To Eat Gluten Free Oats, or Not To Eat Gluten Free Oats?

When you're diagnosed with Celiac Disease, you are given a list of what food you cannot eat. Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Oats. However, you find that there is such a thing as gluten free oats. You wonder if it is safe for you to chance eating it. You think to yourself: "It's gluten free, so it cannot be too bad, right?" Depending on how sensitive your Celiac is, it may be bad.

While a majority of Celiacs may be able to stomach gluten free oats, and granola, there are a small percentage of us that cannot handle GF oats and granola. I fall into the sensitive category. I loved eating oatmeal, before I was diagnosed with Celiac. After I was diagnosed, I was lost. It was not until a month or two after my diagnosis, where I discovered gluten free oats. I picked some up, and started eating it every morning for breakfast. It was not until day 3 of eating GF oats, where I began to feel sick. My stomach was cramping, I was fatigued, I was nauseated. I thought I had been "glutened." I looked back in my food diary, that I was keeping at the time, and the only thing different, that I had been eating, was the GF oats. I immediately threw the GF oats out.
A few months ago, I tried seeing if I could eat GF granola. 12 hours after I had my first serving, I got sick. I experienced the same symptoms as I did when I ate the GF oatmeal. I gave the GF granola to my boyfriend, so I did not have to throw it out. I now know not to eat GF oatmeal and granola.

You may be wondering: "How do I know if I am unable to process GF oats?" The only answer I can give you is, the same way I discovered my answer: trial and error. When you have Celiac Disease, you live a risky lifestyle. The only way to measure whether or not you can handle GF oats, is to try it. The majority of Celiacs can handle it. However, if you begin to feel ill after eating them, do NOT eat them again. Throw it away, or give it to someone else. My recommendation is, try pure uncontaminated oats. If the oats have a protein called, "avenin," it may trigger an immune response, similar to the kind you have when you are "glutened."

One alternative to GF oats in the morning, that I LOVE is Rice and Shine hot cereal. I believe it's by a company called "Arrowhead Mills." It's hot rice cereal. It takes some getting used to, but, if you add brown sugar, or some fruit, it is pretty tasty.

(photo courtesy of: http://gracefullyglutenfreedotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/oats.jpg?w=1024&h=768)

Celebrities who have Celiac Disease

Getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease can be pretty tough (believe me, I remember how hard it was for me). You may be the first among your family and/or friends that has been diagnosed as Celiac. It can be lonely (even though my grandmother had it, and I was partially raised by her, she had been gone for a few years when I was diagnosed. I had no one). What gave me some comfort was that I was not alone. Some of the celebrities I look up to were also Celiac Disease sufferers. People like Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Emmy Rossum had been living with the disease for years before I was diagnosed. I researched both and learned a lot from them. Also, learning that my first celeb crush has 2 Celiacs in his family really helped me feel less alone. Here is a list of celebs who have diagnosed Celiac Disease: Elizabeth Hasselbeck (public figure) Emmy Rossum (actress) Wil Wheaton's mom and sister Meg Cabot (author) Sarah Joy Brown (actress) Joe C (rapper who frequently performed with

South Park's Gluten-Free Ebola Episode

photo credit: southparkdigital Greetings Celiac Warriors! Recently, South Park did a gluten free episode that got a lot of attention in the gluten free and Celiac communities. For the most part, the reaction has been positive. Many folks, including myself, found it hilarious. You may be wondering what the episode was about. I'm going to give you the cliff notes version: The episode starts off with the kids returning to school after their start up company fails. Then the show cuts to the teachers lounge where the teachers are discussing Mr. Mackey who has gone gluten free. Mr. Mackey comes back and starts blaming all the world's problems on gluten. A co-worker becomes annoyed by all the gluten free talk and starts screaming at Mr. Mackey to shut up. Mackey states that behavior problems are due to gluten consumption. A female teacher expresses interest in going gluten free. Later on, the boys are on the radio promoting an "epic" party. Callers ask the boys i

Why we need more awareness about Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease Awareness Month is here, and it is important that we continue to raise awareness in hopes it helps the rest of the world to take us seriously. This morning, I came across a heartbreaking story of a woman who died from complications of celiac disease. She had ignored her symptoms and didn't adhere to a GF diet. She, like all of us, ate wheat products for a portion of her life. Her body loved wheat. I mean, wheat products were yummy! When she was diagnosed with Celiac, not only was it during a time when gluten free food was very sparse, she had difficulty giving up what she loved: foods with wheat ingredients. She suffered the consequences of not adhering to a GF diet, as her liver gave out on her. She also had an enlarged stomach and had gained 30 pounds. She succumbed to her complications, and her daughter has spoken about her mother's health issues. She, like all of us, are hoping for more awareness to be raised. We as Celiacs need more support. All of

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