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 Confusion


dani nero

Recommended Posts

dani nero Community Regular

I ate oats by accident last week by buying cookies from a gluten-free bakery. I ate some without checking the ingredients because I was oh so happy I could walk into a bakery and actually eat something from it haha :-)

Anyway I got gluten-symptoms but a little less severe.

And then yesterday, as I was cleaning my kitchen, a bag of gluten-free oat flower released a cloud into the air by accident and I think I might have breathed some in. Now I'm having mild symptoms again but I'm not sure it's the oats because I did also try a new brand of frozen potatoes (spiced).

My question is:

Has anyone ever had a reaction from microscopic (trace) amounts of oats just like it is with gluten? If I react to oats, does that mean that I have to watch out even for trace amounts? I would hate to think that I have to, because I can hardly eat anything as it is!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



psawyer Proficient

A minority of people with celiac disease react to pure oats the same way they react to wheat and other gluten. You may be one of them. (I don't know if I am--I haven't tried oats since my dx.)

Roda Rising Star

I ate oats by accident last week by buying cookies from a gluten-free bakery. I ate some without checking the ingredients because I was oh so happy I could walk into a bakery and actually eat something from it haha :-)

Anyway I got gluten-symptoms but a little less severe.

And then yesterday, as I was cleaning my kitchen, a bag of gluten-free oat flower released a cloud into the air by accident and I think I might have breathed some in. Now I'm having mild symptoms again but I'm not sure it's the oats because I did also try a new brand of frozen potatoes (spiced).

My question is:

Has anyone ever had a reaction from microscopic (trace) amounts of oats just like it is with gluten? If I react to oats, does that mean that I have to watch out even for trace amounts? I would hate to think that I have to, because I can hardly eat anything as it is!

Approximately 10% of celiacs react to pure gluten free oats like as Peter mentioned. Definately the minority.

I am very sensitive to gluten free oats and trace cross contamination from them. That trace CC kept me ill for 8 months(started after I had been gluten free for 15 months. Facing steroids, I went on a further elimination diet and got rid of all gluten free products and baking items. This was when I began to think of gluten free oat CC as a possible suspect. After about three months (had some help from RX pancreatic enzymes also) I was feeling much better. A few months later I decided to try something from a bakery that used flours from Bob's Red Mill(they produce/package gluten free oats in their gluten free facility). I reacted horribly. Stupid me though knew I reacted to oats(had made cookies 7 months after going gluten free) but never gave CC from them a thought until my further elimination.

Because I react to oat CC I have to source my gluten free products carefully. It has eliminated some brands of things. So even though a product is tested and is gluten free, I have to go the extra step and inquire about gluten free oats also.

dani nero Community Regular

Not what I was hoping to hear, but thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it :-)

RL2011 Rookie

I eat gluten-free oatmeal (Bob's Redmill gluten-free Old Fashioned Oats (slow cook kind)) 2 or 3 times a week. I was not able to eat this without digestive issues for about 6 months after going gluten-free. I guess that I am not a sensitive guy. :)

lpellegr Collaborator

I tried gluten-free oats at some point after I went gluten-free, and I had the same symptoms as with gluten, so for some of us we just have to avoid oats. It does suck, doesn't it, having to still check the label even when it says gluten-free. It's possible that a new oat challenge would work for me after 8 years, but I'm not willing to chance it.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

I ate a bite of something that said gluten free and didn't really like it, so that was all I had. Not a healthy bite either, like a nibble. Read the label next time I was in the store and it had oats in it. No ill effects I can tell- but it was so tiny that I might still react to a real dose, so I have not as yet been willing to really try it. I's too skeered!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



SivaK Newbie

In Canada we have new laws regarding gluten free labelling, and now products are NOT allowed to be labelled gluten free if they contain or have come in contact with oats (even uncontaminated oats). There for Canada does not consider oats to be gluten free. I had wondered why the bag of oats I bought from a gluten free store only said wheat free, but not gluten free on them. Now I know why, and now I also know why I got sick from eating them. P.S. I also cut out Bobs red mill products (THANKS RODA) as they are made in the U.S. they do not abide by our labelling standards and can be labeled gluten free even though cross contamination with oats has occurred. Everyone with celiac disease is clearly different as you can tell if you read this forum. Listen to your own body, if oats don't agree with you, don't eat them. I am in recovery from P.O.T.S syndrome, the doctors have no idea why I developed it, I have a very strong suspicion it was from the oats as well as using gluten containing products on my skin. People will tell me it is safe to put gluten on your skin, because the molecule is too big to pass through my skin (just an example I really don't want to get into that as it is off topic and always a huge argument lol), people will also tell me the only reason I can't eat oats because they are cc. These people have a right to their own beliefs and should do what is best for them. I have a right to mine and will do what is best for me. If you think oats make you sick, don't eat them, you could save yourself a lot of pain down the road.

