It's Official... We Can Eat Oats!

[tammy]

FYI,

I just tried the ORGANIC FIBER BAR by Renew Life and it was very good. It is gluten-free, DF, SF and Kosher. I was surprised to see that it has organic oat fiber in it but tried it anyway. I ate half of the bar and waited to see its effects. I did experience a very faint wheeze in my chest. The next day I ate the other half and did not have any wheeze. I will eat this bar again. For me, this will be my candy bar. Although it is not THAT sweet the natural sugars in it will still affect me but for now I will buy it again.

It is worth a try for most of us!

Enjoy!

[tarnalberry]

I've eaten both and the instant ones look like the ususal oatmeal but the ones in the can are more like tiny pellets. For some reason I think the ones in the can are safer....I didnt seem affected by them at all. I had eaten the instant oatmeal when I got the "D". Do you think one type could be contaminated and the other not be?

The kind in the box is steel cut oats. So, instead of being rolled, chopped up, and steamed (as the instant is), it is just coarsley chopped. If the instant also had flavors in it, I would definitely worry about cross contamination. I would also think that you could rinse the steel cut oats (though you may have to drain them in something like cheesecloth, rather than a strainer) to cut down on wheat dust contamination.

[key]

I know McCann's isn't a true test of whether someone can eat oats and I didn't have the usual gluttening symptoms, but looking back I had weird bowel movements and increased frequency and horrible gas. Also I could not figure out why my legs ached so bad and I could hardly get out of bed. I was also more tired and felt moodier. My son didn't seem to react right away, but looking back he was a bit fussier and then after about 10 days on them he started having bowel movements like 6-10 times a day and not eating. It was strange, because neither one of us seemed to react the same way we do to a wheat gluttening, but I can't trust them. It has taken me two months to get back to normal, but I ate them for about a month.

I just wonder if whatever that is in them is similar to what gives celiacs problems, or if we were eating some batches from McCann's that were ok and some that weren't.

I did even try a bowel again after about a month of being off of them, because I thought it was something else maybe from before. The next morning I could hardly get out of bed and very irritable, so I don't think I will be eating those again.

Monica

[jenvan]

Was going thru some articles recently, and wanted to encourage my friends to be careful with the oats..as I know some of you are experimenting with them Many of you remember the study done on Quaker, McCann's and Country Choice where they were all tested for gluten--all tested 10 to 90 times above the "legal" limit for gluten. But let's say you do get pure uncontaminated oats--how can one be sure they are not being affected--unless they have a pre and post oats round of testing including biopsy? Some Celiacs do react to oats/avenin even when no gluten is present. Just a reminder of some food for thought....

[jerseyangel]

I have no desire to try oats. Although I enjoyed the taste (and loved the cookies) it would always give me mild D several times the day I ate it. I would only eat oatmeal on a day I knew I was going to be home all day. That was a while ago--I can only imagine what it would do to me now.

[Rachel--24]

I got some blisters on my face the day after my last bowl of oatmeal.

First I got "D" but didnt think too much of it...now because of the blisters I dont trust the oats. I thought maybe dairy had caused the D but I've never gotten the blisters from dairy. I'm kind of bummed but the oatemeal was REALLY good. I cant see myself trying it again though. I'm done with my experiment.

[Rikki Tikki]

I ate oats after I read about the study and got very ill with the usual symptoms so I won't try them again.

[jenvan]

Open Original Shared Link

Got this link this morning in my group newsletter. It is a short slide pres on difficulty of getting gluten-free oats out of mills, and the milling process in the US. Short, but interesting....

[VydorScope]

Because of how usefull they are in baking, I would love if we can get oats on the safe list, But I am not sure how best to test, esply since I am no where near fully recoevered. I would not give them to my son though, no way! WHen he is old enough to make that decision, then he can. I wont put him through that... but for me, heck Im stupid enough to try most things LOL. I keep going back and forth on this oat thing...

[Guest Viola]

I tried a small amount of gluten free oats a few minutes ago, so will let you know later in the day if I react to them. Hope not, but we shall see.

[VydorScope]

You know I am wondering.. the ppl that react to "pure" oats.. prehaps its just a SEPERATE issue, and not related to Celiac, like a egg or nut allergy?

[tarnalberry]

You know I am wondering.. the ppl that react to "pure" oats.. prehaps its just a SEPERATE issue, and not related to Celiac, like a egg or nut allergy?

For those in the studies who reacted, it caused the same intestinal damage that was characteristic of celiac.

[Guest Viola]

Okay ... I tried oats for breakfast this morning and had absolutely no reaction .. at least so far. Although I usually react quite quickly with all the usual stuff including blisters.

Anyway ... This is what is written on the bag of Oats that I have.

"Guaranteed Pure Oats are R5 ELISA batch tested to ensure that they meet or exceed current government standards for gluten content.

Current medical literature suggests that MOST people with celiac disease can safely consume pure oats. Please check with your doctor and/or dietitian before using.

