The Compass

Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Opinion

It's no secret that our food choices here at Gainesville State College have gone from limited to nearly nonexistent; the question is where does this leave us in the future? When construction on the new student center is complete, will students still have restrictions on their food choices, or will the school step up and incorporate a variety of healthy alternatives?

I've never been a picky eater per se, but after being diagnosed with celiac disease my food choices became extremely limited - and not by choice. Celiac disease is an intolerance to wheat gluten, barley and oats. My body can't process these ingredients, and the only way to control it is by a lifelong diet excluding them. This makes it difficult to eat out, and there is rarely anything available in vendor machines that are gluten-free friendly.

My circumstances have led me to question what food options will be available to students at GSC in the future. With Elegant Expressions closed down due to construction, what will take its place? Will they return? Will students have the chance to voice their opinions on what food options they would like? Will there be more than one restaurant to choose from? Several issues need to be taken into consideration.

First off, what options will be available for students and faculty that have food allergies? Celiac isn't the only food intolerance that makes dining out difficult. People have peanut allergies, lactose intolerance and let's not forget vegetarians who choose to leave off certain meats for various personal reasons.

GSC can take many avenues to implement a variety of nontraditional food choices. Veg Advantage is a national consulting group that helps food service organizations add healthy vegan dining options to their menus. GSC can receive free professional advice on recipes and food distributors. For more information on promoting vegan options visit http://www.peta2.com/COLLEGE/cyc-veganize.asp.

There are endless Web sites available where GSC staff can be educated about Celiac disease and other food intolerances. Web sites such as www.gflinks.com offer information on the disease, recipes, links to other Web sites that explain different food options, food preparation tips and practical ideas to implement alternatives such as rice noodles and other gluten-free products onto the menu.

Another avenue worth exploring is to start a campus food committee that is committed to exploring alternative ideas and keeping communication open between students, faculty and staff about food services and the addition of specialty menus to cater to vegetarians and people with food allergies or intolerances.

The outcome of what our food choices will be in the future is still undetermined. With a little coaxing, we may be able to encourage implementing a menu that offers healthy, alternative choices rather than high-fat, high-calorie fast-food options which can ultimately lead to obesity and other medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

It's also important to understand that there are other colleges that already are taking steps to incorporate alternative menus for students. The University of Georgia already offers vegan, meatless and heart healthy dishes.

If you are interested in learning about alternative approaches to food choices, please visit http://www.vegadvantage.com, http://www.peta2.com/COLLEGE/index.asp or http://www.associatedcontent.com.

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