Oatmeal - A Good for You Food

Oatmeal – A Good for You Food

Oats have probably been cultivated since the first century A.D. Brought to the New World by English colonist, oats were planted in Massachusetts in the mid-1660s, and were first packaged in the United States for wide distribution in 1852.
Oat are a powerhouse food. Oats are a n excellent source of complex carbohydrates. The grain offers impressive levels of iron and manganese, and also supplies good quantities of copper, folacin, vitamin E and zinc. Furthermore, oats are a good source of dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
At the supermarket, consumers will find a variety of oatmeal, all made with the goodness of whole-grains oats- most ready to eat in little time.
An oatmeal primer is below. The main difference in oats is the size and shape of the grain, which affects cooking time and temperature.
  • Oat bran. This outer layer of oat groats has a finer texture and lighter color than wheat bran. It is sold in bulk or packaged as hot cereal.

  • Rolled Oats. Probably the most familiar form rolled oats have been heated and pressed flat with steel rollers so they cook more quickly. Whole groats processed this way are sold as old-fashioned oats and cook in about five minutes.

  • Quick-cooking oats are sliced before heating and pressing, they are ready in a few minutes. Instant oats are the same as quick oats, but rolled even thinner and cut finer. Sugar and natural and artificial flavors are commonly added to enhance flavor.

  • Steel-cut Oats. Often imported, steel-cut oats are groats that have been thinly sliced length-wise. They required a fairly long cooking time and have a chewy, hearty consistency. They are thick, hearty and chewy with rich, nutty taste.  

  • Scottish oats are steel cut oats that have been ground between two large mill stones into a course meal. The oats produce a creamy bowl of oatmeal.