Gluten which exists in many pieces of bread, kinds of pasta as well as other foods have become a big issue for some of us. While it is thought that gluten anything is bad for us and is responsible for why many of us are overweight, knowing myth from fact may help you make better decisions regarding your consumption of gluten leaden products. You should be cautious if you are gluten sensitive. Many of us have heard the message loud and strong regarding gluten however, gluten by itself is not bad for us. The gluten-free fad is likely to come and go but those who truly need gluten-free products now can find them, as many supermarkets are displaying them either with regular products or in a separate gluten-free section. If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, this is great news since food shopping has gotten easier. Even restaurants, sensitive to the needs of those who have gluten dietary restrictions are asking their clients upfront about dietary concerns before they take their order. Apparently, even Mcdonald's, who has been having a problem with finding their footing as people desire to eat better and be more informed is trying to show that their staple, the French fry is indeed gluten-free, it isn't entirely. While you may be eating a French fry that has no gluten, the oil that is used may have been previously cooking another item that had gluten in it, thus causing undesirable gastric distress after your meal. In other words, the essence from what was previously cooked may be in your gluten-free food, causing it to not be gluten-free. Staying truly gluten-free is similar to keeping kosher; A kosher kitchen does not mix milk and meat products period. To be truly gluten-free, Mcdonald's must use a dedicated fryer for those foods that are to be called gluten-free, to help you avoid a reaction. In your own kitchen, using the same frying pan that was previously used to fry chicken will likely cause a reaction, unless the pan is thoroughly scrubbed and clean, to remove the essence. By the way, the same goes with a kosher kitchen, which will have a separate set of dishes and pans for meat and milk, as well as a second dishwasher. I found an interesting article on gluten sensitivities and Mcdonald's. Check it out here Gluten in McDonald's Fries--The Final Verdict by Fred Fletcher It's a wonder some people don't get whiplash by trying to keep up with the latest findings regarding the many controversial or unsettled health issues in the news. Sometimes the uncertainty arises from changing circumstances, new findings through health studies/surveys, public appeals or demonstrations (most often carried out these days through social media and Internet discussion forums), laws or policies put forth to address the issue (even if they often only further complicate the matter), or decisions at the corporate level which raise questions rather than provide definitive answers. In an attempt to appease celiac disease sufferers and those with food allergen issues, for example, McDonald's launched an ambitious campaign to demonstrate that its fries (as well as its other foods) were relatively healthy and safe to eat. Accordingly, they declared that there were gluten-free (GF) items on their menu; these items, they said, were not only gluten-free, but the company would make sure that official testing took place to prove that this was so. All those critics who had voiced serious concerns about McDonald's fries were, at last, silenced--or were they? Actually, it wasn't just McDonald's and the food testing companies that were certifying that the fries were officially gluten-free, there was also the new FDA's definition of what constituted "gluten-free." Simply put, McDonald's fries, when tested, fell below the standard now established. read more