Celiac disease is an inherited chronic inflammatory auto-immune disorder where ingestion of food and beverages containing gluten can damage the small intestines. As per Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are about three million people who have this condition in the United States alone. Individuals who have celiac disease have to be extra careful with what they eat and drink because ingestion of gluten can destruct the small intestines and lead to more serious medical problems.

Oatmeal, one of the most popular staple foods in the world, is also one of the healthiest food options for individuals who have celiac disease? Is oatmeal gluten free and how can it be beneficial to those individuals? Keep reading to learn more facts.

Is Oatmeal A Gluten-Free Food?

Oatmeal is a whole-grain food type that is packed with nutrients and used as substitute meal by many health enthusiasts. Because it is not a product from wheat, oatmeal is a gluten-free food that experts recommend to individuals who prefer and need to avoid gluten from their regular diet. However, some oatmeal products may not be gluten-free. With the number of oatmeal products for sale in the market, some of these products may not be pure and 100 percent whole-grain products and therefore may not exactly be gluten-free.

  • Some oats may be contaminated with gluten when they grow the grains beside a plantation of wheat produce.

  • Oats can possibly be mixed with gluten wheat products when harvesting, processing, storing and transporting them.

  • Some products may have already been mixed with ingredients such as barley, wheat and rye.

Due to these reasons, most oatmeal products and brands may not be safe if you wish to have a full gluten-free diet.

Choosing the Right Gluten-Free Oatmeal Products

If you prefer or need to avoid gluten in your diet, choosing oatmeal alone is not the best way to avoid gluten. As discussed before, some oatmeal products may contain gluten and as a precaution, especially for those who have celiac disease, one should know what products are 100 perfect gluten-free. The good news is that there are manufacturers and producers that produce pure oats.

Choose the gluten-free oatmeal brands

Is oatmeal gluten free? Allow us to teach you how to choose the right oatmeal brands and let you not worry about the question any more.

GF Harvest sells gluten-free oat products. They have oat groats (whole-kernel oats), whole-grain oat flour, rolled oats and granola. GF Harvest also has organic products of these oats,

Bob’s Red Mill has more than 50 gluten-free products. You can choose from a variety of thick rolled oats, oat bran, steel-cut oats, rolled oats and quick-cook oats.

Holly’s Oatmeal has flavors such as cranberry and regular oatmeal products. You can also have the option to create your own custom-flavored oatmeal.

Cream Hill Estates sells groats, oat flour and rolled oats. They guarantee consumers of pure and oat products and without contamination.

A Bountiful Harvest has gluten-free rolled oats products.

Glutenfreeda Foods sells different instant gluten-free oatmeal. The products also contain flax meal together with its gluten-free oatmeal.

Montana Gluten-Free, as its name would represent, is a gluten-free oat brand that sells different varieties of oat products.

Quaker Oats has quick oats, instant brown sugar and maple oatmeal and plain oatmeal that are all gluten free.

Udi’s Gluten-Free has two kinds of steel-cut oats that are gluten-free: plain oats and with flax seeds, currants and chia seeds.

Tips on buying gluten-free oatmeal brands

To ensure that you only get pure and 100 percent gluten-free oats, take note of these tips when buying or eating oatmeal brands.

  • Always look for the “Gluten-free” mark or label on the container of the product.

  • Do not buy bulk containers of oats. Bulk containers have higher risks of contamination due to storage, transportation, scoop to scoop out of products or as simple as workers not changing their gloves.

  • Do not order or eat oatmeal in a restaurant. They may be contaminated with gluten or may not be pure.

Since you have known the answer to the question "is oatmeal gluten free" and how to choose the right one, just begin to enjoy your oatmeal meal which will be rich in nutrients and great for the heart.

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