Kelsey Blasberg, a senior animal science major from Cypress, Texas, once turned down a $500 offer from a friend to eat Kobe beef because the only meats she will eat are chicken and some fish.
Texas Tech students tend to grab whatever they can eat quickly and easily, but some, like Blasberg, follow strict diets because of choice or necessity, and the university is working hard to accommodate them.
Blasberg’s diet is rooted in her experience as a longtime picky eater. When she was a child, her mother always had to cook her separate meals.
“A couple of years ago I started to make a list of the foods that I don’t eat, and I realized it would be easier to make a list of the foods I do eat,” Blasberg said.
For example, she prefers her sandwiches with only cheese and mayonnaise, and her usual go-to meal at a restaurant is chicken strips.
Blasberg said The Market at Stangel Murdough has many options for picky eaters. Photo by Maddy McCarty.
“The kid’s menu is a good place to order off of for me,” Blasberg said.
But her preferences are highly unusual because red meat is the most consumed meat by most Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fish and poultry come second.
Five percent of Americans identify as vegetarians, according to a 2012 poll. Blasberg follows her pesco-pollo vegetarian diet mainly because of taste preferences. However, most vegetarians cite health concerns and animal welfare as the reasoning behind their diets.
Although her dining options are limited, Blasberg said, she was always able to find appealing food in the dining halls when she lived on campus.
Rachel Blevins, a junior journalism major from Mineral Wells, Texas, follows a strict diet not because of choice but because of a necessity. She has an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease.
The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness disease affects approximately one out of 100 people. Sufferers have to avoid foods that contain any traces of gluten (which is found in wheat, rye, barley and other grains) because it causes damage to the small intestine. Some people may not have celiac disease but suffer from so called non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Blevins said she discovered the disease when she was 11 years old because she lacked energy and her meal choices strongly affected her mood.
Blevins said one of her favorite go-to meals is chicken with gluten-free seasoning, gluten-free pasta and broccoli. Photo by Rachel Blevins.
“When I was younger, I was able to have cheat days and stuff like that, and it wasn’t a big deal,” Blevins said. “But the older I’ve gotten, the more serious it’s gotten.”
If she gets any gluten in her food or eats anything that has been around gluten, she said, her immune system starts to shut down.
The most common treatment for celiac disease is avoiding contact with gluten. If left untreated, the consequences can be mild or severe, including increasing the risk of developing some types of cancer.
Mindy Diller, the registered dietitian for Texas Tech, said the university dining options are meant to accommodate students with gluten sensitivity, celiac disease and various allergies.
“We are offering more gluten-free items than we ever have before,” Diller said, adding that each dining hall’s gluten-free options can be found on the Hospitality Services website.
Diller said she is striving to provide more options for students with food allergies because she is seeing an increase in them.
Hospitality Services’ main focus is to provide alternatives to the so-called “big eight,” which include wheat, milk, eggs, soy, nuts, tree nuts, fish and shell fish. These foods are problematic for 90 percent of people with food allergies, Diller said.
Up to 15 million Americans have some type of a food allergy, and food allergies are on the rise across the developed world. Accoridng to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, childhood food allergies in the U.S. cost up to $25 billion a year.
The recent “gluten-free” craze has helped Blevins find more meal options. She said she can shop at mainstream grocery stores, such as Wal-Mart and Target, and more restaurants are offering gluten-free foods.
Blevins keeps a blog, where she reviews gluten-free products she has purchased. She said that although her food options are better now than in the past, sometimes the taste of gluten-free products is unbearable.
Ainsley Daschofsky also cares about her physical health, but she chose a strict and unusual diet to change her mental health. The senior general studies major from Gatesville, Texas, wants to pursue a career in dieting neuropsychology.
Eggs, meat and spinach are major parts of Daschofsky’s diet. Photo by Ainsley Daschofsky.
Daschofsky maintains a dairy and sugar-free diet, and says the change has led to improved mental health.
“It involves a lot of vegetables, so you’d think it’d be like vegan,” Daschofsky said. “But, I also eat a lot of meat, organ meat specifically.”
She said organ meats, such as hearts and livers, are more nutrient-dense than vegetables. When she started following her diet, she said, she was cured of her social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“I did a self-experiment where I ate fast food again and really bad stuff, and they actually all came back,” Daschofsky said.
She also keeps a food blog, where she shares recipes and encourages others to maintain a healthy diet. She said she would not be able to stick to her diet without support from Internet forums.
“The main thing I would say to do is actually cut out fast food because it gives your body a false sense of nutrients,” Daschofsky said.
The Mental Health Foundation agrees that nutrition plays an important a role in mental health, and recommends replacing high sugar foods with more whole-grain items.
Diller, Tech’s dietitian, offers free counseling to students who have food allergies or follow a special diet as well as to those who are looking for ways to improve their health or learn more about healthy nutrition.
“If there’s food items we need to increase on campus, we just need to know what those are,” Diller said. “I’m here to help and educate our students in any way.”
About Maddy McCarty
