Oats and Gluten? Cross Contamaination?

[xxnonamexx]

During my gluten-free journey I have been reading alot about not necessarily oats have gluten but other parts in processing causing cross contamination. Bobs Redmill gluten-free oats have been good and I have heard One Degree Oats sprouted are more nutritious and gluten-free. I am curious if others had issues with ats and if so what have you switched to as your morning daily breakfast. Thanks

[Aretaeus Cappadocia]

My understanding is that a subset of celiacs react to an oat protein called avenin the same as if it were gluten. Separate from that, the typical oat supply chain (field to packaging) is rife with opportunities for cross contamination.

In my own case, I don't have a clear, acute reaction to gluten so I can't really tell if I have a problem with oats. For now at least I just avoid them because it seems too complicated for me to sort out.

I do, however, have a couple of suggestions for breakfast foods. My favorite is kasha, also known as buckwheat groats (it's related to rhubarb, it is not an actual "wheat"). Rice is another one. There are instant rice products on the market. I would use rice sparingly though because it is very low in fiber and it already tends to show up more in gluten-free foods. Depending on your taste buds, I like amaranth, teff and quinoa, I kind of like sorghum, and I am less enthused with millet. Other than instant rice, these tend to take longer to cook than oats but they all reheat well if you wanted to make a couple days' worth in advance. Sorghum is different than the others. It doesn't absorb all the cooking water (you drain it off), the pearls stay intact and it is a little chewy. Amaranth is a little challenging to cook. It absorbs the water and if you leave it on the heat after optimal cooking time, the cooked amaranth starts to contract and get more and more dense. Doesn't seem to hurt the flavor but it gets pretty thick.

[Harris]

Yeah, oats can be tricky honestly.

They’re naturally gluten-free, but the problem is how they’re handled. A lot of regular oats get mixed in with wheat, barley, or rye during farming or processing, so they end up with gluten even though they shouldn’t.

That’s why people always say to look for “gluten-free” labeled oats, since those are processed separately and tested.

Also worth mentioning, some people still react to oats even when they’re labeled gluten-free, so it really depends on the person.

So yeah, it’s not as simple as “oats are safe” or “oats are not safe,” it’s more about the source and how your body handles them.

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[Scott Adams]

Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure.

You may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute.

If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/