Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Mcdonalds Fries

kaciemarie

By kaciemarie
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted

Hi there,

I was looking at the McDonalds website today and I am wondering if McDonalds Fries are okay to eat or not? There is a message from Celiac Sprue on there but I am still having a hard time deciding whether to eat them or not. Here is the link... let me know what you guys think!!

Open Original Shared Link

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mango04 Enthusiast
Mango04
Posted

Hi -

If you do a search for "McDonald's" in the Eating Out forum, you will find quite a few threads on this :D It's been debated extensively. I think the best answer we've come to is it's a personal decision you have to make, knowing that an ingredient in the flavoring they use was originally derived from wheat, and cross contamination is a major issue with fast food fries. Some celiacs will eat them, others refuse to. I won't go near them.

luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

The CSA is saying that the only RISK-FREE choice is not to eat them. You risk a reaction if you choose to eat them.

kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted
  • Author

Great, thank you for this information. I think I will keep clear of these fries! Does anyone know of any fast food fries that are okay? I have had In & Out's french fries (they have dedicated fryers) and haven't had a problem, but they are always so busy!

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
Great, thank you for this information. I think I will keep clear of these fries! Does anyone know of any fast food fries that are okay? I have had In & Out's french fries (they have dedicated fryers) and haven't had a problem, but they are always so busy!

Hmm perhaps there is a reason for that :D

But overall mango summed it up, its a personal decision .. I for one wouldn't trust McDo's so unless there are independent analyses taken randomly I wouldn't risk it...

seriously if I want to take a risk i can think of far better things and a banana is a good enough snack (or mango ..) and healthier all round ... hmm the problem of convenience foods is ... umm they're convenient so we end up grabbing them when we wouldn't usually just because of the conveneience factor and when we are in a rush I find I tend to make bad decisions.

CarlaB Enthusiast
CarlaB
Posted

A lot of Wendy's have dedicated fryers, and if they do, their fries are fine. The waffle fries at Chick-fil-a are fine, too. If you're in Ohio, Skyline Chili's fries are fine, and they're great with chili and onions on them, too.

VydorScope Proficient
VydorScope
Posted

McDondals Offical statment reguarding gluten:

Open Original Shared Link

Personaly I recomend AGANST McDonalds Fries as I personalyhave never found fries that did NOT cause a reaction in my son. But of course the McDonalds fan club will jump and and sinng the clown's praises.

Read thier gluten statment,consider the extreme risk of CC, esply the sotreis from the employee's about the so called dedicated friers that the empolyes often drop nuggets, pies, and other wheat things in, and make your own call.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted
  • Author

I love chik-a-fila waffle fries! I had no idea they were gluten-free! I will have to try them for sure!

Thank you!!!

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
McDondals Offical statment reguarding gluten:

Open Original Shared Link

Personaly I recomend AGANST McDonalds Fries as I personalyhave never found fries that did NOT cause a reaction in my son. But of course the McDonalds fan club will jump and and sinng the clown's praises.

Read thier gluten statment,consider the extreme risk of CC, esply the sotreis from the employee's about the so called dedicated friers that the empolyes often drop nuggets, pies, and other wheat things in, and make your own call.

I agree the proof is in the testing and ultimately I know many people react be it CC or the oil.

But I think what is important is to consider the companies record and ethics.

Kraft seem very good in their labelling and in the UK, part of Walmart .. ASDA .have always been very good too also.. in the UK we have a brand of potato chips called Walkers and they label ones which are gluten-free ... when they had a batch they suspected CC they issued a warning ... Perrier issued a wporldwiode product recall based on a harmless amopunt of something in their water because they are a company driven by quality assurance. As it happens my ex-wife actually did the testing and I know the results for this and perrier-vittel had no legal reason for doing this whatsoever, it was well below the MRL ... it was a purely voluntary act by Perrier-Vittel because they sell very expensive water that they rely on their reputation to sell at that price.

Mcdonalds have a long history of lying and deceiving even in official statements. They have a "so sue us" mentality which has been proven time and time again in courts.

What they have released is just a CYA ... they acknowledge it contains wheat derivatives but they chose a less accurate method of testing ... and I honestly can't see it being because of the cost ...

They also cross units over talking about ppm gliadin one minute and gluten the next.

