Wheat vs. Gluten

I myself have been very confused since W's wheat allergy diagnosis. Does he have to go gluten free?
Is something that is labeled gluten-free guaranteed to be wheat-free by definition? So I got to reseaching.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, but is also found in other grains such as barley, rye, and spelt. There seem to be differing opinions as to whether or not oats belong in the gluten category as well.

The difference between Gluten-free and Wheat-free

W's diet will require food items to be wheat-free as his allergy is to wheat, not to gluten. Good news for us is that he can eat foods labeled gluten-free as any gluten-free food will also be wheat-free (ingredient/label reading will likely still prevail). The reverse, however, is not true in that wheat-free may still contain gluten from additional sources listed above.

The recent influx of gluten-free items into the food market have made the lives of those living with Celiac disease rejoice, and I have just jumped onto their bandwagon! It has certainly seemed easier to find substitutions and alternatives to wheat by looking to gluten-free products.

The Controversial Oat

Before I even began to look at gluten-free products for W, I searched and searched for a wheat-free Oatmeal on the regular store shelves to no avail.  They all either listed wheat as an ingredient or included the dreaded bold, "OATS MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF WHEAT" at the bottom.

As I started to search online for "wheat-free oats" I came across lots of information about oat/wheat cross contamination. "Pure Oats," which seem rather hard to find, are those grown, milled and processed exclusive of any other grain types and are thus able to be certified as gluten-free (and thus, wheat-free!)

I found Glutenfreeda Oatmeal at our local Whole Foods Market.  It is available in six different flavors such as Maple Raisin with Flax, Banana Walnut with Flax, and also in a variety pack.

With its fabulously simple ingredient list (gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt) that was devoid of any other allergens, we chose the Strawberries and Brown Sugar with Flax Oatmeal.

Not only did W love it, but I sneaked a bite and was impressed.  I am an old fashioned Quaker Apples and Cinnamon girl myself, so I wondered if it would hold up to the standard. I know that oatmeal is not usually something to write home about, but what I liked was that this oatmeal did not skimp on the fruit and it didn't have any of that artificial flavor/sweetener taste that you get with others. The sweet taste came from the strawberries and brown sugar alone. 

Happy boy with his oatmeal!

brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt - See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf

Ingredients:

Certified gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt
- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf

Ingredients:

Certified gluten-free oats, brown sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, ground flax, salt
- See more at: http://www.glutenfreeda.com/our-products/oatmeal/strawberry/#sthash.yuMFwTCZ.dpuf

So this was step one into our wheat-free world, and so far, it seems that this might be one allergen with good options for replacements and substitutions.  My next plan of attack will be to make some gluten-free/wheat-free granola.  I'll keep you posted. 

UPDATE:
I must make a confession, that when I get excited about a food with safe ingredient list, that I jump on it.  While on this new journey, I am constantly having to take a few steps back, stop and re-check.  Twice this week I have found foods in my cabinet that could be unsafe.  The first, a baby food pouch of fruit and grain (oats) that also contained trace amounts of wheat. Fortunately, we didn't feed that to him.  The second, unfortunately was the oatmeal.  It is processed in a facility that also uses tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy.  Luckily for us, there was no reaction with the bit that he ate. 

Like with anything new, we make mistakes and learn. We try our best to keep W safe, and I hope that any lesson learned will never be learned the hard way.