Gluten-Free Fast Food

Jordan, if you are not a celiac then you have no right to judge those who are. Some have it worse than others and can't even use shampoo with wheat in it.

Good to know! I love Jason's Deli and I don't want to be ill!

I live in Australia and it sounds like our fast food regulations are far stricter than yours. Macca's and Burger king (called Hungry Jack's) both have dedicated fryers for their fries, and the oil does not contain any "beef" flavouring which appears to be listed on the US ingredients. My sons have both worked there so they know all about it. Also they have strict rules on food handling at Macca's as they are not allowed to touch the food with their hands: burgers are assembled in the box using tongs for the buns so if you order a gluten-free burger you get just the patty (100%) beef and whatever sauce and salad that goes with it. They put it all in the box one step at a time and never touch the food with their hands. They then give you a knife and fork to eat it. The hash browns are also gluten-free.

Hungry Jack's are not so good with their patties and I have often found that I feel pretty gross after eating their burgers. I usually only order fries from them. I can't have any of the ice cream products from either place though because they contain wheat which your menu doesn't seem to have. Wouldn't it be nice if these companies could work out a menu that is best for everyone, your ice cream and our fries / patties? Our Subway is worse than useless as is just about every other place.

That is exactly RIGHT! I was shocked at the so inappropriate idea of picking out the crutons! What!? Even a few crumbs give me flu like symptoms, so forget that!

It is a good thing that you found out you have celiac disease so young. I did not figure it out till I was in bed for two years in my 40s. I am glad you will not have to go though what I did. I relate to the annoyance of people that think you have an eating disorder. Once I even told someone, "sure, I'll try it but you have to promise to clean the mess when I poop all over the floor in 20 minutes!" I do go out with friends, but stick to things like soda and apple sauce and baked potatoes. You will get used to it or just learn what to eat where. Sometimes I just grin at idiots, and say nothing, that makes them nervous. Good luck!

To Jordan, I am not going to attack you for your comments and the way you are feeding your child, although I do feel that it was offensive to anyone suffering from this disease. I would just ask you to do some research on celiac disease. My own personal story will hopefully encourage you to do so. I have had celiac disease since childhood. It went undiagnosed until recently because no one was educated about the disease. As a result, I have an auto-immune disease called SomoTumor. It is not an actual brain tumor but acts exactly like one. I have difficulty speaking at times, and have crippling migraines as a result. Celiac disease is not just a hype. If untreated (eliminating gluten in your diet) it can result in rare diseases that have severe consequences for the rest of your life. I am only 25 years old and have to live with this daily. I know you would want better for your daughter.

The Gluten Free Guide to Fast Food Restaurant has gluten free menu listings for over 42 international and domestic fast food restaurants.

My local McDonald's has dedicated fryers for the fries, fish and chicken. They are all owned by the same person and all the same way so I guess it depends on where you live. I'm sure if you ask they will tell you although it is probably irrelevant because even though the fries are gluten free the oil isn't.

Taco Bell has a new gluten-free item, The Cantina Bowl. It is tasty if you like lemon cilantro flavor.

Jordan- You're ignorant and you're killing your daughter by contaminating her food. Talk to a gastrointestinal doctor who specializes in celiac disease because the disease is very serious and CLEARLY not understood by many. Aslo- she got it from her mom or dad. Period. My aunt died from constant exposure/ cross contamination, which lead to cancer in the intestine. New reports show that 100% of people who don't follow the extremely strict diet will develop cancer from it.

It does seem that fast food restaurants are catching on (even though nobody should eat most of it, it is a necessity at times) but my wife and daughter have had to be vigilant. I've had to make changes to the way I order too. Being paticular can sometimes be a pain, but if it saves days of discomfort to my family, I'd rather have someone roll their eyes than see and hear about how my girls feel for days. Both my wife and my 18 year old daughter are extremely sensitive, and have full celiac disease. Apparently, after you remove gluten from your diet, you become exponentially more sensitive. Crumbs are huge. Micro crumbs can't even be tolerated.

