A client of mine recently commented that the gluten-free oatmeal she’d eaten for breakfast was “pretty awful”.

That surprised me.

Gluten-free oats shouldn’t taste any different from regular oats.

The primary issue with oats (which are inherently gluten-free) is cross-contamination from other grains.

This means that oats labeled as specifically gluten-free have been grown in dedicated fields – without any danger of cross-contamination.

Does that affect the taste?

Not that I’m aware of, but I’d welcome any feedback on this issue!

So, does gluten-free food really taste bad?

In a word, no.

Sure, there might be some products that are below par, but isn’t it that way with everything?

For those of us who are gluten-free, it’s a fairly common complaint that gluten-free cookies, breads and so forth pale in taste when compared to the “original”.

In our minds, we can still “taste” the fluffy pancakes or artisan breads that we were accustomed to eating, before we gave up gluten.

We’re forever making comparisons.

And disappointed by the results!

I think there’s another way to look at this, which is that gluten-free baked goods may taste different, yes.

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