Help - gluten & wheat trialing

[*Kara*]

Here is a good link with a quick reference list

http://www.angieevans.ca/pdf/Grains%20&%20Gluten.pdf

[EloysH]

Claire, I asked my paediatrician about possibly giving Kai spelt one day. He said that if wheat is his issue and not gluten then down the track he *might* tolerate spelt. He explained the gluten in spelt is not as hard the gluten in normal wheat and also it is about 4 times less gluten than traditional wheat.  I think that spelt is an ancient form of wheat.

Anyway, he said to try Kai on gluten but not wheat first.  So firstly try oats and then rye.  For rye I need to find 95 % rye (if it is to be mixed with wheat)  That is pretty hard, the only rye bread I know that fits is a  rye/chia bread, I think it is about 50% rye and the rest are gluten free grains. 

He said if rye went well, we would try spelt down the track. 

[*Kara*]

Anyway, he said to try Kai on gluten but not wheat first.  So firstly try oats and then rye

Interesting... we never try oats first - they are almost always cross contaminated with wheat. 

[EloysH]

I was thinking that there is a brand here of uncontaminated oats, I must check  We have a brand here that makes some kind of claim - I thought it was contmaintaiton free- or else guaranteed wheat free - maybe it is because they are organic - thinking aloud here does that fit with what you know?


The other thought I have is that the Dr said "almost gluten free"  when he referred to the oats - now i don't know if that is reffering contamination with wheat or else that oats naturally have a tiny bit of gluten in them but not wheat gluten.  I did think he meant the latter.

[*Kara*]

Not sure if it has something to do with being organic... hmmm, that would make sense though.

My SIL has 2 LO's with celiac and they cannot tolerate the gluten-free oats at all.

[deb]

I have a friend whose little girl has full-on celiac, like eat a graham cracker crumb and bloody stool the next day or two full-on. Her regular breakfast is oatmeal, so perhaps her family has found a gluten-free brand. I seem to think that it has more to do with cross-contamination with wheat than oats having their own gluten, and when I look for lists of gluten-free and gluten-containing grains, sometimes oats are "low-gluten" and sometimes "gluten-free," so the available info is contradictory.

[weaver]

I think also (but this may not be right) that some of the reactions people have to usual wheat is to do with the improvements that have been made to the grain over many years of intensive cultivation.  Whereas spelt is an older grain which hasn't been through the same process and so for some people with wheat intolerance, spelt is ok. But it is NOT ok for coeliacs. Of course it's a personal choice whether you let yourself have a 'little bit of gluten' but any gluten in a coeliac's diet is potentially harmful. 

[weaver]

Oh and oats are a mine-field as far as labelling goes.  The Coeliac Society of Ireland says a gluten-free diet means avoiding wheat, barley, rye and oats.  I know my sister doesn't eat oats though we had a brief period of hope that she'd be able to some years ago.  I think the research briefly looked promising or something. 

Anyhow, just to prove your point, I actually bought a packet of porridge oats this morning labelled 'everyday gluten free' (in big writing) and on the back (in tiny writing) it says 'most gluten allergy sufferers can eat pure oats without any effect on their health.  However, if you suffer from gluten intolerance, introduce this product to your diet carefully and if necessary consult your doctor'.  Hardly conclusive!

[Buntybear]

There is on going reseach whether oats are safe for a cealic. Generally they are considered safe as far as I am aware. The oat protein is similar enough to gluten protein to provoke a reaction in some suffers. I think it is a trial and error protein tbh.

Olly is fine with gluten free oats (the type that is not contaminated with wheat).

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I was always under the impression that oats in and of themselves are gluten free, but because they are grown and processed where wheat is then x contamination always happens. I imagine anyone growing gluten free oats has a lot of hoops to jump through in regards to how and where they are grown and processed. I think being organic isn't enough to ensure they are gluten free.

[weaver]

My point about oats (and that packet in particular) is that some people regard them as gluten free (as it said on the front) and yet if you read/listen to the smallprint they aren't conclusively (as it said on the back).  The producers of that packet of 'gluten-free' oats are licenced by the Coeliac Society of the UK so must be producing them in an uncontaminated process but they still have to put a warning on them that they're not suitable for all coeliacs.  And the Coeliac Society of Ireland says to exclude all oats from a coeliac diet.  Oats, as I said, are a mine-field!

[*Kara*]

I just read an article about oats/celiac   There is no gluten in oats (unless cross contaminated), but the protein that they do have is similar in structure to gluten, so some celiacs cannot tolerate them at all.

http://www.canada.com/health/diet-fitness/Nutrition+Celiac+questions/5587217/story.html

"Q: I read your notes in the Houston Celiac newsletter. I notice that you did not list oats as an issue like wheat, barley and rye. You mention oats only as a problem if cross contaminated with wheat. Is this correct? I thought oats contained gluten.

A: Officially, pure oats do not contain gluten _ the protein found in wheat, rye and barley that sets off intestinal damage in people with celiac disease. Oats contain a protein called "avenin" which is somewhat similar in structure to gluten, however. So while most people with celiac disease do just fine with oats (as long as they are not processed alongside wheat, rye and barley), some may not."