They supplied the oil to be tested .. etc. etc. etc.

but if you do take their fries and pay for an analysis and find significant gluten they are covered ....

McDonalds has a corporate mentality like any large company and what you have to decide for yourself is whether it is a trustworthy mentality or not.

Whatever the assurances given by a person or organisation you have to put those assurances into the context of the person or organisation making them. If perrier-vittel release a statement then I would be confident in their statement wheras if McDonalds do I have only to look at publically available court records and official statements by McDonalds to see they have a long history of simply lying or CYA.

Soo B Newbie
Soo B
Posted

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

B)-->

QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 09:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

All of the Burger King's that I checked with fry their frys and onion rings in the same fryers so that would make then NOT safe... also I was told that there is a coating on the fries that may or may not be safe. I will not eat BK fries.

Mc D fries make both me and my daughter very ill, we won't eat them ever again.

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

So I did a McD's fry test and an hour later my eyes were drooping with exhaustion (when I get glutened its like someone pulling down on the skin beneath my eyes and I get Raccoon rings) and I couldn't think.

So they suck.

I'd avoided them until now but I was in a big hurry and thought I'd risk it. Not worth it.

Elonwy

wolfie Enthusiast
wolfie
Posted

I usually avoid McD's and do Chick-fil-a fries instead.

I have also done take-out from Red Robin, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Ted's Montana grill b/c they have dedicated fryers (at least at the locations that I use).

Soo B Newbie
Soo B
Posted
All of the Burger King's that I checked with fry their frys and onion rings in the same fryers so that would make then NOT safe

On the Burger King website (Open Original Shared Link) it lists their fries as not containing wheat, and states that dedicated fryers are used for fries, so you bring up an excellent point: Always check with the individual resturant! They may not follow procedure as they should! Thanks for pointing that out.

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

I have never been to a BK where I haven't seen at least one onion ring in with the fries. The scooping bins are right next to eachother.

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

It's a personal decision. Sometimes I will have them and others I will not. After recently hearing that they share oil I am definitely not really for eating them because who wants to get sick and cause damage you know.

daisy in oklahoma Newbie
daisy in oklahoma
Posted

B)-->

QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 08:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

I had burger king fries the other day and found an Onion Ring in the box. Not safe.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 08:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

I had burger king fries the other day and found an Onion Ring in the box. Not safe.

As someone else said the other day...

to paraphrase

My mother loves me very much but still thinks the CC issue is OTT and can't cope what hope has a server working in a burger joint on 12 hour shifts on minimum wage?

Becky6 Enthusiast
Becky6
Posted

They used to make my daughter really sick. Then after all of the rucus about them my dh got them for her and she was fine. I had gotten them a few times since and not gotten sick. I don't know but I swear they had gluten before and now don't. Who knows!!

Idahogirl Apprentice
Idahogirl
Posted

I used to be ecstatic when I would find an onion ring in my BK fries! Bonus! Now the thought makes me cringe. How my life has changed.....

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
I used to be ecstatic when I would find an onion ring in my BK fries! Bonus! Now the thought makes me cringe. How my life has changed.....

LOL ... I just spilt my coffee (seriously) ... but yeah it goes from bonus to fly in my soup time.

"Waiter waiter theirs an onion ring in my fries ...."

(prize for best reply (an onion ring by post))

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted

On a couple of occasions I have had breaded onion ring in my fries @ Burger King. This probably happens more often than we suspect.

So eating fries from McD, BK, etc. is "eat at your own risk" despite any statements to the contrary.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. xxnonamexx
      - xxnonamexx posted a topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      0

      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      I have read fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickles, Kefir, Kombucha are great for gut health besides probiotics. However I have searched and read about ones that were tested (Kefir, Kombucha) and there is no clear one that is very helpful. Has anyone take Kefir, Kombucha and noticed a difference in gut health? I read one is lactose free but when tested...
    2. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,877
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Ruth Margaret
    Newest Member
    Ruth Margaret
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      I have read fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickles, Kefir, Kombucha are great for gut health besides probiotics. However I have searched and read about ones that were tested (Kefir, Kombucha) and there is no clear one that is very helpful. Has anyone take Kefir, Kombucha and noticed a difference in gut health? I read one is lactose free but when tested was high in lactose so I would probably try a non dairy one. Thanks
    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.