The Gluten Free Blog

McDonald's french fries. Image courtesy of cfinke

When you’re on the run, it’s tempting to dash into your local fast food joint and grab yourself a quick bite. But if you’re following a gluten free diet surely your local McDonald’s is off limits?

Not so. There are numerous foods which are gluten free at McDonald’s. (Although we recommend you don’t eat them every day.) Note: these apply to UK McDonalds’s restaurants only.

Meaty stuff
A McDonald’s hamburger, cheeseburger, Quarter Pounder^®, and Big Mac^® are all gluten free IF eaten without the bun. All McDonald’s burgers are made with 100% beef; so they’re not ‘beefed up’ with any cereal, rusk or flour.

And according to McDonald’s they’re happy to serve you just the burger minus the bun if you ask your server when ordering. Apparently, they don’t even mind if you bring your own gluten free bun in with you.

Potato things

• French fries (Note: UK only. It seems that US french fries do have gluten.)
• Potato wedges
• Hash browns

Green stuff

• Fruit bags
• Carrot sticks
• Garden salads

McFlurrys

• Cadburys Crunchie McFlurry andDairy Milk McFlurrys are both gluten free
• But Aero McFlurrys are NOT gluten free

Sundaes

• Strawberry sundaes are gluten free
• But toffee sundaes are NOT gluten free

Drinks

• Regular coffee
• Latte
• But Cappuccinos are NOT gluten free. (The chocolate chips used contain gluten.)
• Hot chocolate
• Apple juice
• Orange juice
• Soft drinks
• Milkshakes

Sauces

• Big Mac sauce
• Heinz Tomato Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayo
• Spicy tomato salsa

What else to avoid
The obvious things to avoid are buns, wraps and anything in breadcrumbs. Fish fingers, chicken nuggets and onion rings are also off limits.

But if you’re not sure about any ingredients just ask your server. And if they don’t seem sure ask to speak to the manager. Don’t run the risk of being ill over a Filet-O-Fish^®

Update: Following on from a number of queries we had regarding the fries, we contacted McDonald’s directly. See this post for their reply.

When you’re diagnosed with coeliac (or celiac) disease, or you’ve been advised to follow a gluten free diet, it feels like everything you’ve ever enjoyed is off limits.

But there are numerous foods that are naturally gluten free (although we recommend that you always check the ingredients list.)

Check out our list of gluten free foods.

Proteins

• Fresh meat
• Fish and shellfish
• Poultry and game

Green and fruity

• All fruit
• All vegetables
• Fresh herbs

Carbs for energy

• Rice
• Rice cakes
• Rice noodles (CARE: Some rice noodles have wheat added. Always check the ingredients.)
• Corn tortillas (CARE: Authentic corn tortillas are made without wheat or gluten. But always check the ingredients or ask your waiter.)
• Corn chips (CARE: Authentic corn chips are made without wheat or gluten. But always check the ingredients or ask your waiter.)
• Tapioca
• Pulses, lentils and beans
• Corn flakes
• Millet flakes
• Polenta

Flours for cooking

• Corn flour
• Gram flour
• Rice flour
• Tapioca flour
• Soya flour
• Buckwheat flour
• Millet
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese (not cheese spreads)
• Yogurt (the ones without the wheaty bits added)
• Milk
• Ice cream
• Fromage frais
• Cream

NOTE: If you’ve been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be lactose intolerant as well.

The body produces lactase which breaks down the sugars found in milk. But if your intestine is damaged by coeliac disease you may temporarily have lactase deficiency. So avoid dairy products for a while, follow a gluten free diet, allow your intestines to repair and slowly reintroduce dairy back into your diet.

Spreads

• Jam
• Marmalade
• Marmite
• Black treacle
• Honey
• Golden syrup
• Peanut butter

Snack attacks

• Nuts (CARE: Some dry roasted, ‘chocolate’ coated or ‘yogurt’ coated nuts contain whet or gluten.)
• Dried fruit (CARE: Some dried fruit coatings such as ‘chocolate’ or ‘yogurt’ contain wheat or gluten.)
• Popcorn
• Jelly

Cooking basics

• Bicarbonate of soda
• Cream of tartar
• Coconut milk
• Dried and fresh yeast
• Dijon mustard
• Horseradish sauce
• Garlic puree
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tomato Puree
• Tamari Sauce (a wheat free and gluten free soy sauce)
• Vegetable oil
• Sunflower oil
• Olive oil
• Cider vinegar
• Wine vinegar
• Distilled vinegar (not malt vinegar)
• Xantham gum (add to gluten free flours to get delicious breads and pastry)

Drinks

• Coffee
• Tea
• Herbal tea
• Fruit juice
• Fruit drinks (not barley water)
• Alcoholic drinks
• Wine
• Champagne
• Port
• Sherry
• Ciders
• Liqueurs
• Spirits, including whisky, are all gluten-free

Have we missed anything? Let us know.

