Oatmeal is a kind of super absorbent, extremely floury wheat flour made from hulled oats which have been cut or milled. It has a very good characteristic when it comes to storing for long periods of time. Oatmeal is produced both by hand and by machine. The best oats for making this kind of flour are whole oats or bran oats.
Oatmeal can be bought in a wide range of grocery stores both local and online. It can also be bought in a package and reheated in the microwave. There are various brands of instant oats available on the market. They can either be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for some time, depending on the brand. To get out of store sales, buy bulk oats, which are cheaper. The other varieties of oatmeal are better for baking or cooking.
There are varieties of oatmeal available: all purpose, quick oats, steel-cut, quick oatmeal, enriched, quick oatmeal, unrefined, and wheat berries. All Purpose Oatmeal can be used for almost any food like pancakes, French toast, coffee, cereal, granola, etc. For instant breakfast, you may like to go for steel-cut, all purpose or steel-red oatmeal. Quick oats are enriched with fiber, salt or cinnamon. For a great source of protein, try wheat berries.
The most popular way of cooking oats is through microwave cooking. Microwave oats can be popped into the machine with their bran or flax seeds intact. When heated up, they take hardly any time to get fully cooked. This is the reason why oatmeal in its refined and enriched form, is still favored by dieters because it gives faster results than those rolled oats that lose more nutrients when cooking.
Oatmeal porridge is an alternative to oatmeal. It is made from oats that are soaked overnight and then dried in the sun before being rolled into small pieces. Oatmeal porridge is commonly used in the Middle East as a breakfast food. It is not as sweet tasting as the oatmeal, but is often used as a substitute for traditional cereal. Porridge is considered as healthier than oatmeal because it contains more wholesome grains like barley and wheat. It can be bought in many supermarkets in various flavors.
There are also various types of flavored oatmeal available in the market. Fruity flavors are usually preferred by young children. Barbecue flavored oats are very common as well as steel-cut oatmeal. These oats can be easily bought in any health food store or online.
In addition to flavored and steel-cut oatmeal, there are other varieties available that are not readily recognized by many as belonging to the same family. You can find milled and roasted varieties in the supermarket. The milled varieties are usually very fine to eat, but can’t take the same amount of time to process as the roasted ones. Unroasted oats have a very mild flavor. However, there are varieties that are highly nutritious such as the entire kernel, half of the kernel and the outer skin.
Many health experts believe that there are some health benefits associated with instant oats. The bran is high in fiber and can help lower the risk of colon cancer. Oatmeal is known to promote weight loss in some studies. However, the evidence regarding this is not conclusive. Health experts believe that people who consume oatmeal regularly lose less weight than those who don’t. It’s best to check with your nutritionist if you’re interested in trying out any one of the overnight oats on offer.
One of the reasons why oatmeal is so popular in cookery is because it’s a good source of the soluble fiber found in whole grains. Fiber offers numerous health benefits and is helpful in fighting heart disease, maintaining a healthy colon and reducing the risk of developing diabetes. One of the most interesting claims about oatmeal is that it contains trace amounts of the controversial substance, polyunsaturated fat. Although the jury is still out on whether or not polyunsaturated fat is really a healthful fat, one thing is for certain: eating oatmeal is going to give you a healthier heart.
One of the best known health benefits of oatmeal is its potential to lower cholesterol levels. In a paper published by the American Heart Association and the American College of Nutrition, the benefits of oatmeal were being hailed. Specifically, the benefits of the soluble fiber and the beta-glucan in oatmeal were being heralded. The soluble fiber in oatmeal moves through the digestive system more quickly than other types of fiber, which means it reaches the bloodstream more quickly and gets eliminated from the body immediately. The speed of this process reduces the build up of cholesterol in the arteries, which means there is less chance for health complications to develop as a result.
Of course, part of the reason why oatmeal is so wonderful for you has to do with the way it cooks. Cooked oatmeal is incredibly thick, so if you stir it occasionally, you can actually save on calories. Spreading the oats out instead of blending them ensures that they cook evenly and does not retain any water, so you do not need to use as much oil when stirring. Stirring once every few minutes will still ensure that the oats retain their shape and texture while still retaining the majority of their nutrients.