Know Your Oats

2.67
I love having some tried and true, versatile power pantry items on hand. I think of pantry staples like raw almonds, apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, raw honey, brown rice, and oats. Yes, humble, stick-to-your-ribs, great-for-breakfast oats. Maybe oats are worth a closer look.

If you've never thought much about the available kinds of oats, here are some basics. The oats we buy at a grocery store are usually available in four types: groats, steel cut oats, rolled oats (or 'old-fashioned' oats), and quick, or instant, oats. Check out what Wikipedia and the Whole Grain Council have to say about oats...

Groats are simply the whole oat kernel with the hull removed. The head of grain hasn't been cut or pressed or rolled. Steel cut oats, the healthiest of the processed oats, are simply cut into two to three pieces by processing blades, but that's all- no other mechanical manipulation is done. Because of this, steel cut oats retain much of the oat bran, which is lost in more mechanical processing used with other oats.

To get rolled oats, the groat is steamed to make it more tender, and then it is rolled in a coarse roller, and finally toasted a bit to stabilize it. Rolled oats will cook more quickly, and make more of a porridge consistency. Quick oats will cook the quickest of all because they are rolled more finely than old-fashioned oats. Quick oats yield an even creamier texture because of the finer processing.

Which is the best? As always, the one processed the least will give you the greatest benefit, so that's probably the steel cut variety. Don't get me wrong, all oats are a healthy choice, it's just that steel cut oats would retain the most nutritional content because they aren't steamed or toasted.

So give oats another look. I enjoy a great bowl of oatmeal or muesli (uncooked or only slightly cooked oats) most days of the week, and I like throwing in a variety of good additions like raisins, dates, walnuts, raw almonds, chia seeds, ground flax, or even berries. Oats are a great way to start the day because of their low glycemic index and high fiber content which will keep you feeling full longer into your day.

By the Way

Oats are seen as a healthy addition to our nutritional choices for a couple of reasons. Besides being a great source of thiamine, iron and dietary fiber, oats are the only source of avenanthramides, an antioxidant which helps protect the circulatory system from arteriosclerosis.