Being on a gluten-free diet can make it difficult to find the right food to eat for lunch on campus.

Many people will look for different gluten-free alternatives all over campus, but sometimes the best, most inexpensive lunches are the ones brought to school.

Sandwiches are one of those lunches which are simple and easy to make, which makes it a good gluten-free lunch to bring to school.

There are many types of gluten-free sandwich breads on the market, but I recommend using Canyon Bakehouse bread or Udi’s Gluten-Free bread, which each cost around $5.99 and can be found at most grocery stores.

Almost anything can be put on a sandwich and it all depends on what you like. Easy sandwich ideas include grilled cheese, turkey and avocado or peanut butter and jelly. Canyon Bakehouse is a good sandwich bread because it has a thick, soft texture and even people who are not on a gluten-free diet will enjoy this bread.

If you feel like having a snack with your sandwich, some side snack options include potato chips such as Popchips, Food Should Taste Good chips, Beanitos bean chips or Plentils – which cost $0.99 or more depending on the brand. Apple slices, bananas and orange slices are always healthy, easy choices as well.

Another lunch idea is St. Dalfour’s French Bistro (Gourmet on the Go) tins – they are quick, all natural, ready-to-eat meals and do not need to be heated up. The meals come in different varieties including tuna, beans and wild salmon salads and they cost $3.39 each.

A good side snack to go with St. Dalfour’s meals are gluten-free table crackers. There are many different brands that sell table crackers including Glutino and Schar, both which cost about $3.99 to $7.99.

If you want to save some money, though, your best bet is preparing food at home to bring to school.

An alternative to the above meals can be homemade gluten-free pasta salad. It can be customized with any extra ingredients you want to add but I recommend using either quinoa rotini pasta or elbow pasta because they are healthy and tasty.

Gluten-free pizza wraps and burritos are also quick and easy gluten-free lunch options for students who need to eat quickly and get to class. Warm up the pizza wrap or burrito in a microwave for two to three minutes and your meal will be ready to eat.

Pizza wraps by Glutenfreeda and burritos by Amy’s Kitchen can be found at stores such as Sacramento State Courtyard Market, Whole Foods Market, Safeway and Raley’s.

Macaroni and cheese lovers will be happy to know there are some options for gluten-free macaroni and cheese. This meal can be prepared at home and plastic containers or be bought as a small cup of instant macaroni – it only needs water and to be warmed up in a microwave.

Annie’s Homegrown Gluten-Free Pasta & Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese costs $3.99 and Pastariso Instant Rice Mac & Cheese Meal costs $2.49 and can be found at Whole Foods and Raley’s.

If you enjoy Chinese food, Thai Kitchen offers a variety of rice noodle and soup bowls for lunch, which are gluten-free. Pad Thai, Tangy Lemongrass and Thai Ginger Rice Noodle soup are just a few of the different varieties offered and cost $1.79 at SaveMart.

The options for gluten-free lunches are endless and those who are gluten-free will find it easy to make their own lunch or find quick options if they know where to look

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]