rheanna

cham79,

Oats have a component that isn't exactly the same as the gluten in wheat, rye and barley. Many people with gluten intolerance or celiac can tolerate some oats in their diet without triggering a gluten reaction. The problem is that normal oats (oats that are not officially certified as "gluten-free") are often contaminated with gluten. From a previous post of mine on this topic:

Oats are grown in the same fields as wheat, and look similar, so the harvesters aren't going to notice if a few straggling wheat fronds are gathered up with the oats. Oats are transported loose in the same containers as wheat, and stored and rolled and bagged in the same warehouses as wheat. Anywhere along the line, enough wheat can be picked up to contaminate the end product, and sensitive people will have reactions to oats just as much as to wheat. I would purchase only oat products declared to be gluten-free, meaning that great care was taken by the manufacturers of the products to keep the ingredients gluten-free, and that they performed regular tests to see if any gluten had gotten into the batch by mistake.

I do find that I react to oats, unless they are certified "gluten-free".

--Rheanna