January 9, 2003

Prairie Fare: January is National Oatmeal Month

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Many of us remember a time when we stared half-heartedly at a steaming bowl of oatmeal placed in front of us at the breakfast table before school. "Eat your oatmeal; it’s good for you," was the admonition. We may have offered to do more homework or chores to avoid our breakfast.

It turns out Moms and Grandmas have been right all along. Eating a bowl of oatmeal or other oat-containing foods really is good for you. And it actually tastes good, too.

Americans aren’t rebelling at the thought of oatmeal. About three-fourths of American households have oatmeal in their cupboards at any given time. We’re eating it, too. According to the Quaker Oats Company, Americans devoured 470 million bowls of oatmeal in January 1999.

Oats were long viewed as animal feed, not people food, and early writings and drawings prominently feature cereals like wheat but scarcely mention oats. Later, Northern Europeans were teased by the Romans for eating oats, which the Romans considered a weed only good for animal feed or for making medicinal salves to apply to skin.

Many varieties of oatmeal are available ranging from "old fashioned" to "instant." Oats are processed into rolled oats by first removing the outer husk or hull, yielding "groats." The groats are then cleaned, steamed, toasted, steamed again to soften them, and finally, rolled. Rolled oats that are not cut into smaller pieces are termed "old fashioned." They take about five minutes to cook on the stove, and they yield a chewier product after cooking.

Groats cut into a couple of pieces before being steamed and rolled are termed "quick oats," which cook on the stove in about a minute. "Instant" oatmeal is steamed yet again and sweeteners, flavors and other ingredients may be added.

What makes oats so healthy? Oats are a whole grain food containing insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber keeps us "regular" by moving foods through the digestive system. Most beneficial health-wise are the beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels, particularly the LDL "bad" cholesterol. High LDL levels are considered a risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists have compared oats to tiny sponges that pick up cholesterol and carry it out of the body.

Oats are so healthy that foods containing a specific amount may carry a health claim approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997. An example of an approved food label statement is: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include soluble fiber from oatmeal may reduce the risk of heart disease." The part about a diet "low in saturated fat and cholesterol" reminds us that a bowl of oats won’t make up for a diet of premium ice cream and brownies.

Add some oats to your diet. Try topping your oatmeal with old standbys like brown sugar and milk, or try dried fruit like raisins or cranberries, fruit-flavored yogurt, fruit preserves or fresh fruit. During January, National Oatmeal Month, make oatmeal-containing foods like this tasty granola from the Quaker Oats Company a tasty and nutritious part of your diet -- just like Mom said.

Sunshine Granola

2 cups oatmeal (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
2/3 cup diced dried mixed fruit (about 3 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except dried fruit in large bowl; mix well. Spread evenly in 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan or 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once after 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Stir in dried fruit. Store tightly covered up to 5 days.

Makes about six servings. Each half-cup serving contains 240 calories, 6 grams fat, 43 milligrams carbohydrates and 3 grams fiber.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu