Coeliac Disease And Oats

Today for coeliac awareness week I'm going to talk about oats. Oats are a bit of a grey area when it comes to coeliac disease. Technically, they are not a gluten grain but the environment in which they are kept for food production means they get cross contaminated with wheat, barley and rye. The protein in oats is similar to gluten which means it can be cross reactive and not every coeliac can tolerate them. I've read in some places that most coeliacs cannot tolerate oats but official coeliac societies say different. Maybe the ones that say most aren't allowing for the difference between regular oat foods and ones that contain pure oats, which are labelled gluten free. Here's a quote from the Coeliac UK website: "Oats contain avenin, which is a similar protein to gluten. Research has shown that most people with coeliac disease can tolerate oats with no problems. The issue is that sometimes oats are produced in the same place as wheat, barley and rye, and then become contaminated with these other grains". Australia, on the other hand, has stricter rules regarding what is gluten free. I've been told food has to be less than five parts per million to be declared gluten free and that any food with oats, even pure oats, is not allowed to carry a gluten free label.
When I was first diagnosed the dietitian told me to avoid oats for up to a year to allow my gut to heal, as oats can only be tolerated on a fully healed gut. When I was doing a bit of research for this post, I saw that the Coeliac Society of Ireland also say you have to allow time for the coeliac antibody production to go down to normal otherwise you will still react to oats. This can take up to 2 years. It also says that some people will still not tolerate oats. Sensitive people will experience symptoms while some will react but not be sensitive to symptoms and the lining of the gut lining can still get damaged without them knowing. The advice there is to receive regular follow ups with their medical team to monitor tolerance. It says do not use oats if you have raised tTG antibodies and do not use oats if you have gastroenteritis.
There was also a thread on the site relating to someone who asked about being sensitive to oats. In it, the moderator said that the symptoms described were similar to the reaction of someone introducing a large amount of fibre into their diet when they are not used to it. That is something to also consider when trying oats.
I don't tolerate oats. Anything labelled gluten free with oats, I avoid eating. My gut is sensitive and delicate so oats are tough on it. Maybe I could try gradually reintroducing them again as it's been years since I had any but it's easier to avoid them. What prompted me to do a post on oats today was what you see in the photo. I was in Aldi the other day looking at what gluten free special buys they had on offer for coeliac awareness week. Every product you see has oat flour in the ingredients so I can't have any. In a way I'm glad because if I could tolerate oats I'd buy them and eat a whole packet in one sitting. That would mean a number of things - an oats overload possibly triggering a reaction, a sugar overload definitely triggering a reaction and I'm diabetic so my blood sugar would spike and I might not take enough insulin for it if I had it just after a meal or maybe none at all snacking between meals. Inflamed gut and hyperglycemia, not a good combination.
So the message is if you are newly diagnosed with coeliac disease avoid oats for at least a year then gradually reintroduce them in small amounts to see if they're tolerated. Whether you do or don't, you do what works for you when it comes to oats.