Eat Your Oats, Grow Big and Strong!

—by Naomi Jackson

It’s winter in Minnesota, and there’s nothing like oatmeal to give you what it takes to face an icy windshield and an even icier wind chill. Here’s how to prepare your oatmeal:

First, clean out a large kitchen drawer and seal any cracks. Then get out your largest cooking kettle. At a ratio of 2:1, fill the kettle with water and old-fashioned rolled oats—the really thick, chunky kind. Simmer to desired consistency.

When the oatmeal is done, pour it into the clean drawer. Allow it to solidify. Once it has cooled, you can cut it into squares, which can be tossed in the fry pan, or eaten cold as a quick lunch. One drawerful should last you all week.

That’s how oatmeal used to be prepared in Scotland. It was the staple diet for crofters. However, if you’re like me, you don’t have a spare kitchen drawer, so you’ll want to cook it in smaller quantities. While you’re enjoying your oatmeal, here are some interesting facts to ponder.

Who Tamed Wild Oats?

Since the cultivation of oats (as with that of all grains) precedes written history, no one knows for sure how or when wild oats were first tamed. It is likely that domestication occurred in several locations, using different varieties of wild oats. We know that oats were being grown 4000 years ago in Central Europe, and written records indicate they were wellestablished in China 2100 years ago.

A necessary step in oat cultivation was locating varieties that hung onto their seeds long enough to be harvested. Wild oats drop their seeds as soon as they are ripe; food writer Alan Davidson comments that this is “a useful feature for a weed trying to spread itself, but not for a cereal crop.”

Oats grow well in a cool, wet climate, explaining their traditional popularity in such places as Scotland, Russia, and Scandinavia. They were brought to North America in 1602, where they did well in New England’s rocky soil.

Oat Varieties

Looking at a bowl of oatmeal, it would be easy to think that oats are oats. However, there are dozens of varieties of oats, both wild and domesticated. Naked oats are grown mainly in Asia, where they originated. Red oats tolerate warmer weather, so are grown in the southern U.S. Most other oat crops in this country are varieties of common (or tree) oats.

As with wheat, some oat varieties are planted in the fall and others in the spring. Heirloom seed aficionados will not be surprised to learn that far fewer varieties of oats are cultivated now than in the mid-20th century.

Losing the Popularity Contest

Oats have historically elicited strong opinions. The ancient Romans turned up their noses at the “coarse, barbarian fare” of their northern neighbors. They considered oats to be a diseased version of wheat.

Centuries later, Samuel Johnson expressed disdain for the Scots' predilection for oats, defining them in his dictionary as “a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.”

Perhaps the Romans should have tried oats themselves; as John Williams notes in “A Brief History of Oats,” the Romans were never able to conquer the oat-eating Scots, and were ultimately overrun by oat-eating Germanic tribes.

Oats are no more popular today than they were in Roman times. Worldwide, most oats are fed to animals. The amount grown for both food and fodder in the United States declined from 1.5 billion bushels in 1955 to approximately 300 million bushels per year in recent years.

But they’re good for you!

In spite of intense advertising by American corporations of their oat-based “heart healthy” foods, only 5% of oat crops worldwide are eaten by humans. In the United States, annual human consumption is 11 pounds per person.

Perhaps we should reconsider our breakfast choices. Oats are extremely nutritious, for both humans and animals. Chinese agronomist Shu Wang, in an extensive study of oats as animal feed, learned that, when compared to corn, oats are considerably higher in protein, fiber, and fat. In addition, dairy cows fed oat silage instead of corn silage produced an extra 2.13 kg. of milk per cow per day.

In terms of human nutrition, oats are rich in lysine, unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, silicon, vitamins E, B1 and B2, as well as a variety of micronutrients. They are a great source of complex carbohydrates and contain a wellbalanced mix of proteins, making them a good choice for vegetarians.

Some of the earliest written references to oats concern their contribution to human health and well-being. Oatmeal soothes the skin and the digestive tract, and nourishes the invalid. Oats are believed to lower cholesterol levels, improve your thyroid function, and renew your bones and connective tissue.

However, when consuming oat products, remember that processing lowers nutrient content. In spite of what the advertising industry would have you believe, those “little o” cereals just can’t compete with oat groats and oldfashioned rolled oats.

Fun with Oats

Here is a sampling of recipes to tempt you into the nutritious, delicious world of oats. Scottish oatcakes are like shortbread with oats. Haymakers’ Oatwater is a variation on an old-time drink called switchel, known as “the original Gatorade.”

It’s very refreshing when you have to work hard on a hot, sunny day. Irish oatmeal requires some advance planning, but it’s so easy you could do it during commercial breaks. The result is the best oatmeal you ever tasted in your life. Muesli is easy; it prepares itself while you shower and dress.

Sources:

• Celiac Sprue Association. “The Scoop on Oats”.
• Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions, New Trends Publishing, Inc., 2001.
• National Grain and Feed Association. “Our Industry: Grains—Oats”
• North American Millers’ Association. “10 Reasons to Eat Bread and Other Grain Foods” <www.namamillers.org/prd_o.html>
• Onstad, Diane. Whole Foods Companion, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1996.
• Schlabach, Joetta Handrich. Extending the Table, Herald Press, 1991.
• Wang, Shu. “Fodder Oats in China”.
• Williams, John K., Ph.D. “A Brief History of Oats—And How You Should Eat Them”

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Sidebar: Do they or don't they?

Everyone with gluten intolerance wants to know: “Do oats contain gluten?” It depends on who you ask. The resources I consulted offered opinions ranging from “high in gluten” to “almost no gluten.”

Gluten or no gluten, the Celiac Sprue Association advises not eating oats, because they do provoke reactions in some (but not all) people with Celiac Disease. While oats appear to be very low in gluten, they contain a substance that resembles wheat gluten enough that some people react to it.

So, if you’re very sensitive to gluten, be safe. Don’t eat oats.

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Sidebar: A short dictionary of oats

Whole oats: The whole grain before processing; retains all of the original nutrients. You can sprout them, or cook and eat them.

Groats: The whole grain, minus the hull. In the cleaning process, groats are slightly roasted. They can be cooked like rice, roasted and ground up (see “Irish Oatmeal”), or you can “roll” them yourself with a wooden mallet or rolling pin.

Oat bran: The outer covering that is removed from the hulled oat groat. It’s the part of the oat that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. It’s also tasty in baked goods.

Steel-cut oats: Unrefined groats chopped into small pieces. They contain most of the original nutrition of groats because they haven’t been heated. They take longer to cook than rolled oats, and are chewy, but they are preferred by oatmeal connoisseurs.

Rolled oats: Groats are steamed and rolled flat. Oats cook more quickly when rolled.

Quick oats: Groats are chopped into several pieces, steamed and rolled into thin flakes. They cook in 3–5 minutes, but lack a certain something in flavor.

Instant oats: Groats are chopped into tiny pieces, precooked, dried, and smashed with a big roller. Add hot water, and voila, you have oat paste for breakfast. However, instant oats are nice for camping trips.