Can You Eat Gluten-Free Oats?

[Jenniferxgfx]

But it's kinda like planning a vacation only in reverse...

I have to plan for whole sick week to be able to try them.

This made me laugh! It's exactly how I've been looking at trying things!

[Jenniferxgfx]

If the limit of quantitation is 20ppm in the US and 3ppm in Australia, what testing methods are they using in Australia that are more sensitive? I thought ELIZA was the most sensitive. Or did the law get written without a valid limit of detection?

[Skylark]

Realistically, the LOQ for the R5 ELISA, the most accurate widely available gluten test, is 5 ppm. My understanding is that the Australian law is "no detectable gluten". An R5 ELISA will show a weak signal between 3 and 5 ppm, but the result cannot be quantified below 5 ppm. (i.e. you can't tell the difference between 3, 4, or 5 ppm.)

The 20 ppm limit proposed in the US is because, as usual, corporations take precedence over individuals. Corporations can use a less expensive test to demonstrate that the food is under 20 ppm. It will also make it relatively easy for the big food companies to make "safe" gluten-free food and rake in the $$ for the latest fad diet.

I think an enforceable limit considering assay error and statistical sampling issues would be 10 ppm. Good companies like Udi's are already voluntarily following a 10 ppm limit through GFCO. I don't think a "not detectable" law would work in the US because we are too litigious.

[Jenniferxgfx]

Thanks for the reply! This helps! And ticks me off! Lol.

I agree with you, too. There needs to be a value assigned to gluten-free and 10ppm is reasonable.

I'm going to submit more comments to the FDA about this. 20ppm isn't right if we're comfortably capable of half that.

[melikamaui]

I voted no, but we have 3 celiacs in my family. Two of us seem to have no reactions, but my youngest son reacts very strongly. Because of my son we all stay off oats.

[come dance with me]

Just to clear things up a little bit. In Australia, it is ILLEGAL to label anything as "GLUTEN FREE" unless the following conditions are met:

NO Detectable Gluten (i.e. currently <3ppm detectable gluten)

NO Oats

NO Malted Cereals that contain Gluten (i.e. Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Spelt, Triticale).

It is ILLEGAL to label anything in Australia as "LOW GLUTEN" unless the following conditions are met:

NO more than 200ppm Gluten

NO Oats

NO Malted Cereals that contain Gluten (i.e. Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, Spelt, Triticale).

Manufacturers may claim that their foods contain gluten, are high in gluten, or are a source of gluten.

All other claims in relation to gluten content of food are illegal (some examples of this include "gluten friendly", "gluten-less", "not gluten free", etc.)

Oats can be labelled as wheat free and if this is the case, they are most likely pure. Many Australian oats are pure and many bare the "wheat free" label. Freedom Foods and a couple of other companies sell them in the health food aisle of Woolworths and Coles supermarkets.

Thought I'd clear up the LAW for you all.

Ok rolly eyes were a little uncalled for. My keyboard won't work too well. I can't type much and what I do type takes a long time. Thank you for clearing it up but yeah uncalled for. Think I'll look elsewhere for information thank you. I'd rather not put up with that.

[kellynolan82]

Ok rolly eyes were a little uncalled for. My keyboard won't work too well. I can't type much and what I do type takes a long time. Thank you for clearing it up but yeah uncalled for. Think I'll look elsewhere for information thank you. I'd rather not put up with that.

I'm sorry you found my comments uncalled for. I certainly did not intend for them to come across that way and I do apologise for the 'rolly eyes' that you mentioned. Everything in the above statement of mine is correct and as you may be aware I am taking a variety of companies to task on the issue of false gluten free advertising in Australia.

[Skylark]

Ok rolly eyes were a little uncalled for. My keyboard won't work too well. I can't type much and what I do type takes a long time. Thank you for clearing it up but yeah uncalled for. Think I'll look elsewhere for information thank you. I'd rather not put up with that.