SivaK Newbie

Oh, forgot to mention, oats do not actually contain gluten (even though Canada won't allow them to be labeled gluten free) They contain something called avenin, which is a prolamine (protein) found in gluten. In people with a avenin sensitivity the avenin is toxic to the intenstinal mucosa just like gluten.

Archived

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

  • 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. - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    2. - cristiana replied to sha1091a's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      Issues before diagnosis

    3. - chrisinpa commented on Scott Adams's article in Skin Problems and Celiac Disease
      2

      Celiac Disease and Skin Disorders: Exploring a Genetic Connection

    4. - knitty kitty replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    5. - trents replied to sha1091a's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      Issues before diagnosis

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,696
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Knotalota
    Newest Member
    Knotalota
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      I read that as well but I saw the Certified Gluten free symbol that is the reason I ourchased it.
    • cristiana
      I agree, it so often overlooked! I live in the UK and I have often wondered why doctors are so reluctant to at least exclude it - my thoughts are perhaps the particular tests are expensive for the NHS, so therefore saved for people with 'obvious' symptoms.  I was diagnosed in 2013 and was told immediately that my parents, sibling and children should be checked.  My parents' GP to this day has not put forward my father for testing, and my mother was never tested in her lifetime, despite the fact that they both have some interesting symptoms/family history that reflect they might have coeliac disease (Dad - extreme bloating, and his Mum clearly had autoimmune issues, albeit undiagnosed as such; Mum - osteoporosis, anxiety).  I am now my father' legal guardian and suspecting my parents may have forgotten to ask their GP for a test (which is entirely possible!) I put it to his last GP that he ought to be tested.  He looked at Dad's blood results and purely because he was not anemic said he wasn't a coeliac.  Hopefully as the awareness of Coeliac Disease spreads among the general public, people will be able to advocate for themselves.  It is hard because in the UK the NHS is very stretched, but the fallout from not being diagnosed in a timely fashion will only cost the NHS more money. Interestingly, a complete aside, I met someone recently whose son was diagnosed (I think she said he was 8).  At a recent birthday party with 8 guests, 4 boys out of the 8 had received diagnosis of Coeliac Disease, which is an astounding statistic  As far as I know, though, they had all had obvious gastric symptoms leading to their NHS diagnosis.  In my own case I had  acute onset anxiety, hypnopompic hallucinations (vivid hallucinations upon waking),  odd liver function, anxiety, headaches, ulcers and low iron but it wasn't until the gastric symptoms hit me that a GP thought to do coeliac testing, and my numbers were through the roof.  As @trents says, by the grace of God I was diagnosed, and the diet has pretty much dealt with most of those symptoms.  I have much to be grateful for. Cristiana
    • knitty kitty
      @xxnonamexx, There's labeling on those Trubar gluten free high fiber protein bars that say: "Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, milk, soy, fish, WHEAT, sesame, and other tree nuts." You may want to avoid products made in shared facilities.   If you are trying to add more fiber to your diet to ease constipation, considering eating more leafy green vegetables and cruciferous vegetables.  Not only are these high in fiber, they also are good sources of magnesium.  Many newly diagnosed are low in magnesium and B vitamins and suffer with constipation.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 and magnesium work together.  Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine has been shown to improve intestinal health.  Thiamine and magnesium are important to gastrointestinal health and function.  
    • trents
      Welcome to celiac.com @sha1091a! Your experience is a very common one. Celiac disease is one the most underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed medical conditions out there. The reasons are numerous. One key one is that its symptoms mimic so many other diseases. Another is ignorance on the part of the medical community with regard to the range of symptoms that celiac disease can produce. Clinicians often are only looking for classic GI symptoms and are unaware of the many other subsystems in the body that can be damaged before classic GI symptoms manifest, if ever they do. Many celiacs are of the "silent" variety and have few if any GI symptoms while all along, damage is being done to their bodies. In my case, the original symptoms were elevated liver enzymes which I endured for 13 years before I was diagnosed with celiac disease. By the grace of God my liver was not destroyed. It is common for the onset of the disease to happen 10 years before you ever get a diagnosis. Thankfully, that is slowly changing as there has developed more awareness on the part of both the medical community and the public in the past 20 years or so. Blessings!
    • knitty kitty
      @EndlessSummer, You said you had an allergy to trees.  People with Birch Allergy can react to green beans (in the legume family) and other vegetables, as well as some fruits.  Look into Oral Allergy Syndrome which can occur at a higher rate in Celiac Disease.   Switching to a low histamine diet for a while can give your body time to rid itself of the extra histamine the body makes with Celiac disease and histamine consumed in the diet.   Vitamin C and the eight B vitamins are needed to help the body clear histamine.   Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?
×
×
  • 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.