Are Oats Gluten Free?

 For anyone that has struggled or is struggling with a dietary lifestyle change, such as going gluten-free it’s not always an easy task. Gluten is hidden in a variety of things; anywhere from condiments to meat-glue to alcohol.  As the changes begin to sink in, and avoiding the said ingredients becomes second nature a new detour comes into sight; cross contamination (insert scary music here). 

So what exactly is cross contamination and why did the scary music start? 

Cross contamination can be found in a variety of non-gluten grains; the most common being oats. But, as I already mentioned oats are a gluten-free grain, so what is the deal? 

There are several different ways cross contamination can affect gluten-free gains. Cross contamination can occur any time during the planting of the oat seed to the packaging of the grain for sale, and anywhere in between.  First of all oats are a seasonal crop, so many farmers will alternate growing oats with other grain crops such as wheat or barley. Leaving behind contaminates when the oats are planted.  Secondly, if neighboring farms are growing wheat, the wind can carry the wheat spores over to the oats, contaminating them. Then you need to know where the oats are processed. Are the machines that pick the oats and process the oats shared with any other type of grains? Then, even if they are processed in a gluten-free facility how are they being transported once they are harvested? 

I remember hearing a speaker at a seminar mention that a lab called Cyrex labs had done a study to see how much of the oats on the market were contaminated with gluten. The surprise that they found was that oats that were labeled as “gluten-free,” were at times more contaminated with gluten than were just regular Quaker oats! 

An incident at Whole Foods market brought this to consumers' attention when several children with gluten allergies were sent to the hospital after consuming products sold exclusively at Whole Foods that claimed to be “gluten-free.”

Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, took 12 containers of oats; 4 different batch numbers from 3 different brands (Quaker, Country Choice, and McCanns). Scientists tested all 12 containers for gluten contamination and found that:

• 3 of the 12 containers contained gluten levels of less than 20 ppm
• 9 of the 12 had levels that ranged from 23 to 1,807 ppm
• All brands that were tested had at least 1 container of oats that tested above 200 ppm gluten

Although the FDA has not set criteria for what a “gluten-free” claim can be, they have proposed that any product that claims “gluten-free” must be tested to have less than 20 ppm of gluten detected. As of now there is no set regulation that requires products to guarantee that their claims of “gluten-free” are accurate. Sadly, as consumers we must merely trust that the food manufactures are complying with the voluntary guidelines that have been set, without truly knowing if the claims that they have made are 100% accurate or what degree of testing they have undergone. 

My advice to you if you know that you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, is to avoid manufactured products that claim to be gluten-free until an enforced standard is in place. You can also look for the Gluten Free Certification logo on packaging, which proves that the product has gone through testing to certify the gluten-free claim. The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America^® (GIG) is a non-profit support organization that was founded by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). “Products that earn Gluten-Free Certification by the GFCO contain less than 10 ppm; half the gluten levels that the FDA has proposed as levels allowable in foods labeled gluten-free.” 

Then there are guidelines that go above and beyond that of the FDA and GFCO. The Celiac Sprue Association has determined their own guidelines for what they consider to be gluten-free. In order to help those with celiac disease choose uncontaminated food products, they have determined the following criteria:

• Gluten-free products can not contain any form of gluten grain; this includes all species of wheat, barley, rye, and oats (WBRO). (Oats are not a risk-free choice for all celiacs. In vivo and in vitro studies indicate that some celiacs have an immune response even to pure, uncontaminated oats. Presently there are no indicators available to predict which celiacs may have such a response.) CSA
• Source ingredients and additives can not be from WBRO grains
• Ingredients that have been “specially processed” to remove gluten are not allowed.
• All products must be tested to contain less than 5 ppm of gluten
• ELISA testing to determine the level of cross contamination

To view a comparison against the different gluten-free definitions, click here. 

It’s not only oats that you need to be aware of, other non-gluten grains have been shown to be contaminated as well. Rice and Corn are ones that I would suggest to also be wary of. 

For a list of products that have been guaranteed gluten-free according to the Celiac Sprue Association standards, click here.  

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Happy Easter and a Pot Roast Recipe

Happy Easter!

I just spent an amazing weekend with my husband up in Santa Barbara, enjoying some much needed R&R. Wine tasting, sunshine, good food, a beautiful run, shopping, and time spent with my husband. I feel that both of us have been going non stop for such a long time, that it has been a while since we have been able to spend time together alone.

In celebration of Easter we decorated eggs, which we do every year, and I cooked my very first pot roast. I was pretty pleased with the results, and now have tons left over to enjoy over the week. Here is the recipe that I threw together:

Ingredients:

• 5 lb grass-fed beef roast
• 1 small bag of baby carrots
• 1 bundle of celery, diced
• 6 dutch potatoes, sliced
• 4 shallots
• 2 yellow onion, diced
• Sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Trader Joe's five-spice seasoning
• Oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup dry sherry

The Finished Dish! 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Rub the roast with the sea salt, pepper, oregano, and the five-spice seasoning. Making sure to cover all sides.
3. Add oil to a pan and put the roast in the pan
4. Brown each side of the roast, cooking each side only for a few minutes
5. Chop up the vegetables and place in the bottom of an oven safe dish that has a lid
6. Place the browned roast on top of the vegetables
7. Add the chicken stock and sherry
8. Cook at 300 for 15 minutes
9. Reduce the temperature to 260 degrees
10. Cook for about 3 hours, flipping the roast over half way through.
11. Make sure the roast does not look dry, if so add more liquid to the top of the roast. The lid and low temperature should keep the meat moist during cooking. 

