Peanuts kept Jessica Bell from having sleepovers and joining the Girl Scout troops.
Bell, a 22-year-old UF dance senior, grew up with a food allergy to milk, nuts and peanuts. Her first reaction was when her brother gave her Reese’s Pieces when she was 2 years old.
Bell’s parents or grandparents came to her school lunch every day to make sure other students didn’t do anything to cause her to have an allergic reaction.
College campuses across the country are introducing allergy-safe food stations, and for UF students with food allergies like Bell, Gator Dining Services has taken action to make eating at UF more accessible.
“Our registered dietitian and food service directors regularly meet with students who identify themselves as having food allergies, gluten intolerances or special dietary needs,” Jill Rodriguez, marketing program manager for Gator Dining Services, wrote in an email.
She said over the past several years, there has been a steady increase in students with special dietary needs who are seeking gluten-free dining options. Fresh Food Company and Gator Corner Dining Center have gluten-free pasta, pizza crust, cereal, bread, muffins and cookies available upon request.
Gator Dining has a food-allergy support program that includes training and education for operators, and consumer education and awareness. There are precautions taken during food preparation to avoid cross-contamination, Rodriguez said.
Dr. Shih-Wen Huang, head of the allergy clinic in pediatrics at the UF College of Medicine, said peanut allergies are exceptional because they are very difficult to outgrow from sensitivity.
“Once you become allergic, it may take a very long time,” he said. “You have to learn to avoid it.”
The most common question people ask, Bell said, is if she would have an allergic reaction if someone kissed her after eating peanuts. But the only time her allergies interrupt her day-to-day routine is when she eats at a restaurant or flies on airplanes.
“It definitely is just part of my life,” she said.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/21/2013 under the headline "Gator Dining keeps allergies in mind"