I think you misunderstood? I know on other boards the "eyeroll" emoticon can be quite sarcastic/rebellious but it just doesn't look that way to me on here. I think people tend to use it as a more interesting smiley than .

[mushroom]

Not willing to risk it .

[hashimoto-hater]

My mother and I went to 2 celiac courses, and we were told to not bother with oats, some have gluten in them even if it is wheat free, as oats have their own gluten protein, i dont know what is is called. I once tried it last year (2010) and I got a really bad reaction. I get stomach cramps that make me want to scream, and then after around 8-9 hours of cramps I violently throw up. And i mean VIOLENTLY, I throw up stomach acid on a regular basis (every 3-4 months) and it feels like my eyes and brain are going to eplode or bulge out.

Unfortunately I also have a fat intolerance from my hashmotos, hence my name on here... and I get really down when ever i have a reaction as throwing up makes me really depressed as i am PETRIFIED of it, whenever i get a reaction i sit in front of the tv and just cry.

SO, we were told by a certified diatician that there is NO point eating oats. Maybe thats just in Australia.

Does any body know any hot chocolate substances that would have no gluten in it? I really miss it and its ending winter in Australia and I havent been able to have any........ it makes me sad.......

[Skylark]

Make hot cocoa from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk. It's really good. Here's a web page with pretty much what I do.

Open Original Shared Link

[hashimoto-hater]

I'm sorry you found my comments uncalled for. I certainly did not intend for them to come across that way and I do apologise for the 'rolly eyes' that you mentioned. Everything in the above statement of mine is correct and as you may be aware I am taking a variety of companies to task on the issue of false gluten free advertising in Australia.

I for one am not offeded by the rolly eyes, i didnt care actually, and if someone did (and im speaking from experience) saw it in WAY too much detail, theyh overreacted mate! Im from australia, and ive only been diagnosed just under a year, im struggling, my mum thinks she is and shes struggling.

Thankyou SO MUCH for your information.

[hashimoto-hater]

ummmm your little line thingy down the bottom, well, obviously you are MUCH older than me (no offence, i mean in experience and maturity) and have had lots of things, but how come you are on here if you are only "intolerant"? Im a full blown celiac and what i wouldnt give to be not one, if you slf diagnose, you are ruining your life, it is s hard, ive been on it less thn a year and im already missing things i am also fat intolerant and hen i found out i almost screamed at the doctor. I know it isnt his fault but all im saying self-diagnosed people are usually wrong in their diagnoses, my mum diagnosed me as having a virus and actually i had hashimotos (2008) so check ith your doctor or change it to diagnosed.

[Skylark]

ummmm your little line thingy down the bottom, well, obviously you are MUCH older than me (no offence, i mean in experience and maturity) and have had lots of things, but how come you are on here if you are only "intolerant"? Im a full blown celiac and what i wouldnt give to be not one, if you slf diagnose, you are ruining your life, it is s hard, ive been on it less thn a year and im already missing things i am also fat intolerant and hen i found out i almost screamed at the doctor. I know it isnt his fault but all im saying self-diagnosed people are usually wrong in their diagnoses, my mum diagnosed me as having a virus and actually i had hashimotos (2008) so check ith your doctor or change it to diagnosed.

You are not going to make any friends here minimizing gluten intolerance or coming after us self-diagnosed folks. Your post made me really angry.

Doctors failed to diagnose me for 30-odd years, including a childhood celiac test AFTER I was off wheat because guess what? It made me sick. I'm bloody well certain that gluten is what was making me so ill I almost flunked out of school, and functionally it matters not a whit whether some blasted doctor with his fancy diploma has "diagnosed" me. Heck, I worked harder for my fancy diploma than most doctors anyway since I did half of it with undiagnosed celiac disease.

Oh, and by the way I have had THREE doctors advise me to NOT gluten challenge because the tests are woefully inaccurate and they don't consider seeking a "diagnosis" worth making me ill.

