Did you dig into a bowl of oatmeal this morning? One studded with chopped walnuts and blueberries? Let’s cut to the chase: Yes, oatmeal is good for you, despite what anyone with a fear of carbs will tell you.
As a great source of whole grains, oats contain a heart-protective starch called beta-glucan that can help lower high cholesterol and potentially help reduce the risk of certain cancers. (1) Their fiber (and rich texture) make them particularly filling for breakfast, helping you avoid the pre-lunch call to snack. What’s more, they’re GI-friendly because their fiber content also can help improve digestion and promote regularity.
What Are Oats, and What Should You Know About Their History?
Avena sativa — or oats — may be a staple at your breakfast table, but they’re primarily cultivated for livestock feed. (2) Oats grow in temperate regions like the United States and Canada, and can withstand poor soil, making them a particularly hearty crop.
Their history goes back further than anticipated, too. Those following the paleo diet avoid grains like oats because, they attest, our caveman ancestors didn’t eat them. But new evidence suggests otherwise. A study published in the journal PNASnoted the discovery of evidence of ancient tools that would have been used to grind grains like oats. (3) It appears that humans have been oat lovers for a very long time.
Oats are steamed, flattened, and sliced in different ways, producing the several types of oats available. These include “old-fashioned” (regular) oats, quick oats, and instant oats. (Their names, as you can tell, designate how fast they’ll cook up into oatmeal.) Oats are considered a whole grain because after processing, their bran and germ remain intact. (1)
In stores, you can buy steel-cut oats (aka Irish oatmeal, which are chewier and heartier), Scottish oatmeal (these are stone-ground oats and creamy), rolled oats (aka regular or old-fashioned), and, as mentioned earlier, quick or instant oats, which are made by rolling oat flakes even thinner than the old-fashioned variety. (4)
