Looking for a nutritious and hearty grain? Take note of the humble oat!

Eclipsed by other gluten-free grains in recent years, oats are an often overlooked option for people who can’t digest gluten, or are looking to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diets. Oats pack a punch from a nutrition standpoint. They are a good source of many nutrients, most surprisingly, protein. Oats’ protein quality is as high as that found in soy, which according to the World Health Organization, is equal to the protein content of meat, milk and eggs. Take that quinoa! Good-quality protein is important for growth and body maintenance and keeps the stomach feeling fuller for longer because it takes longer to digest than other nutrients. For those on vegetarian or vegan diets, oats are also a good source of iron. Most people don’t even think of oats as sources of these nutrients.

Oats are milled from groats from which the hull has been removed. Oats come in many forms: steel-cut, rolled and instant oats are the most common formats found in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. Steel-cut oats are groats that are coarsely cut and take the most time to prepare. Rolled or quick-cooking oats are probably the best choice for making snacks like oatmeal porridge and granola snacks. Oats are also used to make breads that the Scottish have been eating for centuries. You can make your own flour from oats by placing them in the blender or food processor. The flour can then be used as a substitute for wheat or other flours in your favorite snack or treat recipes.

Now a traditional breakfast staple for cold winter mornings, oats were ignored as a useless weed before cultivation began in Europe around the time of the ancient Romans. By comparison, wheat and barley have been harvested for at least 10,000 years. Russia is the largest oat producer, while Canada ranks second and the U.S. sixth.

Oats enjoyed a brief surge in popularity during the 1980s, when researchers found that a diet rich in oats, most specifically oat fiber, could help lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol levels.  One snack brand went so far as to add oat bran to its pretzels! Subsequent food trends came and went, and while oats have continued to find their way into oat breads, granola and granola bars, they have been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of quinoa and resurgence of ancient grains like millet and buckwheat.

If you don’t have time to eat a hot breakfast or make your own oat snacks, MadeGood® Granola Snacks offer a convenient alternative.  MadeGood makes granola bars and minis that kids love.  We use 1 million pounds of organic oats annually.  All our products are school-safe, and do not contain any nuts. In fact, we have a dedicated peanut and nut-free facility. And, our snacks contain a carefully freeze dried vegetable powder made from broccoli, carrots, beets, spinach, shitake mushrooms and spinach that delivers the nutrition of one serving of vegetables.  MadeGood keeps it simple with ingredients you can recognize and probably have in your kitchen.