[mushroom]

hashimoto_hater, I had quit eating gluten long before I heard of celiac disease, and long before any doctor thought of testing me for it, instead telling me that I had irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia and was a head case. I first quit gluten in the hopes that it would have a positive effect on my psoriatic arthritis because I knew that gluten free was helpful in treating ankylosing spondylitis. It has not noticeably affected my arthritis, but it has notably alleviated lots of my digestive problems, and I have been able to identify the others through trial and error while the so-called M.D. experts still for the most part look at me like I have rocks in my head (whereas they used to be in my stomach). I look at them and wish they knew more than they do.

I was certainly not going to make myself sick again just so that some M.D. could finally, after all these years, proclaim that I was in fact celiac and should not eat gluten. Well, duh!! Yes, I am much older than you I am sure, and have suffered much longer than you, so I don't think you are entitled to tell me what I should or should not do about my diagnosis. To most people I do not say I am celiac because I have never been tested for it; sometimes I do call myself celiac if necessary to get a point across. My whole family has similar issues to mine - the only one who has been tested and officially diagnosed celiac is my sister's daughter. This sister also eats gluten free after wasting away to almost skin and bones. No one thought to test her either.

I can assure you I am not ruining my life, I am saving it. Things that are hard are worth doing if they work. For me they work. You may choose to do whatever you want,

As you read and learn more about the gluten sensitivity/intolerance spectrum, you may (or may not) come to realize that the more research they do the harder the researchers are finding it to draw a line between where gluten intolerance ends and celiac disease begins. At the moment there is no test for gluten intolerance -- the only imperfect testing that has been devised is for that form of intolerance that has been labelled celiac disease and which specifically affects the small intestine. Other forms of the gluten intolerance affect the thyroid, the gall bladder, the pancreas, and most especially the nervous system. Often the people with nervous system manifestation test negative for celiac disease but their doctors diagnose them with celiac anyway because of other factors and positive response to the diet.

I would be very interested in what research evidence you have to support your statement that most self-diagnosed people are usually wrong in their diagnosis.

[Nor-TX]

I agree with Mushroom. To come new to a forum and after a couple of posts you consider yourself an expert on gluten free/gluten intolerant issues is a little presumptuous don't you think. There are studies and lots of articles in current publications discussing this absolute topic. Interolerance is as much a real disease as is being full blown Celiac. We get sick, we throw up, we have potty issues, we have body aches and we have pain. Myself, I am gluten intolerant. The diagnosis was deduced after an endoscopy and doctor did not want to do any further blood tests. She told me to not eat gluten and see if I get better. Well I did... and then I did. Now, don't tell me I don't belong on this forum. That is something someone immature and rude would say. Does that describe your personalitiy?

You will find no other forum as kind, as compassionate, and as caring towards its members. You would be in good stead to offer up some manners, if you know what those are. "I'm sorry" goes a long way to med fences. If you missed the "manners" life lessons, I'm sure you could look those up on the internet and become an expert.

Both Celiac and Gluten Intolerance are honest-to-god health issues even if they are not in your present rule book.

Almost everyone in my family has either colitis, a gluten issue, IBS (now being controlled by a gluten free diet) or celiac disease. It his us when some of us were young like you and some when they were old like me. One is not more important than the other, one is not harder to deal with than the other.

Also if you continue to yell at your doctor because of a medical condition that you have, I feel sorry for you. Why you ask? Because you will be someone who will have to run from doctor to doctor to find one, after each throws you out.

Pull up your big girl panties and grow up. Life isn't always about you, sometimes life goes on around you and you can only simply watch and learn. And that is what I suggest you do, Watch and Learn.

[modiddly16]

I sure can't, which is a bummer because I used to love oatmeal. I found out from those delicious oatmeal raisin gluten free cookies, which then brought me to test out actual oatmeal and it wasn't pleasant!

