How ZEGO’s Oats Are the Superhero of all Oatmeal

Superhero? Seriously? Yes!

All oats are not created equal. And, our Double Protein Gluten Free Organic Oats have a multitude of benefits over other oats on the market.

• Purity Protocol Gluten Free (the highest gluten free standard).
• About twice the protein of traditional old fashioned rolled oats.
• 20%-40% more fiber than other rolled oatmeal promoting healthy microbiome and blood sugar levels.
• Hull free oat grains so your oatmeal is hull free also (and so easier on your gut).
• Purity verified glyphosate free and no detectable amounts aflatoxins or 400+ other agricultural toxins.
• Easier to digest.
• Raw with active enzymes that counter anti-nutrient growth so you absorb more nutrients,
• No added sugar or flavorings.
• A thinner flake with a nice chew – perfect for traditional morning oatmeal or for high protein cookies, pizza crust or tortillas (check out our recipes for instructions and inspirations).
• We buy directly from the farmers through their dedicated facility that oversees seed and harvest quality and processing into rolled oatmeal,
• Our facility is top 14 allergen free. No other grains are processed on the oat machinery.

Order ZEGO’s Double Protein Gluten Free Organic Oats through our website, or at Holiday Markets in California or Whole Foods Market in PA, Washington DC, MD, VA, and Southern New Jersey.

Better Taste

Did you know oats are supposed to have a flavor? Commercial oats are heat processed (steamed) before you get them which takes away their flavor. Our gluten free organic oats are full of delicious oat flavor because they aren’t cooked until YOU cook them, and so they retain their earthy goodness. The flakes are more delicate than other oats creating a creamy oatmeal texture with a nice chew and a very crunchy-chewy cookie.

Superior Nutrition

Our Double Protein Organic Oats are purity protocol gluten free (the highest GF standard) and have about twice the protein of typical old fashioned rolled oats (10g per 48g serving v. 5-6g) and 20%-40% more fiber, which means they have a lower glycemic load.

How are our oats so high in protein? Our high protein is a natural feature of the variety of oats our farmers grow. In fact, they selected their special variety because of its high protein content and growing height (see Purity Protocol info below). This higher protein is retained because we do not heat process the oats before you receive them. You see, our oats hulls are very loose and fall off during harvest, so we do not have to steam them to remove the hulls like other brands do. Other brands also steam their oats a second time to roll them out, while we cold-press our oats. Each heat process decreases protein content. The result is that our oats have about twice the protein of other brands.

Immune-Boosting Benefits

Higher Nutrient Absorption

What about anti-nutrients that can stop you from absorbing important immune-boosting minerals like iron and phosphorus? Anti-nutrients start to grow significantly once the enzymes in oats have been deactivated through heat processing. Most oats are heat processed 1-2 times before you get them: once to remove the hull, another time to roll them into old fashioned oatmeal.

But our oats have loose hulls that fall off during harvest, and we cold press them into flakes. That means their natural enzymes are still active until you cook them. The reason we want those enzymes active until you cook and eat them, is that they prevent overgrowth of anti-nutrients like phytates.

Why don’t you want phytates? Compounds like phytates can dramatically decrease the amount of oat nutrients you absorb. Even more noticeable, they can cause digestive upset. With other commercial oats, you need to sprout the grain to decrease the phytates. With our oats, you don’t need to sprout because the phytates are already low!

HINT: You should always cook any kind of oats and especially raw oats. This will neutralize the bitterness from the enzyme activity.

Improve and Maintain Your Healthy Microbiome

There is also research showing oats support the health of your microbiome due to its naturally occurring prebiotic fiber. These are fibers that make their way undigested into your intestinal track. Once there, they provide heart and colon health benefits and feed your probiotic gut bacteria. And, a healthy microbiome will help you fight of viruses like Covid-19 and bacteria that can cause illness. Our oats have more prebiotic fiber (beta glucan) than most other oats on the market.

No Aflatoxins

And, what about aflatoxins, which are linked to liver cancer and can make oats difficult to digest? Aflatoxins are molds that can be quite a health problem. They are common in grains like oats and rice and crops like peanuts which are often exposed to excess dampness in the fields. We have good news here as well. But our oat hulls are naturally extremely loose around the grain. That means they also have much lower aflatoxins than other typical hulled oat grains. In fact, we recently lab tested for aflatoxins (a subset of mycotoxins) in December 2020. The results showed no measurable amounts of aflatoxins!

More Special Features – Purity Protocol Gluten Free Oats

What is Purity Protocol Gluten Free? How does it prevent cross contact?  Purity Protocol is a patented method farming governing seed to harvest to processing to transportation that virtually aims to eliminate the possibility of gluten cross contact.

For example, one step in the process is selecting seed that grows shorter than other oat varieties. The seed our farmers grow is significantly shorter than wheat and barley and other invading, gluten-containing grains. As the plants grow, but before they sprout grains, the farm workers hand pick any tall sprouts from the field – removing the potential of cross contract in the field.

