Oatmeal has always been an economical morning meal. Now, people are replacing brown sugar and butter with flax seed and fruit to create a functional, balanced breakfast.
What is Oatmeal?
Oatmeal is a hot breakfast cereal made from oats that is also known as porridge. People used to grow up eating porridge for breakfast with spoonfuls of brown sugar and a hefty pat of butter on top. Oatmeal has been around for centuries.
Most supermarkets carry whole oats in groat, rolled, flaked, steel-cut and instant forms, and oat bran.
Oatmeal and Nutrition
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Living recommends people
- Make at least half of their grain products whole grain each day.
- Choose grain products that are lower in fat, sugar and salt.
Oatmeal meets all three of these criteria and provides vitamins, minerals, and the ever-elusive dietary fibre. Best of all, oatmeal’s goodness is natural, not added back after processing. The ingredients on the package should read nothing more than “rolled oats” or something just as simple.
Whole oats are a high-protein and low-fat grain, containing 66% carbohydrates, 17% protein, and only 17% fat (McGee, 2004). To make oatmeal into a balanced breakfast (even containing all four food groups!), try new toppings like fresh or frozen fruit, low-fat milk or non-dairy milk, chopped nuts, peanut butter or low-sugar jam.
Most oat products are minimally processed (milled, cut and rolled and/or steamed) to make cooking times shorter while reducing nutritional losses that occur in processing (McGee, 2004). Whole oats have their hulls removed to reveal oat groats, which cook more slowly than steel-cut and rolled oats.
Nutrition Facts
A 1/3 cup serving of rolled, quick, or instant oats prepared with water provides
- 102 Calories
- Protein 3.5 grams
- Carbohydrates 18.3 grams
- Fibre 2.7 grams
- Iron 1.2 mg or 6.7% daily value
- Zinc 1.0 mg
- B vitamins (124 mcg thiamin, 42 mcg riboflavin, 304 mcg niacin, 302 mcg panthothenic acid, 27 mcg B6)
Glycemic Index
Steel-cut (also called Irish or Scottish oats), rolled, large flake, and instant oatmeal are nutritionally similar, and all have a relatively high glycemic index (GI). The GI remains high whether the oats are cooked or eaten raw as in muesli; however, large or thickly-cut oats might have a slightly lower GI (Granfeldt et al. 1995; Granfeldt et al. 2000). To decrease the GI of oatmeal, use thick-cut oats and add healthy fat and protein. Try milk, nuts, or peanut butter.
Oatmeal as a Functional Food
A functional food is a food with health-promoting properties that go beyond providing energy (calories) and nutrients. Oatmeal has been proven to be a natural way to lower cholesterol.
Oats and Gluten Intolerance
Pure, uncontaminated oats are safe for most individuals with celiac disease, when taken in limited quantities (Rashid et al. 2007). For adults, up to ½ to ¾ cup per day is considered acceptable.
References:
Granfeldt Y, Hagander B, and Björck I. Metabolic responses to starch in oat and wheat products. On the importance of food structure, incomplete gelatinization or presence of viscous dietary fibre. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1995; 49(3):189-99.
Granfedlt Y, Eliasson AC, and Björck I.. An examination of the possibility of lowering the glycemic index of oat and barley flakes by minimal processing. J. Nutr. 2000; 130(9):2207-14.
McGee, H. On Food and Cooking. Scribner: New York; 2004.
Rashid M, Butzner D, Burrows V, Zarkadas M, Case S, Molloy M et al.Consumption of pure oats by individuals with celiac disease: a position statement by the Canadian Celiac Association. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2007; 21(10):649-41.
