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Lesson Learned

Lgood22573

By Lgood22573
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Lgood22573 Rookie
Lgood22573
Posted

Never trust something you read on the net that you do not know if it is a reliable source. :-( I read McDonald's french fries are gluten free on someone's web site today. So tonight I got a large order of fries and ate the entire thing. Started feeling sick about 15 mins later. Then I go to McDs website and they are most certainly NOT gluten free. My stomach hurts and I feel sick. Pls pls don't let me be sick. I REALLY REALLY hate that. Ugh... Now I know it is going to be a long night...

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Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Never trust something you read on the net that you do not know if it is a reliable source. :-( I read McDonald's french fries are gluten free on someone's web site today. So tonight I got a large order of fries and ate the entire thing. Started feeling sick about 15 mins later. Then I go to McDs website and they are most certainly NOT gluten free. My stomach hurts and I feel sick. Pls pls don't let me be sick. I REALLY REALLY hate that. Ugh... Now I know it is going to be a long night...

I am terribly sorry that you are ill, and I am not denying that, but would like to offer this:

If you check into the archives of THIS website you will find that there is extensive research and testimonials regarding McD's French Fries..... We have always suggested that people educate themselves on the issues and make an educated choice for themselves.

McDonald's French Fries have been independently tested and the offensive gluten in the fries have been removed during processing. They are considered safe for people with Celiac Disease to ingest.

Open Original Shared Link

The possibility of cross contamination remains true in every fast food restaurant.

i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

What Lisa said. It's also individual restaurant-dependent: some McD locations have separate, dedicated fryers just for fries, and others toss the fries in the same fryer as the battered chicken pieces.

Lgood22573 Rookie
Lgood22573
Posted
  • Author

That is exactly what I read on the site, but the McDonald's website states they use beef flavorings made from wheat on their french fries. All I can vouch for is that they are not safe for me. Maybe I was cross contaminated.

DonaldandAlanda Evans Apprentice
DonaldandAlanda Evans
Posted

I ate 2 large orders of fries yesterday.....didn't bother me at all. I did get sick from Wendy's fries a few weeks ago.

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

I would love a definite answer on the gluten status of the fries from McD's themselves as it seems to change every few weeks depending on the thread. I too have read that they were tested for gluten and came up ok but these ingredients are not something I would trust or eat!

McDonald's

Open Original Shared Link

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Wendy's

Open Original Shared Link

Large Fries

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (contains one or more of the following: soy, canola, cottonseed, partially hydrogenated soy and/or cottonseed), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to protect color), Dextrose. Cooked in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed, & Hydrogenated Soy Oil. Note: may be cooked in the same oil as Fish Fillets (where available), Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Crispy Chicken Patty, Boneless Wings and Spicy Chicken Nuggets. Seasoned with Salt.

Burger King

Open Original Shared Link

French Fries (Fried): Potatoes, Soybean Oil or Canola Oil and Palm Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xantham Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color.

BK had a gluten free info too: Open Original Shared Link which states that the fries may be fried with gluten containing foods.

Lgood22573 Rookie
Lgood22573
Posted
  • Author

I guess I opened up a can of worms. I had no idea this thread had already been going on. Sorry guys!

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Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

I would love a definite answer on the gluten status of the fries from McD's themselves as it seems to change every few weeks depending on the thread.

:( The facts remain the same, the opinions differ. All the research and support organization for Celiac and it's Awareness, render the McD's french fries safe for people with Celiac to consume. Please do your own research. Do a search on this site.

It's a personal choice.

sandsurfgirl Collaborator
sandsurfgirl
Posted

I guess I opened up a can of worms. I had no idea this thread had already been going on. Sorry guys!

Ha ha! The McDonald's fries controversy. It got me too! I won't eat them. Too scary and NOT worth it. If they say wheat, I say wheat. I don't care what the tests say. They would have to be the best fries in the world for me to try it, but that honor goes to In N Out whose fries are most certainly 100% gluten free.

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

Lisa you say, "Please do your own research. Do a search on this site."

I have! Do you know how many french fry threads/topic/discussions there are on this site? :blink:

The link you posted for the gluten test results on McD fries is from 2006. I don't consider that current information since ingredients can change often so I went to the 3 most common fast food restaurant tonight and got the ingredients directly from their websites. I rather get the information from the restaurant themselves that trust a 4 year old test!

My current research shows wheat (and milk and soybean oil) in the McD's fries and that's enough research to tell me not to eat them.

DonaldandAlanda Evans Apprentice
DonaldandAlanda Evans
Posted

McDonald's french fries have no more gluten than distilled vinegar or distilled spirits.....all of witch are in question.....all of witch I consume with no issues whatsoever. I've only been on this site a couple of months and have already seen these questions asked more times than I can count.

sandsurfgirl Collaborator
sandsurfgirl
Posted

there won't be a definitive answer on this. Some people get sick from them and some don't.

Just like Rice Dream. It's processed with barley but supposedly it doesn't gluten the final product. Yet people have posted about getting sick from it. There are other brands I can buy so I steer clear at this point. Ooooh, opening another can of worms! :lol:

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

McDonald's french fries have no more gluten than distilled vinegar or distilled spirits.....all of witch are in question.....all of witch I consume with no issues whatsoever. I've only been on this site a couple of months and have already seen these questions asked more times than I can count.

There are different levels of sensitivity amoung us. I am one of those that cannot consume distilled gluten, it has the same effect on me a piece of bread would. I am zero tolerance, some are lucky and can get away with eating stuff I can't.

I wouldn't touch McDonalds fries, I got sick from them too many times early on. IMHO it is best to avoid these when early in the diet. After all symptoms have resolved if desired a 'challenge' could be done where someone eats them daily for a week. If after that time they haven't reacted they may be able to tolerate.

newgfcali Rookie
newgfcali
Posted

Ooooh, opening another can of worms! :lol:

Is a can of worms gluten free? :P

rtrheli Newbie
rtrheli
Posted

One thing can be said from all this. You just can't trust restaurants with our health. There is always a higher chance of cc than eating at home.

luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

I've had them several times without incident, but ... not ONLY do I not need to be eating fast food french fries... it always seems that the times I would eat them is while traveling (convenient) and always think after eating, "Wow... I sure hope these really ARE gluten-free cause it would really stink to get sick while traveling!" So, I avoid them as a rule.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Is a can of worms gluten free? :P

Most varieties of worms are coated & fried in oil that may also have been used to fry cockroaches & ants. Caution is advised. :P

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