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Can I Eat Oats?

mtkd

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mtkd Newbie
mtkd
Posted

i've recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, andam struglling with the diet to say the least! i've heard that oats can be eaten evn though they contain some gluten. my doctor's not sure. does anyone know?

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darlindeb25 Collaborator
darlindeb25
Posted

If I were you, I wouldn't. Especially since you are just going gluten free. Many celiac's can't tolerate oats. It's true, they do not contain gluten, but they usually are contaminated by gluten in processing and will make you sick. If you do eat them, you have to buy special oats that are guaranteed gluten free and they are very expensive. Like I already mentioned though, many celiac's can't tolerate oats anyways, so you would be better off staying away from them until you have healed and are feeling much better. In the beginning, you should stick to a mild diet, give your body time to heal. Whole foods, stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Rice, chicken, potatoes, if you can eat them, veggies--that sort of thing.

home-based-mom Contributor
home-based-mom
Posted

Not to throw a wrench into the discussion, but I do eat the packets of instant oatmeal from WalMart without problems. Others cannot eat oats at all.

So you answer is a definite maybe, maybe not! :rolleyes:

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

there are two issues with oats:

1) most commercial oats (including McCanns, Country Pride, and Quaker) have been shown to be contaminated by wheat such that they have gluten levels above 200ppm, which is pretty much universally considered UNsafe for celiacs. so, commercial oats and any general oat containing product ought to be right out.

2) you can get oats made in dedicated fields, harvested with dedicated machinery, and processed and shipped on dedicated equipment. these brands are more expensive and harder to find, but you can get it. BUT, studies have shown that about 10% of celiacs respond with the same immune response to avenin, the oat protein, as they do to gliadin, the wheat protein - because avenin is structurally very similar to gliadin. there is no blood test or other laboratory test that can be run to determine this. you would have to find it out for yourself by eating oats.

in summary - as has been said - maybe/maybe not. you would have to try gluten-free oats for yourself and find out if you're one of the 10% who gets intestinal damage from oats. if you tend to not be reactive to the smallest amounts, I wouldn't advise it, because you might not know. even if you do find you can tolerate them, it's advised not to have more than a 1/4 cup a day.

jkmunchkin Rising Star
jkmunchkin
Posted

As others have said, a lot of people with celiac can not tolerate oats. Personally I can. But that said, I will only eat oats that have been grown in dedicated fields. Most commercial oats (such as Quaker) are grown in shared fields with wheat and therefore can very easily be contaminated.

If you have a fair amount of damage to your intestine you might want to wait a bit before seeing if you can tolerate them.

I get oats from Cream Hill Estates.

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Gluten=bad Apprentice
Gluten=bad
Posted

I get my oats from gluten free.com, they are the Only Oats brand. I think their website is www.onlyoats.ca. They have breakfast blends that cook quickly in the microwave similar to Quaker. Hope this helps.

Guest j_mommy
Guest j_mommy
Posted

I eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats. I use them to make cookies and have NOT had a problem.

This is one of those things you have to try for yourself and see how you tolerate them. Make sure they are certified Gluten free though for your first try!

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MDRB Explorer
MDRB
Posted
i've recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, andam struglling with the diet to say the least! i've heard that oats can be eaten evn though they contain some gluten. my doctor's not sure. does anyone know?

There has been a lot of debate about gluten in oats, but most celiac references say not to. If you are looking for a breakfast alternative there are some really good rice porridges out there.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
there are two issues with oats:

1) most commercial oats (including McCanns, Country Pride, and Quaker) have been shown to be contaminated by wheat such that they have gluten levels above 200ppm, which is pretty much universally considered UNsafe for celiacs. so, commercial oats and any general oat containing product ought to be right out.