Hope your day was full of peace and love! 

Our Easter Eggs

Love Machine in Santa Barbara

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly on Fats

Good Fats

Fat is an important aspect of a healthy diet. When eaten correctly fat provides our bodies with the building blocks for cell membranes and many important hormones. It is essential in order for our bodies to absorb fat soluble vitamins from foods, such as vitamin A, D, E, and K.

Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are found in foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and tropical oils such as, coconut and palm oil. A fatty acid is considered to be saturated when all the available carbon bonds have been occupied by a hydrogen atom. This configuration makes saturated fats highly stable and less likely to become rancid, even during cooking. Saturated fats are found to be solid or semi-solid at room temperature.

Our bodies need saturated fat, hence the reason why our bodies can make it from carbohydrates.  Saturated fats make up around half of the membrane structure in our cells, giving the cells the stiffness and integrity that they need to function properly. They are also important for bone and immune health, on top of many other benefits.

Polyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fat is found primarily in vegetable oils such as in soy, sesame, sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, or in peanuts, seeds, nuts and margarine.  Not all polyunsaturated fats are healthy.  Fats found in margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, processed foods, bakery goods and fried foods can be hazardous to your health.

Polyunsaturated fats lack four or more hydrogen atoms, which are replaced by two or more pairs of double bonds. The double bonds cause bends in the structure of the fat, making them hard to pack together, resulting in a liquid even when refrigerated.  These oils are highly reactive so they should never be used in cooking and should stay refrigerated.

The most common polyunsaturated fats found in the diet is linoleic acid, which contains two double bonds and is called an Omega-6 fatty acid and linolenic acid which contains three double bonds and is called an Omega-3 fatty acid. Both Omega-6 and Omega-3 are considered “essential” since our bodies can not make them and they must be obtained from our diet. Many health care professionals will recommend a 4:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3, but if you are trying to follow in your primal ancestors’ footsteps stick to the 1:1 ratio.

Omega-3 fatty acids are very protective to the heart and are a necessary component to any healthy diet. The three forms of Omega-3: ALA (found in flax) and EPA and DHA (found in fish) aide in reducing inflammation, are important for brain function, thin the blood, as well as a host of other health promoting properties (depression anyone?).  The best sources of Omega-3’s are:  Fish, fish oil, flaxseed, flaxseed oil and chia seeds.

Omega-6 fatty acids are found in most polyunsaturated oil sources:  Safflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, canola oil.  The best sources are:  Sesame oil, walnut oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil.

The real problem with polyunsaturated fats is that they are unstable and are easily oxidized.  This can promote the production of free radicals and inflammation.  If you eat a diet extremely high in polyunsaturated fats, you can load yourself with free radicals.  Heating these fats accelerates the formation of free radicals.

Monounsaturated Fats

These are the Omega-9 fatty acids.  They are not essential fats.  The most common monounsaturated fatty acid in our diet is oleic acid, which is the main component of olive oil, and is found in the almonds, macadamia nuts, avocadoes, cashews, and pecans. Monounsaturated fats lack two hydrogen atoms, which have been replaced by a double bond with two carbon atoms. This double bond causes a bend in the structure of the fat therefore they do not pack together as easily making most liquid at room temperature. 

Monounsaturated oils have varying degrees of stability when it comes cooking.  Oils such as olive oil should not be used at high temperatures as they are not as heat stable and will become rancid quickly, leading to trans fat and free radical damage. Olive oil is best used drizzled on salads and vegetables after they have been cooked. Whereas macadamia nut oil and lard is an acceptable choice as it has a higher smoke point. 

Helpful hints:

•  Purchase oils in dark containers so that the harsh lights from the store will not cause the oil to go rancid before you purchase it 
• Refrigerate excess oils, such as olive oil. Only keep a small amount out so that it can be available for use 
• Best Cooking Oil: (most heat stable) Coconut oil, lard, and butter

Bad Fats 

Bad fats can create a high amount of oxidative or free radical damage to the cells of our body.  They do not contain the healthful chemical structure of the good fats and our body has a difficult time processing, recognizing, and assimilating them.  They get stored in our fatty tissue and create problems for the metabolism of fats by the liver, which can lead to inflammation, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, or even atherosclerosis  

These fats include:

All hydrogenated oils and trans fats:  Canola oil, most safflower oils, corn oils, peanut oils.

