Why why WHY is she reacting to oat bran...

[Judegirl]

..when she doesn't react to oats themselves?? I've tried this six ways from Sunday, and she's fine with oatmeal made from rolled oats. On cue though, one hour after oat bran, she has a reaction. To what could she be sensitive??

I'm soooo frustrated. Thanks for any insight here!

Jude

[Rico'sAlice]

Maybe something they use in the processing leaves behind trace amounts of something else. Have you tried different brands of oat bran.

Do you cook the oatbran?

[Judegirl]

Yes, I made muffins out of it. And it's happened with other brands, I'm pretty sure. I can verify in a couple of weeks by switching brands, I guess, but I HATE when she looks like this.

Does anyone know whether oat bran more likely to be cross-contaminated with wheat than rolled oats?

Thanks again...
Jude

[USAmma]

Jude, do you have a good blender or a coffee grinder? Try making some oat bran out of the whole oats that she's okay with and see if you get the same reaction.

[Judegirl]

I think that makes oat flour...I think the bran is the outer shell of the oat only, which makes me wonder whether contaminants (wheat) may be much more concentrated in oat bran...?

[JaneS]

As I've posted before in this forum, oat bran is EXTREMELY hard to digest. It contains a lot of phytic acid that inhibits digestive enzymes and binds to minerals (doesn't allow body to utilize them). It is very damaging to intestines if eaten regularly... and that's on normal people.

You might consider soaking all grains/nuts/legumes. There is a lot more to easily digestible food than just avoiding allergens.

Be Kind to Your Grains...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/be_kind.html

Grains require careful preparation because they contain a number of antinutrients that can cause serious health problems. Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.

Other antinutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.

Most of these antinutrients are part of the seed's system of preservation—they prevent sprouting until the conditions are right. Plants need moisture, warmth, time and slight acidity in order to sprout. Proper preparation of grains is a kind and gentle process that imitates the process that occurs in nature. It involves soaking for a period in warm, acidulated water in the preparation of porridge, or long, slow sour dough fermentation in the making of bread. Such processes neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Vitamin content increases, particularly B vitamins. Tannins, complex sugars, gluten and other difficult-to-digest substances are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption.