Oats, debaffled!
Quick oats, packet oats, steel cut oats, rolled oats… what do they all mean?
When you remove all the hidden info squirreled away behind the fancy packaging, essentially these names are telling you how heavily processed your oats have been. True story!
Steel Cut Oats: Oats in their most unprocessed form are called Steel Cut Oats. They’re the inner portion of the oat kernel (groat) and are absolutely wonderful for you. I highly recommend incorporating them into your diet.
The downside: You can’t eat them uncooked as they’re as hard as rocks and take a while to prepare. So, they’re PERFECT for porridge, but not for muesli.
Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are, typically, steamed and rolled making them a great option for breakfast muesli that isn’t rammed with sugar or cooked at extremely high temperatures. That said, however, you can also get 100% Raw Organic Rolled Oats that are even better if you’re looking for more ways to incorporate raw food into your diet.
Quick Oats: Next down the processing chain are Quick Oats. These guys have been rolled into smaller (less nutrient rich) morsels for added convenience but, in my opinion, I’d stick to the regular or raw rolled oats rather than opting for the quick fix.
Packet Porridge: Those deceiving little flavored packets of porridge sitting in the cereal aisle are filled with sugar and so heavily processed that you’re not actually getting any of the goodness of the oat whatsoever. My advice? Leave them where they belong… on the shelf.
Some fun things about oats…
- They are a superfood! And hey, I’m a sucker for a buzzword.
- Studies have shown oats have magical powers, especially when reducing the rate of cholesterol. Aha. They act as a broom in your arteries and sweep out the cholesterol, leaving your heart, and your belly, very, very happy.
- They’re an immunity booster.
- They’re packed with antioxidants that promote excellent cardiovascular health.
- They miraculously stabilize blood sugar levels, making them a great breakfast choice for people with Type 2 Diabetes.
- They’ve been listed as one of the Top 300 Foods to Buy Organic as they’re known to be sprayed with a number of pesticides. Worth spending the extra cash on if you can.
Who ever knew one little grain could be so good!
Yasmin Trollope is an award-winning beauty journalist, health and well-being writer, and studying to be a Health Coach. At her blog The Happiness Cocktail, Yasmin writes all about discovering goodness in food, health, beauty, life, and (best of all) the small stuff. Read her blog at thehappinesscocktail.wordpress.com or connect with Yasmin on Instagram (instagram.com/yaz_trollope), Facebook (facebook.com/TheHappinessCocktail) or Twitter (twitter.com/Yaz_Trollope).
This article appears in Issue 13 of Healthy Juicing Magazine – Subscribe and don’t miss any information like this in future – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthy-juicing-magazine/id569295045?ls=1&mt=8
You can download our latest issue at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthy-juicing-magazine/id569295045?ls=1&mt=8
If you like what you see, we would really appreciate your honest rating on iTunes; tap this link to do it – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthy-juicing-magazine/id569295045?ls=1&mt=8
Check out our Social Media Presence:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyJuicingMagazine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthyJuiceMag
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/healthyjmag