Limit daily usage to 20-25 grams (1/4 cup) for children and 50-70 grams (1/2 - 3/4 cup) for adults.

I had 3/4 of a cup this morning, but have no intention of eating it on a daily basis. Perhaps just once in awhile.

[aikiducky]

I hadn't noticed this thread before... I've tried oats before when I've been on holiday in Finland. They we're grown on dedicated fields, and milled separately, iirc. I didn't have any reaction, and I usually react to the smallest amounts of gluten. I do wonder if the oats some of you tried really were that pure?

All that said, I'm not going to go to the trouble of tryng to find pure oats where I am now. I feel fine on my very low grain diet.

Pauliina

[jenvan]

I guess my own persisting question is---how do you know you didn't have a reaction? Perhaps I am more likely to ask that question b/c it was part of my experience as a Celiac...meaning, I could eat pasta and not notice any "reaction." I think unless one is doing follow-up blood work, biopsies etc, that it is possible one may have an adverse reaction to oats and not notice it. It can be so hard I think, to really gauge our internal status by symptoms...sometimes it is a great indicator, but other times it can just be subjective. Does that make sense? Just my opinion on that...

[jerseyangel]

It makes sense to me--Especially when our intestines are "healed" and we could maybe "get away with" ingesting gluten once in a while. While we might get lucky and not get sick, the damage would still be happening. Since we hear so much of people having no symptoms but flattened villi, and conversely, those with terrible GI symptoms and little or no apparent damage, I also think that our symptoms may not tell the whole story.

[VydorScope]

COuld eat them daily for a while and then do one of the at-home celiac disease blood tests like the one from York labs.

[Guest Viola]

We don't have at home Celiac tests here in Canada that I know of.

And I react to the smallest amount of gluten even after 17 years. I would think I'm as healed as I'm going to be.

For you people who don't react, I would not recommend trying them unless you arrange for blood tests later. I think it would be tough not knowing when you are contaminated, although I really hate the symptoms, at least it gives me a chance to track the culpret down.

[jerseyangel]

Viola--So after all these years, you are still sensitive to small amounts? I always wondered if we became less sensitive with time and healing. In my last post in this thread, I was speaking hypotheticly--like what if a person was sustaining damage, but for some reason, didn't feel any symptoms? Also, fresh in my mind was a discussion I just had with my husband's Aunt . She has an in-law, who is a Celiac. She told me that after 3 or 4 years, I would be able to eat gluten on occasion and not get sick. Now, I'm no expert, but I knew that was dead wrong. I told her that even if a Celiac eats gluten and does not get sick, they are still doing damage to their intestine. She answered kind of weakly, like she didn't really believe me--that this other person who has been Dx longer than I have could not be wrong.

[Rachel--24]

Jersey,

I think it probably varies with each individual. I think sensitvity could increase, decrease or stay the same. Of course damage occurs regardless of reactions. I read that after going off gluten for awhile and then going back on you may notice no symptoms for some time but damage is still occurring and eventually symptoms will appear again.

[jerseyangel]

Yea, Rachel, like everything else about this, it probably varies with the person. Someone should study us so future generations can know what to expect!

[happygirl]

Jersey-I am increasingly more sensitive the longer and longer I'm gluten free. I get hit like a brick with the tiniest amounts. I originally hoped that I would grow less sensitive, too!

I have some of the 'safe' oats---have yet to try them. But I am excited too!

[elisabet]

I gave oats to my son once a week with no reaction I am gooing to continue some more weeks and do a blood test,I will report the resault here.

[skbird]

I haven't tried oats again but am always surprised by the response that it's the fiber because a celiac diet is supposedly low in fiber. Really? I eat so much more fiber, more fruit and veggies, tons of flax meal, nuts, all sorts of things that are replacing pasta and sourdough bread in my diet. Anyone else think they eat less fiber now?

I am too chicken to try oats. Every so often I am curious, but really, as Jen mentioned, how do you know you aren't doing damage, just because you don't notice a reaction? I have read that some gluten/avenin reactions are different than others, meaning since the proteins are all a little different, each kind, barley, wheat, etc, can cause a slightly different sort of damage. I'm pretty sure I remember someone posting on this list that they thought they were ok with oats, no reaction, then got tested and found high antibodies.

Anyway, I would just urge caution in this area.

STephanie

[Guest Viola]

I Think it is like most things, how one reacts is individual. I am very sensitive and have always been so. Before going gluten free I used to go to the bathroom two or three times during a meal. Of course we didn't know then what was causing it. I had several bathroom stops on the way to town so I could see the doctor. Now of course I only have a problem if I get contaminated. But I react very quickly and there is no doubt that there is a gluten contamination.

I was pleased when I didn't react to the oats, but will not eat them everyday for a couple of reasons. One is that the un-contaminated ones are very expensive and two, because I don't like eating anything every day.