Food of the Week – OATS part 1

The oat grain is a wholegrain cereal that has been widely consumed in Northern Europe for centuries. Oats are a  highly nutritious, versatile grain that can be used in a variety of ways. Whole oats have a hard outer shell or hull that must be removed before it’s ready for human consumption.

Oats offer several health benefits including: heart health, gut health and weight management.

I know I have used the term ‘superfood’ to describe quite a few foods on my blog. Oats are also dubbed with superfood status! There isn’t really a hard fast rule or definition for a superfood; but in terms of what it does – oats deserve superfood status because of the wealth of scientific evidence that supports its effects on the body.

In particular oats have been shown in many clinical studies, to lower blood bad cholesterol (LDL) in adults; help control of blood sugars in Diabetes; and support weight loss as part of a healthy eating lifestyle change.
  
Nutritional content:

 Oats are high in fibre and contain a particular type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which has been show to reduce cholesterol re-absorption in the gut and helps to improve cholesterol profiles, which in turn reduces your risk of heart attack.

Oats provide a host of micronutrients such as  potassium, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and zinc. The fat found in oats carries the fat-soluble vitamin E, which is a key player in the team of disease-fighting anti-oxidants.

Oats are classified as having low to moderate Glycaemic index (GI), depending on how processed they are. The GI  indicates how rapidly a carbohydrate is digested and released as glucose (sugar) into the blood stream. In other words, how quickly foods break down into sugar in your bloodstream. A food with a high GI raises blood sugar more than a food with a medium to low GI 

Courtesy of Whole Grains council

A whole oat contains three segments of seed 

-The endosperm

- The Germ 

- The Bran 

Different forms of Oats:

Oats can be found in several forms, each being dependent upon the degree of processing they have been subjected to.

Whole Oats

Whole oats have a hard outer hull that must be removed before it’s ready for human consumption. Removing this hard outer hull needs special equipment, so its best to purchase them already hulled. Hulled oats are known as 'groats'.

 Oat Groats

Oat groats are the whole oat grain, with only the hard unpalatable outer hull removed, but with the kernel's outer bran layer left intact. They are long and thin with a smooth shiny surface and look like brown rice. They can be eaten at this stage, but are typically processed into one of the forms below.

Steel-cut Oats

Steel-cut oats, also known as ‘pinhead oats’; sometimes referred to as coarse or rough oatmeal. They are made by passing groats through steel cutters which chop each one into 3 - 4 pieces. Since they still contain the whole grain including the oat bran, steel cut oats are very nutritious.

Rolled Oats

Rolled oats are made by steaming groats and flattening them with a roller. These come in two distinct varieties. The first variety is sometimes referred to as ‘old fashioned’, or ‘jumbo.’ These are made by first steaming the whole groat for a few minutes, thus partially cooking it, then passing it between rollers to flatten it out. The second variety is sometimes referred to as ‘quick-cooking’ rolled oats. These are made by putting steel-cut oats through the same process

 Instant Oats

Instant oats are made in a similar fashion to rolled quick-cooking oats, except they are steamed longer and rolled more thinly. It produces the kind of oats used for making some types of 'instant' porridge. Generally, the more you process a food the less nutritious it becomes, instant oats are popular but not as nutritious as rolled or steel cut oats.

 Oat Flour

Oats can be ground in to flour which usually comes in three grades - coarse (ie steel-cut oats), medium and fine. Medium oatmeal can be used in cakes and crumble toppings to give a nutty flavour, or added to soups as a thickener/creamer. Fine oatmeal (flour) adds a great flavour to bread and improves its shelf life due to the natural preservatives found in oats. Certain African cultures  - Nigerian for instance; have adopted Oat fufu as a healthier alternative to other ‘swallow’ foods.

Watch out for part 2. of our Oats series.

http://www.eatmoreoats.com/aboutoats.html#uses

wholegrains Council – website

http://www.oatly.com/healthcareprofessionals/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Oatly-re-print-HIGH-RES.pdf