Margarine:  All margarines               

Fried foods, especially deep fried foods!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP 

Day 366- The Year In Review

This year is a leap year so we decided to do an extra blog entry to end on the day that it was all started, March 1st. This year has flown by for me, and it's hard to remember everything that I have written about in the last 365 days, so I thought that a reflection back on some of my favorite blogs from the last year was in order. That's what they always do when a TV show is endings anyways, so to follow in their pursuit, here are some of my favorite blogs or at least topics:

Most people that know me know that I love coconut. Coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, coconut smell; really everything there is about coconut, so I wrote the blog: My Tropical Love Affair

People are so consumed with lowering their cholesterol, and they don't take the time to figure out why their bodies are making an excess amount of it before they turn to a pill that only masks the problem instead of getting to the root of the issue. In the blog Cholesterol, Just a Little Misunderstood, I talk about the important roles that cholesterol plays in the body.

So many people struggle with blood sugar issues, especially women, and even more so with athletes. Regulating your blood sugar is easy to do, and in the blog Hypoglycemia I talk about what changes you can make.

I know there are multiple reasons why women would go on birth control, but none of them seem to be worth the damage that is created with their use. Many of the dangers that come along with the use of birth control are irreversible. I talk about this in the blog: Birth Control Not the "Magic" Pill You May Have Thought.

Soy is another thing that I avoid, and have actually written two blogs on the topic already. But I think the one that may have had the largest reaction with people is the blog called How Soy Formula is Similar to Birth Control.

I learned a lot from my guest blogger Amanda Buhl in her post, I'll Eat That, where she discussed ways to be less wasteful when it comes to keeping fresh produce.

Hello My Name is (Fill in The Blank) and I'm a Carboholic, I thought was a good awakening for people letting them know that there is life after carbs. This is tough for some people I know, because I married a carboholic myself.

I was happy to be able to share baby food recipes created by Debra Delson, CN in a blog. This blog featured three great and easy recipes that you can make at home for your child instead of purchasing store bought food; which ends up being a lot cheaper and healthier in the long run.

Thank you everyone that has shared in this experience with me!

Blog on!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 365- I Did It!

I can not believe that it has already been a year since I started my Pura Vida Nutrition blog! What a year it has been! This past year has been such an incredible learning experience for me. If you recall back to my first blog I was hesitant on partaking in such a binding and time consuming task of writing a blog for every single day for an entire year! It seemed an impossible feat for me at that time. I didn't have time for myself back then let alone time to spend time each day writing a blog.

As I posted each blog and begin to hear feedback on my writing and the information that I was sharing it gave me momentum to continue with the project. It was great hearing everyone's feedback on my posts and having them share their stories, as well as everyone's questions and struggles with their own health.

On day one of my blog I wrote:
"The 365 blog project is going to allow me to organize my thoughts on nutrition and prove to myself that I know more than I think. I struggle with confidence on a daily basis and have made it my 2011 resolution to overcome this. Although I was skeptical at first; this project might provide the boost I need to break through the barrier that has been holding me back. "

Although, I wish I could say that I got over my struggle with confidence, unfortunately it is still something that I am continuing to work on. But what I have learned in this past year is that my passion is in nutrition, and I have been able to see huge changes in people when they begin to learn what works for them. I have learned more this past year than I would have ever imagined. The input that I have received from readers, family, and friends has been able to help me grow in so many ways.

This year has probably been the hardest, personally, that I have ever had to experience. While there were also amazing times and memories, the hard times have seemed to cloud many of those over. When there were so many days that writing a blog seemed like the last thing I would like to do, I have to thank everyone that stuck with me and encouraged me along the way.

Since the start of my blog, I have enrolled back into school again, this time working towards my Master's in Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport. I have been offered jobs in doctor's offices where I could start a nutrition consultation practice, and I have been able to share my knowledge in nutrition with many people from all over. Not a bad outcome for a year's worth of blogging, I don't think.

I have enjoyed this past year of blogging way more than I ever thought possible, and so I have decided to keep the blog going. I am currently in the process of creating a website, which hopefully should be up and running in the next few days. Please continue to follow and support me soon on my new site at PuraVidaNutrition.org

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 364- Paleo Summit

A free online Paleo Summit is in full swing right now. If you haven't heard about it I would highly recommend that you register so that you don't miss out on some fantastic speakers. The summit will be going on from February 26th through March 4th, and is hosted by Underground Wellness. The summit consist of 23 educational presentations over the 8 days. If you are new to the Paleo diet or to the Paleo Summit here is what you have missed so far:

Mark Sisson (from Mark's Daily Apple) Ancestral Living Defined:

Diane Sanfilippo (from Balanced Bites) Practical Paleo Implementation:

Dr. Jack Kruse (from Living an Optimized Life) Leptin Circadian Cycles:

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 363- Workout of the Week

• 1 mile jog
• Suicides, 6 points 50 yards total distance
• Jump squats, 15x
• Lateral jumps, 15x each side
• Ball slams, 20x straight down in front, 15x each side
• Reverse crunches, 50x
• Flutter kicks, 50x each leg
• Push-ups with alternating claps, 15x

Repeat the entire workout at least 3 times through

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP