Annie Dwyer is a freshman nursing major from Hingham, Mass.

So what’s it like being gluten free?
I only found out last year that I was allergic to gluten, so adjusting to eating gluten free has been hard.

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Wow, do you find it hard to find options to eat on campus?
Although the caf has refrigerated sections of gluten-free foods, it isn’t much of a help. Most of the foods have to be made in either a microwave or oven. Besides gluten-free food is expensive, and I’m already ahead of the meal plan budget.

What happens when you do eat gluten?
I feel really tired, get a headache, or get a stomachache. It’s nothing serious; it’s just inconvenient and annoying.

Is there anything you really like to eat but can’t because it contains gluten?
Well, let’s put it this way–basically anything that tastes good has gluten in it. Since gluten is anything containing wheat/flour, I’ve had to give up eating pasta and a lot of baked goods, like cookies and crackers.

What are you able to eat?
I can still eat fruits, vegetables and some grains, like rice and quinoa.

Is there anything you have to eat that you don’t like just because it’s one of a few gluten-free options?
Some of the gluten-free foods taste artificial or have weird textures. For example, I don’t like eating rice-noodle pasta.

Does anything good come from being gluten free?
A lot of celebrities like Miley Cyrus have become gluten free because wheat-products are heavy and have little nutritional value.

Overall, what are your general feelings on being gluten free?
It’s not easy, but I’m figuring out how to work around it!