Elmhurst®: 100% Gluten-Free Plant Milks
What is gluten?
We may not have known much about it for a long time, but it’s a very big deal. The gluten-free diet is not another health fad, destined to come and go. It can be absolutely critical – and, for many, at least highly recommendable.
A long time ago, doctors were puzzled by the occurrence of celiac disease in infants and adults. Some thought that all kinds of carbohydrates (starches) except bananas aggravated the condition. Then, in 1953, Dutch pediatrician Willem-Karel Dicke emerged with the revelation that it was not all starches, but wheat.1 And still more specifically, the wheat protein gluten.
Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disorder. The body interprets gluten to be a poison and responds by damaging the part of the small intestine that absorbs vital nutrients [TP1] .2 According to Gluten-Free Living, as many as 1 in 141 people have this condition, with a host of side-effects.2 Add to this a further 18 million Americans who suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and you have the makings of a gluten-free movement.3
For many, the pursuit of gluten-free foods comes down to feeling better. A huge wave of interest suggests a definite connection to overall wellness. It’s not easy, though. Along with baking, one of the challenges is getting whole grain – which the AHA recommends for heart health – without the old standard, wheat.4
In the growing world of grain milks, Elmhurst® has taken an alternative, oats, and made it into two gluten-free beverages:
- Milked Oats™ – 20g whole grain per serving
- Milked Oats™ Barista Edition – 16g whole grain per serving
Oats are recommended fiber sources for the strict gluten-free dieter.5 Which brings us to the age-old question (at least our recent age): are oats gluten-free? Yes. Oats do not contain gluten.6 This includes the wonderful oats Elmhurst sources from the long prairies of central Canada, which meet the FDA classification as a gluten-free food, for both its standard and Barista Edition oat milks.
While avoiding wheat can be tricky, going gluten-free may ultimately be a simpler path to feeling better. Elmhurst has you covered with every single product in its growing line.
References
1 Tricia Thompson, “The Gluten-free Diet Is Born: Thank You Dr. Dicke!,” Gluten Free Watchdog, 5-3-17
2 Gluten-Free Living, “What Is Celiac Disease?,” 12-19-18
3 Beyond Celiac, “What is Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity?,” 2018
4 American Heart Association, “Whole Grains, Refined Grains, and Dietary Fiber,” 2018.
5 EA Stewart, “Fiber and the Gluten-free diet,” Beyond Celiac, 7-26-12
6 Faith Durand, “The Oat Conundrum: Are Oats Gluten-Free?,” Kitchn, 12-20-18