The answer is actually both Yes and No. The oat grains themselves are naturally gluten free, but most oats you purchase in stores today are not gluten free. The reason for this is that most oats are harvested in facilities that also harvest wheat (i.e. a primary source of gluten). Therefore, since the oats are prepared for packaging on equipment that also packages wheat and wheat products, there is often gluten mixed in with the packaged oats.

In my travels, the only people I’ve met who know the difference between normal oats and gluten free oats are nutritionists and individuals suffering from celiac disease or a gluten allergy. When I was formulating the Juti Bar, I wanted to make sure it was the healthiest food possible and that it was something most people could eat — including the growing population of gluten free eaters. And naturally, when I learned that most oats available on the market today are tainted with gluten, I began an intensive search for the best gluten free oats available.

I eventually found a beautiful farm in Powell, Wyoming that specializes in growing and harvesting the healthiest, all organic gluten free oats you can imagine. Oddly enough, the company is called Gluten Free Oats, LLC.

In future articles, we’ll discuss some of the many benefits of eating gluten free foods. But for now you should know that the numbers of people who eat a gluten free diet are increasing everyday — some by necessity and some by choice. If you’re considering “going gluten free” or you already are, be sure to look for organic gluten free oats the next time you go to the grocery store. They taste just the same as regular oats and some people say that the organic gluten free oats taste even better. All the oats used to make a Juti Bar are gluten free and fully organic.

But before we cover some of the amazing nutritional
qualities of chia seeds, we have another question for you.

Do you remember the “Chia Pet” that used to be sold on TV?
Back 20 years ago in the United States, the chia seed was
seen by people as something you pour onto an animal-shaped piece of clay and water it so it
looks like green hair when the grass grows out. In case you’re too young to remember this
(or you just blocked it out of your conscious mind and pretended it wasn’t there), here are
a couple pictures of some “chia pets”:

So is there more to chia than just silly looking
pet sculptures? You bet there is!

The chia seed is actually a superfood that is
jam-packed with nutrients designed to give you
sustainable energy over many hours. The chia seed
was used centuries ago by Aztec and Mayan warriors
in Mexico as a staple in their diet to help provide
them with a long term energy boost that carried
them through battle, through 100+ mile hikes, and
through any other physical challenges they faced.
And still today, there are native tribes in Mexico
whose individuals rely on chia seeds as a key part
of their daily nutritional intake.

As a matter of fact, I first made the mental jump from
“chia pet” to “chia superfood” a couple years ago when I
read the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. In
that book Christopher describes his observations when he
went to live with the Tarahumara Indians in north central
Mexico. He talks about their “extraordinary endurance” and
even calls them “superathletes”, but he realizes that these
attributes are not ones that tribal members have at birth.
These attributes come about from a simple diet centered
around chia seeds and a lot of exercise (mainly running).

One ounce of chia seeds has 11 grams of dietary fiber and
4 grams of protein. Combine that with all the omega-3′s and
essential fatty acids (EFAs) in every chia seed and your
body will be saying “muchas gracias” every time a bunch of those delicious seeds lands in your mouth.
Here’s a good article that elaborates more on the nutritional benefits of chia:

More Nutritional Benefits of Chia Seeds

These are just a handful of the reasons why we chose to put raw, organic chia seeds on top of our
handmade Juti Bars.

Featured Post #3

Featured Post #3