Why Are Oats Worse Than Rice or Buckwheat?

[Confidence]

Hey guys, was just wondering why oats, which are naturally gluten free, undergo gluten cross-contamination while other gluten free grains, such as rice, buckwheat, or quinoa, do not?

Even when gluten free oats are grown isolated from other grains and processed in gluten-free facilities, they still test at a gluten concentration of about 10 PPM, which may make some celiacs sick. However there are rices/buckwheat/quinoa that even the most hardcore celiacs can eat without a problem. Why do the latter grains not undergo gluten cross-contamination? Thanks.

[Confidence]

Bump

[cyclinglady]

Google how those grains are grown and where.  

https://www.allergicliving.com/2015/01/06/need-to-know-oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet-canada/

 

[Confidence]

  On 4/19/2019 at 6:30 AM, cyclinglady said:

Google how those grains are grown and where.  

https://www.allergicliving.com/2015/01/06/need-to-know-oats-and-the-gluten-free-diet-canada/

 

Expand Quote  

Thanks for the reply. However that link only says that oats contain gluten due to cross-contamination, whereas I am talking about oats that have not undergone cross-contamination (i.e. pure oats with negligible gluten). Also it says nothing about rice, buckwheat, or quinoa, which is what I was asking about.

[cyclinglady]

The article did mention that some celiacs react to the type of protein in oats.  So, even pure oats safely grown and processed may affect some celiacs.  The problem is determining if you are a celiac who reacts.  Oats is the only grain that might remotely cause a celiac flare up.  Other grains can bother celiacs ( intolerance) but do not cause antibodies to flare.  

“When it comes to the safety of pure oats, there is one crucial caveat: a small subset of people with celiac disease will actually react to a protein found in oats, known as avenin, just as if they were reacting to gluten. According to the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center, “perhaps less than 1 percent of celiac patients show a reaction to a large amount of oats in their diets.” Unfortunately, there is not yet any clinical test to determine who will react to oats, so if you decide to incorporate pure oats into your gluten-free diet, there are precautions to follow.”

There is always a chance for gluten cross contamination in all grains especially milled.  Even rice should be sorted and washed.  Rice is pretty safe from field cross contamination because it is grown in flooded fields usually not geographically located next to wheat.   Only a few states ( southern and California) grow rice.  Buckwheat is not grown much in the U.S.   Quinoa is grown in the mountains of South America and now Colorado.  So, where these grains or seeds are grown can impact their contamination in the field.  Cross contamination can also occur when transported, processed and packaged.  

For milled flours, I only consume certified gluten-free products.  Other raw seeds and whole grains, I wash and sort.  That includes legumes  too.  For processed foods that contain grains (e.g. crackers), I make sure they are labeled gluten-free.  This works for me.  

 

[kareng]

Oats are often grown where wheat is grown and the same equipment is used to harvest, store, etc.  rice is not grown where wheat is grown.  

[Scott Adams]

Yes, it has to do with rotational crops...quinoa is not normally a rotational crop that would be grown in the same fields as wheat. 

[Beverage]

I react to oats the same as wheat, rye, and barley.  The protein strand in oats is apparently the next closest to the other 3.