There is a rumour which says celiac's cannot eat oats. To dispel this myth, you first need to know Oat and his friends and family as I do. Then you will see they are not bad folks to have around… or are they? If you knew the Mr. and Mrs. Monocot, you will know they had three daughters. Their oldest child who married into the Triticum's bore three children of her own: Wheat, a strong burly chap; then Rye, who has a wry sense of humour; and last, Barley, who works at the local malt shop. Mr. and Mrs. Monocot's middle child’s married name is Stavia, and she had two children: Rice and Oat. The Monocot's youngest child’s surname became Poaceae. The Poaceae raised three strapping children of her own: Sorghum, who had a Southern accent as thick as molasses; Corn, who has hair like silk; and Millet the miller. The whole Grass family and their descendants are a wholesome group, however, Wheat and his brothers don't know their own strength. They are all the thick skinned type who sometimes rub people the wrong way; as in the problems create by the high concentration of gluten in grains of the triticum family. Oat is a humble, wholesome, healthy lad. Nevertheless, when he hangs around his cousins Wheat, Rye and Barley their coarse form of jesting rubs off on him and he becomes offensive to his brother Rice and his other cousins; as when oat can easily become contaminated with gluten when processed in the same facilities used for processing wheat. On his own, Oat is a likable guy almost anyone would get along with him, but there is a streak in him which clicks with his cousin Wheat and can distort this likable lad in a moment, though he never goes as far in biting jesting as Rye. Getting back to the real worldGluten is the term for the storage protein of wheat. It is what remains after the starch granules are washed away; and accounts for 10-15 percent of the wheat flour. The fraction of gluten most studied in celiac disease is called gliadin, but there are other proteins which chemically resemble gliadin in rye and barley. These similar proteins are the offending part. The offending protein in rye are secalins and in barley are hordeins. These proteins are not strictly glutens but are generally included in the term and are still toxic to people with celiac disease. Wheat, rye and barley are closely related genetically. Oats are on a different branch, more closely related to rice. Most studies of gluten look at gliadin, but it is possible there are other proteins in gluten to which people are sensitive. However, oats contain a protein fraction called avenin. “Avenin...Was shown to cause a reaction in a few celiac patients that is not fundamentally different from the reaction to gluten peptides [gliadins]. But clinical studies have shown that the majority or people with celiac disease tolerate oats quite well.” - Peter H.R. Green, M.D., and Rory Jones, M.S., Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic: Is Gluten Making You Sick? It is believed oats are safe for over 98 percent of those with celiac disease. Studies have found patients ingesting oats sometimes have more symptoms because of the increase in dietary fibre, but very few have any type of immune reaction. GETTING BACK TO OUR ANALOGYWhen if Oat hangs around with, and spends much of his growing-up years with, his cousin Wheat cross contamination remains an issue. Oats and other grains are often grown in close proximity to, or are processed at the same facilities as, wheat, rye and barley. If not sorted properly, gluten can be accidentally ground in with the Oats, contaminating them.
Thankfully there is, and has been for sometime, a solution on the market, certified gluten-free oats. It is actually two solutions under one header. Certified gluten-free oats can be raised in two ways. The first is to raise the crops well away from wheat crops, the fields then are inspected to verify they are far enough away from wheat. The second is to raise the crop as per the norm, but in the factory/mill an electric eye scans the grains for gluten. The product is then sorted to remove all wheat kernels. Ultimately, both methods are inspected at the end in a lab and if found to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten they are certified ‘gluten-free.’ Look for the certification and eat with ease. However, monitor your health for any symptoms, bearing in mind there might be an overload of fibre, if you have a flare up consult your doctor immediately, you may be among the two percent of celiacs who are allergic to oats, or rather to oat protein.
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Re-posted, Originally Article Published: 5/30/2015
So for a few months I have been drinking Bolthouse Farms' Green Goodness® smoothie because of the vitamin and mineral benefits (way better than a multivitamin!). Recently my Dad and sister have taken to it as well, both of them are eating GF. So I look to the ingredient label (a good habit) and I have a bit of a start as is barley grass is plainly listed... Wait, barley? Meaning the same barley which contains gluten!!! I took a deep breath. No not the same, I told myself, this is 'barley grass' meaning the leaf not the seed/grain. Whew! Relief swept my body. But does that mean barley grass is gluten free? Hmm... I did a quick search and this is what I found: "Wheat grass and barley grass in their pure forms are considered gluten-free," (oh here comes that dreaded word) however, "if a farmer allows some of the grasses to begin producing seeds prior to harvest, then that particular crop will contain gluten. "In addition, if a manufacturer of supplements produces gluten-containing products alongside or on the same equipment as it's using for gluten-free labeled products, then those products can be cross-contaminated unless special precautions are taken, and they may contain gluten. "So when it comes to the question of whether wheat grass and barley grass can be considered gluten-free, the details really matter." Bolthouse Farms does carry many great smoothies/juices which they do advertise as GF, making me all the more concerned for the state of my friend Green Goodness®. I have asked them on their website (www.bolthouse.com) if the barely grass used is monitored and can safely be declared as GF. Now is just to wait and find out. If anyone else wants to ask the same question on Bolthouse's website then perhaps if the smoothies' ingredients are not already monitored as GF they will see the high demand for it to be that they will start monitoring the barely grass production more closely! So where does that leave my Green Goodness® smoothie? Will Tamara ever be able to drink it again? Will see resort to making her own smoothie? When will Bolthouse Farms get back to her on the subject? Will they say "Yes for sure it's gluten free!" Or will that be just a clever cover up for there secret mission in Antarctica to train iguanas for paper airplane engineering? Will Tamara sing Yankee doodle in her complete boredom?!?!?!? Find out all this and more next time on LIFE AFTER GLUTEN.weebly.com! Gluten intolerant may seem like a popular buzz word or the latest polite excuse to not eat food you just plain don't like. Perhaps this is true in some cases, but for those of us really struggling with a genuine disorder those words burn. Recently, a co-worker was experience extreme nausea day in and day out for over a month. After a few rounds of testing it was confirmed that she need to go gluten-free and lactose-free. This was a reminder to me that new people are still being diagnosed everyday with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. It is a reality. It takes an average of 11 years for patients to be diagnosed with Celiac disease. The average cost of a misdiagnosis is $5,000 – $12,000 per person per year (glutenintoleranceschool.com/gluten-intolerance-statistics/). You do not have to let it take that long for you or loved one. Here is a helpful article on 13 early signs of a gluten intolerance. Sometimes if you catch gluten intolerance at an early enough stage the intolerance is reversible so it pays off to pay attention to what your body is tell you. For more information on the importance of being diagnosed check out my earlier post here. Find answers to frequently asked questions about gluten here. Still have questions? Hmm,,, no lets be honest. Then ask your question in the comment section below!
I thought I'd try out pixon.com and make this FAQ (frequently asked questions) into a comic! Hope you learn and laugh! Got questions just ask!
Thanks & Blessings, Tamara Green |
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If you are that person with a million and one allergies and intolerance I am there to say you are not alone! Life After Gluten can be better than life with wheat. Living lactose-free since 2007 and gluten-free since 2013. Also intolerant and/or allergic to mushrooms, soy, and yeast. Categories
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