Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Oats - Do You Have To Limit Amounts

Alex J

Recommended Posts

Alex J Apprentice
Alex J
Posted

My son wants to try oats, and was given the go ahead by his gi who said that according to the science, they are safe. I got some Cream Hill Estates rolled oats to try.

But looking at the research it seems that if you do tolerate them, you can eat only limited amounts - 1/4 cup for a child, which isn't even a serving.

Is there any more recent research than that? Is that just the amount they studied - so that's the only amount they can say is OK - or did they see problems with greater amounts?

Those of you who tolerate them, do you limit the amount? Those who don't tolerate them, was it obvious right away?

He was diagnosed through testing (he was tested because he has diabetes) and his symptoms were not that obvious. But at diagnosis his tTg was >250 and he had a lot of damage. Now his tTg is down to 0.7 at the last test. I'm wondering how reliable a repeat tTg would be to tell if the oats are causing damage, in the absence of symptoms. The GI doesn't think a repeat endoscopy would be necessary.

He also has hypothyroidism, and all these conditions together have been affecting his growth pretty badly over the past few years. However lately he has started climbing back up on the charts. I don't want to mess with the progress we've made, but on the other hand I want to establish a very certain, very safe diet for him before he starts heading into the teenage years (he's 10). I'd rather establish now for sure whether oats are ok than have him try them in a less controlled way later.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

There are two problems with oats:

1) cross contamination - all major brands are contaminated far beyond acceptable limits. the brand you bought is grown and processed to not be contaminated with wheat, however, so you've chosen well so far.

2) approximately 10% of celiacs react to the protein in wheat. so, contamination or not, pure oats will cause a celiac autoimmune reaction. the only way to know if your son is in that 10% is to try the oats, and see if there is a reaction.

BTW, that 1/4cup, as far as I know, is 1/4cup UNCOOKED oats, which is a larger amount (not quite a cup, iirc) once cooked. Mostly, it allows for some baking with oats...

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

Even with being gluten free as long as I have been I can not tolerate oats. Not even the extremely expensive gluten free ones.

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I was 7 months gluten free when I tried Bobs Red Mill gluten free oats. I made cookies with them and I reacted after 30 minutes of eating them. I was not sure (highly suspicious though) so I ate some more cookies the next day, and bam it happened again. I have not tried them again since.

runningcrazy Contributor
runningcrazy
Posted

We buy gluten free oats from Bobs Red Mill. I eat them atleast twice a week(weekends) because I dont have time to cook them before school. I eat a full serving (1/2 cup) and have no problem. Keep in mind some people do react to the protein in oats. So I would just introduce it slowly until you are sure its okay with him.

Alex J Apprentice
Alex J
Posted
  • Author

So, we tried the oatmeal.

Two things - I made oatmeal from 1 1/2 cups of oats and divided it amongst 4 children, and they would have eaten more. So he will probably be eating more than 1/4 cup a day, if we continue.

And my undiagnosed (but gluten free) kid woke up in the middle of the night with very bad abdominal pain. I gave him ibuprofen in desperation and in the end he went back to sleep. He had one IgG gliadin test come up positive once, and had very bad constipation that resolved on a gluten free diet (that's when I first learned that ibuprofen/acetaminophen can help temporarily with abdominal pain - if the miralax wasn't working, we used to have to dose him with painkillers at night so he could sleep). He woke up fine with no other signs of illness.

I'll give it another try because it could have been a coincidence. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that one of the other kids might react. I have one diagnosed celiac, two who eat gluten free (one was symptomatic, the other is only three and our house is gluten free so he is), one who eats gluten at school.

Alex

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

I'm almost 7 years gluten free and I react very strongly to oats...whether its one oatmeal cookie or an entire bowl of oats. I'm not really that sensitive anymore either (to cross contamination and things). I've given it several test runs to rule out coincidences and just figured its not worth it any more!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lpellegr Collaborator
lpellegr
Posted

Same here - I bought gluten-free oats to test it out, and I reacted. So now I avoid oats, which irritates me when I read some label that says their product is gluten-free, but turns out to be oat based. I guess that's Karma for eating 3 bowls of Cheerios a day for 30 years.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,331
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Kristy2026
    Newest Member
    Kristy2026
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.