What Exactly Is The Scoop On Oats - Are They Really Gluten...Or Not?

Years ago, when someone said that a food item contained gluten, you immediately assumed it either had wheat, barley, rye, or oats in its list of ingredients. Someone with an intolerance to gluten or someone

diagnosed with celiac disease, would have to stay clear of such a food. This was because, as those with gluten sensitivities know, gluten will cause damage to the small intestine, damaging the villi, which aid in food digestion. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats. Therefore, it is essential for anyone affected by this to avoid consuming anything that may contain these grains. This happens to roughly 1 out of every 133 people living in the United States.

Nowadays however, we know that while wheat, barley, and rye are detrimental for people that can't have gluten, oats are not. In fact, oats do not contain any gluten at all. Obviously then the question is why did we always avoid them, and if they aren't gluten, are they really harmless for a person with a negative reaction to gluten?

The problem with oats was that we were concerned for cross contamination between oats and other gluten rich grains. This was a legitimate concern for many reasons. Oats were grown in fields that

previously grew other gluten rich grains. Some of those other gluten rich grains would naturally grow in the oat field the next year, which will then cause the oats harvested from that field to be contaminated. Oats were also processed with the same equipment used to process other grains, which would cause cross contamination. Oats are also often packaged in the same warehouse that gluten rich grains are packaged. For these reasons, anyone on a gluten free diet would avoid oats as much as any other gluten. Not because it actually contained gluten but because there was the chance that there might have been some cross contamination. For this reason, those who have a sensitivity to gluten would also avoid corn chips, corn tortillas, and some will even avoid soy products.

So are we still worried about cross contamination, or are oats safe? Unfortunately, the cost of growing, manufacturing, and packaging oats in a totally separate environment does not allow this to be the normal way of doing things. Any popular brand like Quaker, for instance, will not process this way and is not safe for those on a gluten free diet. Fortunately though, because of a desire for oats and food items containing oats, there are now companies that are certifying their oats to be free of gluten and do not pose any risk of cross contamination. Everything is done to ensure that other grains will not come in contact with the oats.

Nevertheless, even with the certain lack of gluten, 3-5% of people with celiac disease still can't tolerate anything containing oats. Even the products that are certified gluten free can make some people who eat it experience a reaction. The exact reason for this seems unclear, but that being the case, oats cannot be considered a total risk free choice for those on a gluten free diet. But if after having oats in small quantities and at different intervals, one does not experience any reaction, that would usually indicate that it would not pose a problem. Most physicians advise people who are newly diagnosed with celiac disease to wait until their health is restored before ingesting any oat products.

For those who can tolerate oats, you could now purchase oats, oat flour, oatmeal cereal, oatmeal cookies, and anything else made from oats that are totally free of gluten. Products such as these are sold at local

health food stores or at online stores that carry gluten free products, such as www.allergyfreekosher.com, where you could find an abundance of products as well as many recipes. The thing to remember today is that with the abundance of food items and recipes, you could eat a delicious gluten free diet and not even know it.