Hey Jordan, newsflash: some people ARE that allergic to things. I am so allergic to latex that I cannot sit in a room with an open box of latex gloves or even rubber bands without my throat closing up.

If you are going to be so judgmental and mean, don't read this page. I didn't see an M.D. after your name, so I'm guessing you're just an insensitive jerk.

Everyone has different sensitivities to gluten. Also, there are people out there who do not have celiac disease that are unable to eat wheat/gluten containing foods. I have mast cell disease and am unable to eat wheat/gluten. You may not realize that for some people, even the least bit of contact with gluten can cause issues. For myself, I spend the next day, ALL DAY, on the toilet. For some people with celiac disease, it can even cause seizures. I also happen to be a Registered Licensed Dietitian. Before you get critical of others you may want to educate yourself. Please be respectful of others. Thank you.

Some people have SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS to the things they are ALLERGIC to. You're ignorant. I can't even use the same cutting board as my husband.

Mary, this article is NOT about allergy, it is about gluten sensitivities.

My 12 year old son has had the worst stomach problems lately. It started right after school started back up and I didn't know what it was. He was having stabbing pains, loose stools and always an upset stomach. No one else in my family has celiac disease, so I never suspected it. We knew he had some allergies because since he was little he has had eczema. They have taken the samples and blood, but just in avoiding it while we wait for results he has been so much better. He has a great attitude, I am researching everything. We have other severe allergies in our house; peanuts send us to the ER. I guess it stands to make sense that they are related somehow. We eat a lot of pasta and sandwiches. Where do you all find these gluten-free? We live in an urban area with chain grocery stores, but so far when I ask they have said no.

I agree wholeheartedly!

Jordan, allow me to take a kind stab at this. I'm 38 years old and was recently diagnosed with this awful celiac disease. For years I have had trouble, but I was never diagnosed. The amount of pain and surgeries I'm going through now proves what this can do to a body. For your daughter, please educate yourself more. Read and talk to her doctor. She may have a mild case now but it might get worse as she gets older and if you educate yourself now, life will easier for her. If you don't take all of the advice everyone is giving you, you are just hurting her...

All the people responding to Jordan are very unhelpful. List your experiences with gluten-free fast food. Don't feed the troll.

I agree with what Paul says, but all of you commenters still need to understand that changing gloves and having special plates to put your food on is a false sense of protection that you've more than likely been very lucky with. Unless you are eating at a dedicated gluten-free facility, each establishment should still be listing the disclaimer that they cannot guarantee anything on their menu is completely free of gluten. You are forgetting product placement in coolers and shared space of menu items on prep tables. Your lettuce may have been chopped on a surface contaminated with crumbs because the employees are not trained to function as a gluten-free facility. It's still a roll of the dice regardless.

Wow. First of all asking someone to change their gloves is no more time consuming or difficult than another person asking for a substitution or an extra patty of meat. Secondly, how does telling that person to eat at home make any sense when the whole point of these blogs is to give celiacs better information for when they DON'T eat at home, genius? If you had celiac disease, maybe you would understand. (I say this and never once have I asked someone to change their gloves, but each to their own, no need to be a jerk.)

Please prepare your food at home if you have a serious gluten allergy. Restaurants are only in business to make money. Can you ever really trust their methods? Why become so analytical and accusatory? Just take care of yourself and don't expect the world to do it for you.

I like what another poster said (and I'm paraphrasing, here...)

If you are concerned, or if there is a question about the safety of your food, don't eat out. Simple as that.

Yes, it's challenging to always have homemade options on hand, and I do miss the convenience of being able to grab a quick bite, but that's the nature of this disease. Sorry!

I have worked at Burger King for two years now. We do use designated fryer and occasionally, an onion ring will slip in every now and then since the heaters are nearby for ease. We do use separate tongs to get the fries out of the heater and the onion rings out of the heater.

Because they may be fried in dedicated fryer, but dumped under heat lamps in the same bin as the onion rings.