For many years, those with Celiac Disease (CD) had been told that they should avoid oats because they contained the harmful gluten proteins that Celiacs must avoid.
Since 2007, it has been internationally recognized that oats themselves do not contain harmful gluten. But because of North American farming practices, traditionally farmed oats are highly contaminated with the harmful gluten grains: wheat, barley and rye.
The review of scientific studies has determined is that most Celiacs can have “pure” or gluten free oats; those oats that are specially farmed, milled in a dedicated facility and tested for gluten using currently accepted scientific procedures. Traditional oats that you would normally find on a grocery store shelf are considered gluten contaminated and should not be eaten by those with CD.
These pure oats are what we use in all of our granola bars and granola. In fact, Nonuttin’ Foods was the first company to use pure oats in granola products starting in April 2007.
GLUTEN FREE LABELING AND CERTIFICATION
In the United States, a definitive gluten free labeling law has not yet been firmly established. Instead, the FDA has released a proposed regulation which allows the labeling of foods as gluten free if they are not contaminated with wheat, barley or rye above a level of 20 parts per million (ppm).
We go a step further than this proposed guideline. All Nonuttin’ products, both those with oats and those without, are certified by The Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO) to be free of gluten to under 10 ppm. The entire Nonuttin’ facility is dedicated only to Nonuttin’ products and is fully certified by GFCO.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PURE OATS IN A GLUTEN FREE DIET
Nonuttin’ products have been listed as suitable for gluten free diets in The Gluten Free Diet Resource Guide by Shelley Case. Shelley is a registered dietician and recognized as the top gluten free nutrition expert in North America. Shelley indicates that whole grain pure oats are a welcome nutritional boost to gluten free diets for their fiber, B vitamins and iron.
It is estimated that about 5% of Celiacs may be sensitive to the protein in pure oats and so Health Canada provides the following recommendations for Celiacs adding oats to their diets:
To avoid any adverse reactions, including a fiber reaction from a gastrointestinal system unused to oats, it is advised to begin slowly and moderate the amount eaten.
When introducing pure oats into their gluten-free diet, individuals with CD should have proper follow up by a health professional, including initial and long term assessments. The amounts of pure oats should be limited to:
20-25 grams/day (65 ml – or 1/4 cup dry rolled oats) for children
50 -70 grams/day (125 to 175 ml – or ½ to ¾ cup dry rolled oats) for adults
To put this into perspective for Nonuttin’ products, each 30 gram granola bar contains 13 grams of pure oats and each 30 gram serving of granola contains 15 grams of pure oats.
If you have any questions, please give our team a call toll free at 1-866-714-5411.