Are Oats and Oatmeal Gluten-Free?

Are Oats and Oatmeal Gluten-Free?

Gluten, a protein found mostly in grains and bread, causes allergies and digestive issues in some people. If you are one of them, it is natural for you to be sceptical even when choosing healthy options like oats and oatmeal. Natural oats don’t contain any gluten. However, in most cases, they get contaminated with other grains like barley and wheat (during cultivation, processing, packaging, etc.). Read on to know more.

Gluten, a protein found mostly in grains and bread, causes allergies and digestive issues in some people. If you are one of them, it is natural for you to be sceptical even when choosing healthy options like oats and oatmeal. Natural oats don’t contain any gluten. However, in most cases, they get contaminated with other grains like barley and wheat (during cultivation, processing, packaging, etc.). Read on to know more.

Are Oats Gluten-Free?

The question, “Are oats gluten-free?” is often debatable. Yes, oats are gluten-free in their natural form. However, in most cases, they are often mixed with other grains, such as wheat, rye, barley, and the like. These grains contain gluten, and oats gets contaminated in the process. This mix-up usually happens in places where oats are cultivated, processed, or transported with other crops.

Some of the common reasons why oats get contaminated with gluten are:

• Being grown along with other gluten-containing crops

• The same tools are used for harvesting oats, wheat, barley, and other crops.

• Seeds sown are contaminated with small quantities of other seeds

• Same facilities, factories or transport modes used for oats and gluten-containing crops for operations like processing, packaging and transport

When buying oats, always read the labels on the packaging to see whether they are gluten-free or not. If the food labels are unclear about the gluten content, reach out to the customer service department of that particular product.