It wasn’t long ago that the only gluten free foods available were from health food stores. And they weren’t cheap either. These days though, the big chain grocery stores all have their own gluten free products. And there are now whole aisles in our local supermarkets dedicated to food that’s gluten free.

Grocery stores such as Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco all have their own ‘Free From’ ranges, as well as carrying other gluten free brands. Definitely worth checking out are Sainsbury’s gluten free muffins: they’re moist and sweet and taste like the real thing. And with Christmas coming up fast, it’s worth stocking up on Sainsbury’s gluten free Christmas pudding and gluten free mince pies. These come highly recommended. Delicious!

Tesco’s is another grocery store with their own ‘Free From’ range. Some of our favourites include the gluten free double chocolate cake. As well as cupboard staples like gluten free brown bread and gluten free pitta bread.

Mrs Crimble’s Gluten Free Chocolate Macaroons

Another grocery store with a gluten free range is Asda. We particularly like Asda’s gluten free penne pasta and spirals pasta. These both cook really well and don’t disintegrate into a wallpaper paste consistency like some gluten free pastas.

All the high street grocery stores carry other gluten free brands such as Glutano, Kelkin, Tru Free, Orgran, and Juvela. Don’t forget to try Mrs Crimble as well, now available in most of the major supermarkets. The gluten free chocolate macaroons are amazing. But will you be able to stop at one?

What grocery stores stock your favourite gluten free products? Let us know.

Raymond Blanc presents Gluten Free Chef of the Year award 2009

World renowned chef Raymond Blanc was on hand this week to present Peter McKenzie of South Lanarkshire Council with 2009’s Gluten Free Chef of the Year award.

Designed to raise awareness of gluten intolerance and to highlight the need for gluten free menu options, the competition, run by Coeliac UK, awards Gluten free Chef of the Year for professional chefs and Gluten free Chef of the Year for catering students.

The competition included a three course meal, which had to be prepared using seasonal gluten free ingredients, and have a balance of flavours across the courses.

The winner, Peter McKenzie impressed the judges with his beautifully cooked and presented breast of pheasant with wild mushroom polenta. See Peter’s full gluten free menu below.

Pan seared fillet of red mullet

Starter
Pan seared fillet of red mullet nestling on a chick pea gateau, topped with a plum tomato achar with fresh oysters and a horseradish cappuccino

Main Course
Breast of pheasant, wild mushroom polenta, with seasoned savoy cabbage, oven roasted shallots and baby beets with a marsala jus

Dessert
Vanilla and basil panacotta with balsamic roasted strawberries with strands of golden sugar

He wins a one week placement at Gleneagles with twice Michelin Star chef, Andrew Fairlie.

Raymond Blanc judged the entries and commented “I was really impressed by the quality and attention to detail displayed in the entries for this competition and congratulations to all the winners!”

He added “although more common than many people realise, gluten intolerance is not taken seriously enough by far too many chefs. We all need a few really good gluten free recipes in our repertoire and I hope that more restaurateurs will understand the importance of, and gain an aptitude for, having tasty, interesting gluten free options on their menus.”

Chief Executive of Coeliac UK, Sarah Sleet, said “we are really grateful to Raymond Blanc for all his support and for highlighting the needs of people on a gluten free diet. He is showing the way for others in the catering industry by providing added choice and piece of mind for people with coeliac disease when dining out.”

See all the winning recipes on the Coeliac UK website.

People often think that a having a wheat intolerance is the same as having coeliac (or celiac) disease. Not so.

In fact, coeliac disease is actually an autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. Not nice. And if you’re someone who’s suffering from coeliac disease this reaction is triggered by gluten – the wheat protein found in wheat, barley and rye. (Sufferers may also be sensitive to oats.)

So how do you know if you have coeliac disease? Signs and symptoms vary from person to person and can range from mildly irritating and uncomfortable to downright debilitating. And of course, some of the signs and symptoms of coeliac disease are also really similar to irritable bowel syndrome; wheat intolerance; stress; anaemia; chronic fatigue syndrome; and too many nights on the town!

One coeliac disease sufferer may have bloating and diarrhoea. Whilst another may have irritability and nausea. And of course it’s entirely possible to have no signs or symptoms of coeliac disease at all. But if not treated a sufferer will ultimately suffer malnutrition as the disease stops nutrients being absorbed.

So what are the some of the signs and symptoms of coeliac disease?

• Bloating
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea
• Wind
• Indigestion
• Constipation
• Tiredness
• Mouth ulcers
• Depression
• Infertility
• Joint ache and bone pain
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Osteoporosis
• Muscle cramps
• Tooth discoloration
• Itchy skin

If you think you have coeliac disease or have any of the signs or symptoms above we recommend you seek medical advice from your doctor as soon as possible.