Because our farmers prevent the gluten-containing grains from getting into the harvest, our oats are much cleaner (we test to 5PPM). The clean seeds are saved for the next year’s planting. This means each year results in cleaner and cleaner seed stock. As an added precaution, we test our batches for allergens (peanut, soy, dairy) and gluten cross contact to ensure there are no detectable amounts.

Other Gluten Free Oats

What do other companies selling gluten-free oats do if they do not use the Purity Protocol method? Typically, they harvest all the grain in the field, even if it is contaminated with glutenous grains like wheat and barley. Then, they rely on a machine to optically sort and sift to remove the contamination. Of course, some grains are missed, and there is a lot of gluten-containing dust that remains in the product.

Surprisingly, these companies are allowed by the FDA to average their gluten tests. So, even though the FDA requires under 20 PPM of gluten to be declared gluten free, a company can average numerous harvests to meet that target. For example, one lot in ten could be 50 PPM but as long as the average of the ten lots is under 20 PPM, it can be labelled “gluten free.” The FDA also does not police gluten free testing often, leaving it to companies to self-monitor. Numerous reports have shown that this is not adequate, particularly for oat-based products like Cheerios that have struggled to keep gluten out of their “gluten free” products. This is why many Celiacs cannot eat gluten free oats or gluten free oat-containing products without experiencing unpleasant symptoms.

About our Gluten Free Oat Farms

Our oats are grown by a specific group of farmers in the western region of the U.S. from Wyoming to Montana and Idaho who use Purity Protocol growing methods. In addition, they agree not to use toxic chemicals like glyphosate or paraquat on their adjacent conventional fields (see section on Purity for more info). They work with a single, dedicated processor (owned by farmers) who monitors quality and provides education and support for the growers.

How to Use Raw, Gluten Free Oats

As oatmeal, boil 2 parts water with a small pinch of salt, stir in 1 part oats and simmer 10 minutes (stovetop is better than microwave). But don’t stop there, with a little attention, ZEGO’s Double Protein Oats will be your new favorite food in your pantry!

• You must COOK raw oats (or at least combine them with boiling water) to break the bitterness of the enzymes but we have found you can use them in protein balls with stronger flavors like chocolate and raspberry without cooking.
• Check out our recipes for Best Oatmeal Cookies, High Protein Pizza Crust and Tortillas and more.
• Makes an incredibly creamy oat milk too but is a bit different (cover oats in boiling water and let sit 15 minutes before adding to cold water in blender). The remaining oat “meal” as breakfast porridge with our Mix-Ins for added crunch, fruit sweetness and nutrition or use as baby food.
• If you love overnight oats or oat milk, we recommend using our Muesli because the muesli oats are not raw. If you want to use our Double Protein Oats, simply pour boiling water over them first and let sit for 15 minutes before refrigeration.
• Wonderful in recipes for cookies, granola, or tortillas.
• Do not toast dry or soak in cold liquid as that will enhance enzyme activity and the bitterness they can cause.

Purity – Glyphosate

Why do we test for agricultural chemicals in organic oats? Our oats are organic, but we know that toxic chemicals can drift from surrounding fields and waterways. To prevent this, our farmers sign contracts not to use glyphosate or paraquat on their adjacent conventional oat fields, if they also grow conventional oats.

Glyphosate is an herbicide used in almost all conventional weed killers. It damages your health in numerous ways, including creating openings in your gut linings that can lead to food intolerances and allergies. It also acts like an antibiotic, harming your good gut bacteria. This makes it harder to digest and benefit from your food. Glyphosate is water soluble and it can travel easily throughout your body causing a number of seemingly unrelated problems. Studies have shown the chemical is associated with a myriad of health problems including various cancers, gut issues (can mimic Celiac Disease), fertility, endocrine disruption, nausea, vomiting. The chemical is banned in many countries and municipalities.

Purity – Paraquat

Paraquat is a chemical used to induce Parkinson’s Disease in rats and is linked to the same in humans. It is a known neurotoxin and highly dangerous, approved by the FDA for only “restricted use.” You may recall it used to be used to decaffeinate coffee back in the 1970’s. It has been banned in the European Union since 2004.

We also test the oats for over 400 other agricultural conventional chemicals. You can scan the QR code on any package to see the purity test results for your oat package and the list of the 400 chemicals we test for or see the results in our Food Safety section on our website, or click here.

Allergen Statement – Double Protein Gluten Free Organic Oats

Made in a Top 14 Allergy Free Facility, No Soy, No Peanut, No Tree Nuts, No Sesame, No Dairy, No Egg, No Mustard, No Sea Creatures, No Wheat, No Gluten, No Sulfites, No Corn On Equipment, No Preservatives, No Lupins.