[lynnelise]

I can't fathom someone actually telling a person who knows their body after years of exerience to go to the doctor or change their signature line to say they are diagnosed. This is the Celiac AND Gluten Free forum. Not everyone is gluten free for the same reason. Some are autistic, some have Crohn's or colitis and find relief this way, others fibromyalsia, one guy has gluten induced epilepsy, and ALL belong on this forum!!! For your information doctors don't know everything. My doctor told me that my blood test wouldn't be affected by the fact that I had already quit eating gluten! Well now I find it should be common knowledge that you have to eat gluten for your body to react. Therefore my test was inaccurate and a waste of money. Before going on this diet I couldn't leave my house without taking large doses of Immodium! My B12 levels were in the gutter. I had gastritis, duodenitis, and esophigitis. Now my intestines are no longer inflamed, I absorb vitamins, and have little need for Immodium. It certainly doesn't sound like the gluten-free diet is dangerous for me now does it???

[Jenniferxgfx]

That comment about self-diagnosing was really hurtful and insulting.

Doctors have failed to dx me for 30+ years, so I think you put far too much faith in doctors' worth and abilities.

This forum has changed my life, and someone coming in, insults blazing, is just laughable. What kind of person does that? Someone with the privileges of a "classic case" and access to good healthcare.

[dilettantesteph]

I tried oats after healing for 6 months or so. They were gluten free oats BRM. They had a little disclaimer on the package about some celiacs not being able to eat oats, but I didn't take it seriously. I was so looking forward to eating oats. I cooked up a bowl and ate half of it. It made me sick for 2 months or so. I really regretted not just trying a tiny bit the first time. What a dummy!

The only good thing about it is that I realized that cc from oats could also be an issue for me. I improved when I avoided things made in the same facility as gluten-free oats.

[Cattknap]

I eat gluten free oats on a regular basis. My celiac sprue level is almost normal.

[squirmingitch]

I haven't tried them yet. Haven't been gluten-free long enough to risk trying them. I may end up like so many others ~~~ buying some & then look at them sitting in the cabinet for that "one day" which may never come when I have to courage to try them.

[Gemini]

I eat gluten free oats on a regular basis. My celiac sprue level is almost normal.

Same here. I eat gluten-free oats with no problem but I obviously have no issue with the oat protein. There are brands that are truly gluten-free and I think it a shame that doctors do the scare tactics with people. I can't imagine being terrified of trying gluten-free oats! It has nothing to do with sensitivity either because I am an extremely sensitive, diagnosed Celiac yet can eat oatmeal without a problem. It's all so individual, there is no telling who will have a problem until you try it.

[squirmingitch]

Same here. I eat gluten-free oats with no problem but I obviously have no issue with the oat protein. There are brands that are truly gluten-free and I think it a shame that doctors do the scare tactics with people. I can't imagine being terrified of trying gluten-free oats! It has nothing to do with sensitivity either because I am an extremely sensitive, diagnosed Celiac yet can eat oatmeal without a problem. It's all so individual, there is no telling who will have a problem until you try it.

Thank you. You have given me something to really think about. I always loved oatmeal & oatmeal cookies & (don't laugh) --- Oatmeal fudge!

[mopsiecat]

Our local food store started stocking Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats - I was so excited. Having been gluten free of 8 years, it was so wonderful to have oatmeal for breakfast again. Then I started getting strange symptoms, not much bowel pain, but chest pain, left side and behind the shoulder blade. One Sunday PM I ended up in emergency thinking I was having a heart attack. The doctor admitted me and I was kept in intensive care. Every time the chest pain started they would do an EEG but they were always normal. Anyway, it turned out to be a stomach problem . I stopped eating oats, and my problems disappeared. When I get gluten my first symptoms are bloating and bowel pain, but sometimes the pain does radiate up into the left chest area.

My sister and her son (both celiacs) tried the oats too and had to give it up as it made them sick too.