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Thought I Was Okay....


Must...eat...

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Must...eat... Newbie

So last night I was craving a Wendy's chocolate frosty and some french fries and haven't eaten fast food since going gluten-free. I thought I would be okay with a frosty and McDonald's french fries...HAHAHA Nooooooooo.

Let me just say I woke up this morning and I had turned into the little girl from The Exorcist, as well as depression, paranoia, head was in a fog, dead tired, and my stomach is upset. Fun stuff right? Not really.


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ciavyn Contributor

Sorry to hear that. I haven't had any problems at either place. But it's always a risk of CC. Feel better soon!

Must...eat... Newbie

Sorry to hear that. I haven't had any problems at either place. But it's always a risk of CC. Feel better soon!

Awww thanks! The people working at McD's were questionable and I went through drive through and didn't say anything when I placed my order. Am I supposed to tell them I can't eat gluten or just assume?

quincy Contributor

So last night I was craving a Wendy's chocolate frosty and some french fries and haven't eaten fast food since going gluten-free. I thought I would be okay with a frosty and McDonald's french fries...HAHAHA Nooooooooo.

Let me just say I woke up this morning and I had turned into the little girl from The Exorcist, as well as depression, paranoia, head was in a fog, dead tired, and my stomach is upset. Fun stuff right? Not really.

I was told by my nutritionist that the only fries I could have are from Wendy's or Five Guys because they use dedicated fryers? If this is not correct, someone please correct me because I am new to this and just learning my way around gluten.

bluebonnet Explorer

you can eat mcdonald's french fries??? i thought they were on the do not eat list!

i've not had any problems with the wendy's frosty. yum! hope you feel better soon!

ciavyn Contributor

If you do a search on here, you'll find the long debate over McD's fries. :) They are gluten free, and I've never had a problem -- and I seem to have a problem with most questionable things! :)

Lisa Mentor

Dairy can have a similar gluten effect, especially in your early days of healing.


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ravenwoodglass Mentor

you can eat mcdonald's french fries??? i thought they were on the do not eat list!

i've not had any problems with the wendy's frosty. yum! hope you feel better soon!

I haven't had any problems with a frosty either, although I haven't had one in a while. The McD's fries well.... not worth the risk to me. Others have reported eating them with no issues but I don't seem to tolerate them.

Skylark Collaborator

McDonalds fries have a flavoring made from wheat used in a processing step. There is no detectable gluten in the finished fries, not meaning zero, but it would be below 1 ppm. McDonald's is declaring wheat on their ingredients list after a big stink a few years back about it but they're generally considered safe for all but the most hypersensitive folks.

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).

buffettbride Enthusiast

The Frosty is no biggie. I wouldn't touch fries at either place with a ten foot pole. McD's is just too much of a gluten-mart for me to trust and I've seen first hand the fries at Wendy's come in contact with the chicken nuggets in the warming/holding area, even though there are dedicated friers.

eva-girl Newbie

buffetbride -

yeah - the "warming" areas of fast food places scare me - everything right next to each other. i just stay away from fast food altogether. if i'm going to be glutened it's going to be from something better than a chicken nugget!

michiganmom Newbie

I just asked at Wendy's the other day and the fries share a fryer with the chicken so there is cc.

conniebky Collaborator

Dairy can have a similar gluten effect, especially in your early days of healing.

So true! I'm one week gluten free today and I haven't been able to eat yogurt or ice cream. I can drink all the milk I want, but anything else dairy sends me into orbit. I'm hoping that will pass (pardon the pun) :P

I can eat cheese too, forgot to mention that.

Darn210 Enthusiast

I was told by my nutritionist that the only fries I could have are from Wendy's or Five Guys because they use dedicated fryers? If this is not correct, someone please correct me because I am new to this and just learning my way around gluten.

Not all Wendy's have dedicated fryers. If they do have a dedicated fryer, then they are safe (apart from the risk of cc). We always ask when stopping at one that we haven't been to before.

Frosties aren't a problem in this house.

eva-girl Newbie

"The people working at McD's were questionable and I went through drive through and didn't say anything when I placed my order. Am I supposed to tell them I can't eat gluten or just assume? "

i would never assume anything, anywhere is gluten-free unless you absolutely know for sure or you ask. admittedly, i've been accused of being something of a snob when it comes to fast food, but it's called "fast" for a reason - quick, cheap and nutritionally void. plus the areas where the straws, napkins, utensils and drink fountains as well as the tables and chairs are usually pretty dirty.

Colliebird Newbie

So last night I was craving a Wendy's chocolate frosty and some french fries and haven't eaten fast food since going gluten-free. I thought I would be okay with a frosty and McDonald's french fries...HAHAHA Nooooooooo.

Let me just say I woke up this morning and I had turned into the little girl from The Exorcist, as well as depression, paranoia, head was in a fog, dead tired, and my stomach is upset. Fun stuff right? Not really.

Oh so sorry to hear it. I guess you won't do that again soon. I did the same thing with Rocky Road ice cream (not gluten-free!). It made me into a foot-dragging Igor the next day. Blahhhh.

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