Ask the Celiac Expert

Are Oats OK?

By Shelley Case, RD

Q: I'm confused about the use of oats on the gluten-free diet. I thought oats were not safe but now I hear they are allowed. What's the scoop?

A: Historically, oats were not allowed on the gluten-free diet (GF diet) used to treat those with celiac disease because they were believed to trigger the same toxic reaction in the small intestine as wheat, rye and barley. However, new studies from Europe and the U.S. reveal that consumption of oats is safe for the majority of children and adults with celiac disease.

Most of these studies used pure, uncontaminated oats, but it should be noted that a very small number of individuals with celiac disease may not even tolerate pure oats. The mechanism causing this intolerance has yet to be established.

Based on this new research, a growing number of health professionals and celiac organizations around the world now allow consumption of moderate amounts of pure, uncontaminated oat products in a GF diet. The professional advisory board of the Canadian Celiac Association, in consultation with Health Canada, has developed a position statement on using pure, uncontaminated oats. It says that adults with celiac can safely eat half to three-quarters of a cup (50 to 70 grams) of dry rolled oats per day. For children, it’s one-quarter of a cup (20 to 25 grams) per day.

Unfortunately though, most commercial oat products on the market have been cross-contaminated with wheat, barley and/or rye, which occurs during harvesting, transportation, storage, milling, processing and packaging. The good news is that there are specialty companies in North America and Europe that now produce pure, uncontaminated oat products.

Cream Hill Estates in Montreal and FarmPure Foods in Regina are the first Canadian companies to grow and package these special oats. Both sell oat groats, oat flakes and oat flour, while FarmPure also offers oat bran, steel cut oats, oat pearl/rice blend, hot breakfast cereals, mixes and even dry spice rubs for meat and poultry.

Before adding pure, uncontaminated oat products to your diet, it is recommended that you consult your physician and dietitian and ensure that your celiac disease is well-controlled on the GF diet, and that you have no gastrointestinal complaints. A diet containing oats is often higher in fibre than the typical GF diet, therefore some individuals may experience a change in stool pattern or mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal bloating and gas. This will resolve as the body adjusts to the change in the amount and type of fibre. When adding a new fibre source such as oats, it is important to consume more fluids, especially water.

For more information about oats in the GF diet see:

- www.celiac.ca
- www.glutenfreediet.ca

Shelley Case is a consulting dietitian and author of Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide. She is on the advisory boards of the Canadian Celiac Association, the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group.

First published in Allergic Living magazine, Spring 2007.
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Pure Oat Sources

Cream Hill Estates
www.creamhillestates.com
Under the brand, Lara’s™: Rolled oats, oat flour and oat groats; 500 g to 1 kg sizes

FarmPure Foods
www.farmpurefoods.com
Under the brand, Only Oats™:

Base Products Roasted oat flakes, roasted oat flour, oat bran, steel cut oats, roasted
oat pearls, oat pearl/rice blend.
550 g, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 kg sizes; 1,000 kg bags of roasted oat flakes available

Hot Breakfast Cereals (various flavours);
550 g, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 kg packages

Mixes Bread, cookie, pancake, cracker;
550 g, 2.5 and 5 kg packages

Dry Spice Rubs for meat and poultry
(various); 550 g, 2.5 and 5 kg sizes