Oprah And Oatmeal

[jerseygrl]

On Oprah this week, there was an vegan/author (promoting book, of course) on the show that was hyping a 21 day cleanse. One of the things to eliminate in the cleanse is gluten. My ears perked of course. It was implied that oatmeal was gluten-free. Now I always thought that oatmeal was an "on the fence" type of gluten-free food. Some experts say that it is gluten-free, but the real gurus of celiac disease say no.

So, has anything changed, or is oatmeal still a no-no?

Thanks!

[curlyfries]

The problem with oatmeal is that it is often contaminated with wheat simply because of its harvesting environment. You can buy safe oatmeal, but I don't know what brands to look for. Maybe someone else can give you that info.

[lizard00]

The only brand that I have actually seen is Bob's Red Mill. There's probably others, but I am not sure. As the previous poster mentioned, the issue with oats is the contamination. However, some people with Celiac simply cannot tolerate oats; gluten-free or not.

[Juliebove]

As the other poster said, oats in and of themselves are gluten-free, but unless they state that, they could be contaminated with other grains. The gluten-free oats I have are not Bob's Red Mill but some other brand. I can't remember the name offhand and am too lazy to get up and look. They are clearly labeled as gluten-free and are not cheap. I get them at the health food store but have seen them for sale at various grocery stores in the area.

[VioletBlue]

The theory is that some of the proteins in oats are similar in structure to that found in wheat rye and barley. Some Celiacs may react to it while others may not. There are two peptides derived from oat avenin that are very similar to peptides of gluten.

The jury is still out on whether or not oats can be harmful to Celiacs or all Celiacs, aside from the cross contamination issue. There's so much contradictory info out there that you kind of have to make up your own mind; mostly likely through the old trial and error method.

The only brand that I have actually seen is Bob's Red Mill. There's probably others, but I am not sure. As the previous poster mentioned, the issue with oats is the contamination. However, some people with Celiac simply cannot tolerate oats; gluten-free or not.

[Dyan]

Bob's red mill does have steel cut gluten free oats.

[slmprofesseur]

I will buy only Bob's Red Mill they have both the steel cut and the rolled oats. My 2 yr old and I eat it regularly. The rolled oats make great cookies. They go for $5/bag.

[Dyan]

My stores I go to are so limited. I haven't done any mail order yet. I put a lot of stuff in my shopping cart and then when I see how much shipping will be, I cancel out. I am going to look for the rolled oats next week. I have in town a small health food store, I can get by with all they carry. But when my daughter wants something I can't make, like hard pretzel, I end up traveling about 40 miles away. I wish my city would get a Whole Foods.