has versions of Chex that are gluten-free, a lot of breakfast stuff like eggs and bacon is gluten-free, salads and lunch meat, or any non-breaded, sauce-less meat should be gluten-free, fruit, vegatables, etc.</p>
<p>A lot depends on how strictly you have to be gluten-free. If you can’t risk cross-contamination, your options will be really limited other than Plan-iT Healthy.</p>
<p>I do find myself sending her food regularly.</p>
<p>Plan-It Healthy is specifically designed for gluten-free. I have a friend who ate there a lot freshman year because of being gluten free. It’s self-standing, so like said earlier, there is no cross-contamination. The one thing about it is that the drink doesn’t come with the meal, so your child will always go over there (even if they get water, that costs an extra 23 cents.)</p>
<p>As I recall, they’re open for lunch and dinner M-F, but they don’t actually change options between lunch and supper… so if you don’t like one thing, then you’re essentially stuck eating the same thing for two meals in a row. Otherwise, I think the food there is actually pretty tasty a lot of times. I’m not gluten-free, but I enjoy it.</p>
<p>Thanks so much. This is really good to know! Having a Trader Joe’s in Columbia would be a big help. DD is going to be a college freshman next year.</p>
<p>If she is not already attending, it may be a good idea to request an apartment style dorm, where there is a kitchen.</p>