2) you can get oats made in dedicated fields, harvested with dedicated machinery, and processed and shipped on dedicated equipment. these brands are more expensive and harder to find, but you can get it. BUT, studies have shown that about 10% of celiacs respond with the same immune response to avenin, the oat protein, as they do to gliadin, the wheat protein - because avenin is structurally very similar to gliadin. there is no blood test or other laboratory test that can be run to determine this. you would have to find it out for yourself by eating oats.

in summary - as has been said - maybe/maybe not. you would have to try gluten-free oats for yourself and find out if you're one of the 10% who gets intestinal damage from oats. if you tend to not be reactive to the smallest amounts, I wouldn't advise it, because you might not know. even if you do find you can tolerate them, it's advised not to have more than a 1/4 cup a day.

Just to add to this,

It depends on how you personally handle gluten-free.

Lets say your OK with the gluten-free oats... I try and simplfy things into what I can have and what I can't.

I haven't risked/tried oats for one specific reason. Its simpler just to exclude them ... and be done with it. I know myself, if I was to class oats as possibly safe then I'd end up taking chances on brands ...

However, this is how I deal with gluten-free diet. Everyone finds there own way. If yours is similar to mine then allowing any oats might lead elsewhere... (think of it as a gateway food :D )

I also do wonder if the reaction to avenin is consistent in individuals. Do some people always not react or might the same person depending on general health and other things react sometimes?

Many of us have other intolerances because our immune systems are over active. I would think its at least possible that some of us react sometimes and others mostly and some not at all?

  • 2 weeks later...
bakingbarb Enthusiast
bakingbarb
Posted

I would like to see the info about the tainted oats, do you know where I can find it?

Studies have shown over and over that oats are tolerated by Celiacs. Celiac.com posts them all the time. The tainted part is the ONLY part about oats that worries me. I will not spend the extra money on gluten free oats.

I think just as any other aspect of being gluten free, you have to find what works for you. I went through a period when I didn't eat anything extra, no packaged foods unless they said gluten free on the label. Since I didn't and still don't want to spend a lot of money to be gluten free I don't buy a lot of packed foods for myself (chocolate excluded) but I will spend the money on the flours because I bake my own foods as much as possible. (i need to get a job can you tell!)

After not eating oats for a bit I missed them and put them back in my diet and waited for a reaction. I don't have any to them. But I try to buy a brand that is reputable also. Which is why I want to see the info about McCanns being tainted because I thought they were be a reputable brand and others have said they eat them.

bakingbarb Enthusiast
bakingbarb
Posted
There has been a lot of debate about gluten in oats, but most celiac references say not to. If you are looking for a breakfast alternative there are some really good rice porridges out there.

Those refrences are outdated. This site posts the studies all the time okaying oats for those with Celiac. We use this site for the forum but don't trust the studies they post?

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21550/1/Ano...ents/Page1.html

"Celiac.com 03/26/2008 - According to the results of a recent study, adults with diet-treated celiac disease show no elevation in anti-avenin IgA by oats."

MDRB Explorer
MDRB
Posted
Those refrences are outdated. This site posts the studies all the time okaying oats for those with Celiac. We use this site for the forum but don't trust the studies they post?

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21550/1/Ano...ents/Page1.html

"Celiac.com 03/26/2008 - According to the results of a recent study, adults with diet-treated celiac disease show no elevation in anti-avenin IgA by oats."

Hi,

Its not that I don't trust the information on this site, actually I have found it really helpful. I think the problem is more geograffic. I have not looked at the articles on this site regarding oats, however I live in Australia and we have an organization called 'the celiac society of australia' that provide a lot of up to date, australia based resources, studies, product information etc. I'm not sure about oats in the US but here we are constantly told that oats DO contain gluten and not to eat them. Furthermore, I have tested this theory for myself and become pretty sick, not as sick as I would have been eating a big chunk of wheat bread, but still pretty sick, sick enough for me to want to stay away from oats. I guess if I were someone wanting to add oats back into my diet, no matter where I live, I would be sure to call the company and ask a lot of questions.

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