Are oats really safe for the gluten free diet? This is a question that comes up on a regular basis when talking about the gluten free lifestyle and implementing a gluten free diet. While the short answer is no. The long answer is much more complicated than that. There are a variety of reasons why this is the case.
1. Unlike wheat oats actually do not have gluten in them naturally. However, they are very often processed on the same equipment as wheat and therefore become contaminated. That said you can buy gluten free oats that have not been processed on the same equipment and therefore are marketed and sold as gluten free. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain, Rolled Oats, 32-oz. Bags (Count of 4)
2. Even oats that are marked as gluten free can become contaminated if you buy them from the wrong source. For example, I do not recommend purchasing gluten free oats from the bulk section at the grocery store because people can easily spill regular oats, wheat and other items in them. It’s much better to get them already packaged.
3. In the United States and I think in other countries as well, an item can be labeled gluten free if it has less than 20 ppm of gluten. This means that many “gluten free” foods, do in fact still have trace amounts of gluten in them. Some foods are known for this being more of an issue than others. Oats is one food that typically has at least a trace amount of gluten even when labeled gluten free. For this reason some companies that make gluten free and other allergen free foods such as Enjoy Life do not use oats in any of their products because they believe that there are no truly gluten free oats. For this reason some celiacs who have a very severe case of the disease cannot eat oats. Personally, I can eat the gluten free oats just fine although the ones that are not certified gluten free do make me quite sick.
4. Recently there was an article that came out saying that many grains even those that are organic have been contaminated with one of the same chemicals that has been sprayed on wheat for years and caused many people to have problems with wheat.
In short, there is no easy answer to the question are oats really safe for the gluten free diet? It varies from person to person. If you eat gluten free oats and your body reacts okay to them then I would say you can eat them. However, I would be careful to not eat them too often.
Did this help you? If so, I would greatly appreciate a share on Facebook, twitter, linkedin, or pinterest.
My Favorite Products (Affiliate links- if you make a purchase I may earn a small commission)
Thrive Market - healthy gluten free, sugar free and speciality online food and household products
Silk and Sonder Monthly Journals and Planners
My Portable Infrared Sauna
Self Care Journal
Martie discounted food
Olipop - healthy soda with probiotics and prebiotics
Digestion Kit
Stress Oils
