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

French Fries

es2443

Recommended Posts

es2443 Contributor
es2443
Posted

Tonight at dinner my friends were battling with me telling me that fries could not have gluten in them because they came from potatoes. They kept saying "you eat mashed potatoes all the time, this is the same thing". They were looking at me as if I had 5 heads and they now have me second guessing myself. So my question is, do fries have gluten in them?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

This answer has many levels, so here we go:

When you buy frozen fries at the grocery store, you have to watch for additives such as flavorings. Orida (sp) is pretty good and they have a long list of products that are gluten free. Check our their web site.

When you prepare them at home, potatoes fried in corn oil or others oils, will be gluten free.

Ordering them in restaurant, will be an issue. Often they use the same fryer to cook breaded chicken, onion battered rings and anything else deep fried. That is a major..DON'T GO THERE.

McD's states that there fries are gluten free, but there is major discord among members here, whether they are safe of not.

Potatos are just potatos, it is the manner of preparation that is a concern.

Fight back with that information. :D

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

All French Fries start life as simple potatoes. At this point they are gluten-free. However, some manufactured ones have a coating applied after cutting, and this may contain gluten. Plain fries are still okay, but then... they are fried in oil. Pure oil is gluten-free as well, but if other foods which contain gluten are fried in the same oil then cross contamination can occur. A restaurant may fry breaded chicken or fish in the same oil. Onion rings are breaded as well.

So, plain fries prepared in a dedicated fryer are safe. If you get the frozen ones that you heat in your own oven, they are probably gluten-free too. Any added flavor or coating could be a source of gluten.

In any case, the actual fries themselves are gluten free; it is what they might have added or come in contact with during cooking that is a concern.

So the short, two-word answer is: "It depends." :o

[Lisa posted while I was typing; sorry for duplicate information]

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted
All French Fries start life as simple potatoes. At this point they are gluten-free. However, some manufactured ones have a coating applied after cutting, and this may contain gluten. Plain fries are still okay, but then... they are fried in oil. Pure oil is gluten-free as well, but if other foods which contain gluten are fried in the same oil then cross contamination can occur. A restaurant may fry breaded chicken or fish in the same oil. Onion rings are breaded as well.

So, plain fries prepared in a dedicated fryer are safe. If you get the frozen ones that you heat in your own oven, they are probably gluten-free too. Any added flavor or coating could be a source of gluten.

In any case, the actual fries themselves are gluten free; it is what they might have added or come in contact with during cooking that is a concern.

So the short, two-word answer is: "It depends." :o

[Lisa posted while I was typing; sorry for duplicate information]

Nic Collaborator
Nic
Posted
McD's states that there fries are gluten free, but there is major discord among members here, whether they are safe of not.

Could be just a fluke but after reading McDonalds website explanation about how the the oil for the fries has wheat as a flavoring ingredient but once cooked there are no detectable amounts of gluten I allowed my son to eat them again (bad choice, I know). We get take out as a treat probably once a week. After a month of eating McDonalds again (approximately 4 servings of fries over 4 weeks) my son started with his symptoms again (major constipation). So I removed the fries from his diet just in case and after about a month he is back to normal. Might just be chance, he also started school during the constipation month so the change in schedule or the not wanting to poop in school could have also screwed him up. Either way, I am not taking a chance on the fries again (even though they are the best).

Nicole

loraleena Contributor
loraleena
Posted

Have any of you seen Super Size ME? Whether those fries have gluten or not they are toxic poison non foods. Those fries kept under glass after 10 weeks had no trace of mold on them. They looked the same as when purchased. Regular fries went moldy in a few days. What in gods name do you have to add to a food to make it not get moldy for 10 week??!!

  • 4 years later...
3Celiacs Newbie
3Celiacs
Posted

My point in adding to this forum was to get the good word out to as many people as possible that Wendy's now has gluten free french fries! We had them for the first time last night and we all agreed they were the best gluten free fries we'd ever had. We are no longer limited to the long lines at In N Out or the mess of making our own. Totally stoked! Thank you Wendys!

That being said, I am so tired of uninformed people telling celiacs what they can eat. My 5th grader is bombarded by well intentioned adults telling him what is O.K., they simply don't know all the names gluten can hide behind. He's finally learning to stand up for himself and let them know this. What if Celiac Disease was as dangerous as a peanut allergy?

Those non-celiacs telling you that certain things are safe aren't going to feel any of your pain if you make that gluten mistake. When are we going to stop second guessing ourselves, about gluten or any other matter at hand? Do your research and stick by it! The best source of information I've come across is the book written by Elizabeth Hasselbeck, I think it's called Gluten-Free.

Good Luck everyone!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

This thread is over four years old. You can find current information at:

www.mcdonalds.com

www.wendys.com

www.burgerking.com

etc.

Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted

Good grief. Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book is notorious for being filled with misconceptions.

I would never take the word of one poster about any sort of fast food item being "gluten free" without a collaborating link from the company.

This is just what I pulled off of their website Dec 7, 2010. I did not see any claims their new natural cut fries were gluten free.

Open Original Shared Link

Medium French Fries

Medium Fries

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to maintain natural color). Cooked in Vegetable Oil (soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor [vegetable], citric acid [preservative], dimethylpolysiloxane [anti-foaming agent]). Cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain Wheat, Egg, Milk, and Fish (where available). Seasoned with Sea Salt.

mbrookes Community Regular
mbrookes
Posted

Five Guys have safe fries and they are GREAT! Since potatoes are the only thing they fry, there is no chance of CC in the oil. By the way they also , in my experience, are very good about making sure the burger patties are not CC by someone else's bun. They will happily use fresh gloves to fix your order. No, I don't get a kickback... I just appreciate them.

RideAllWays Enthusiast
RideAllWays
Posted

Nando's fries are gluten-free as well.

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

This is a very old post. Of course fries in and of themselves could be gluten-free. Or they could not be. Often the fancy ones like curly or waffle cut have additional things added and that could include gluten. Or it could not. But the biggest issue would be what else is fried in that oil? If things like chicken nuggets, flour tortillas, or even onion rings, then there is a great chance of cross contamination.

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. 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...
    2. 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...
    3. 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?
    4. 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...
    5. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,871
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Koyanna
    Newest Member
    Koyanna
    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

    • 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?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
×
×
  • 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.