Are All Oats Created Equal?

Here at Peas of Mind, we often toast our morning oats (eating them dry like European muesli) instead of making oatmeal, but might this change in preparation impact the nutritional value? What about the availability of nutrients, minerals and fiber? The effectiveness of lowering cholesterol, extending satiety and minimizing rapid changes in blood sugar levels... Are we still cashing in on all these fantastic health benefits?

How does one choose which type of oats (instant, quick, rolled, steel-cut) to consume and which cooking method to use to prepare them?

Below is a summary of our findings:



Ultimately, instant, quick and rolled oats are all processed in the same way; the only difference is their thickness, which impacts the cooking time and resulting texture.

"Dry or cooked, oats provide protein, some B vitamins, and other nutrients, and they are rich in fiber - notably beta glucan, a soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol and helps control blood sugar." (UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, Volume 25, Issue 10, July 2009.)

Lastly, we evaluate steel-cut oats. Their extended cooking time presents a significant disadvantage in comparison to all other the types, but they offer 1 significantly unique advantage: SUPERIOR TEXTURE! Steel cut oats are fantastically chewy and therefore far more pleasant to eat than the others. They also have the lowest Glycemic Index (a measure of a food's effect on blood sugar levels, the lower the number, the better the food) of 42, an admittedly small reduction from that of cooked rolled oats (50).

One of us here at POM simply adores the texture of the steel-cut, so she makes a tremendous batch on Sundays to last her household the upcoming week. Cooked and stored in the fridge, even steel-cut oats can be 'instant' on a weekday morning.

How do you like to make your oats?

Here at Peas, we're excited to take our blog in a new direction.

We're going to use this platform to provide tips and tidbits about cooking, kids & nutrition.

Our first tidbit is:

Snack for a healthy smile!

We know that dairy products are a great source of calcium, but turns out that cheddar-like cheeses have additional benefits to aid in the development and maintenance of teeth, particularly when eaten at the end of a meal.

First off, the minerals calcium and phosphorous present in cheese buffer the weakening effects that strongly acidic foods have on teeth.

Chewing on cheeses like cheddar activate the salivary glands to produce more saliva which helps remove residual pieces of food in the mouth. This is particularly effective after a child eats sweets: the cheese loosens and sweeps away sticky bits of candy and thereby helps prevent decay.

Eating cheeses that are semi-firm (like like cheddar, swiss, mozzarella and monterey jack) are particularly effective in this regard. These cheeses are made from very smooth curds that act similarly to a squeegie on a glass window, removing all of the grime, leaving teeth squeaky clean!

So at the end of a meal, consider serving a small cube of cheese to your little one, and enjoying a nibble for yourself.