Oats to health!

I've been having oats for breakfast these last 3 days in an attempt to subsist on a more healthy diet!

So, why are oats good for health?
Oats provides a very good source of soluble fibers, specifically beta-glucans. These have been shown to lower serum cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose spikes following meals. Translation: more oats = lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and reduced risks of acquiring Type 2 diabetes. Some researchers in Tuft University, in 1999, showed that healthy men fed on oats showed reduced blood pressure and cholesterol in 6 weeks!

Oats is also a good source of

• dietary fiber (that's why it's so chewy) which helps promote healthy bowel movements,
• complex carbohydrates which is known to reduced risks of colon, breast and prostate cancers,
  
• proteins of a quality comparable (as shown by the WHO) to that of meat, milk and eggs,
• amino acids (best amino acids profile amongst grains),
  
• balanced essential fatty acids (primarily unsaturated fatty acids which is linked to longevity and good health, and
  
• vitamin B1 (thiamin) which is necessary for carbohydrate metabolism.
  

More oats for me please!

I'm not gluten-intolerant, but for those who are, oats are good for you too!
For a list of references on celiac disease and oats, Celiac.com has quite a comprehensive listing.

Oats, oats every kind, which one to eat?
[The following is taken from Oats, The Cook's Thesaurus]


Steel cut oats are whole oats that have been chopped into small pieces. They are very chewy and take the longest time to cook, next to whole oats, of course. Oprah, in one of her shows, advocated steel cut oats, perhaps because this is the closest you get to whole oats (groats). Not flaked.




Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, and flaked so that they cook quickly. They're often cooked as a breakfast cereal, added raw to granola or muesli mixes, or used to make oatmeal cookies (not so often). This is what I have been eating. I cook them with milk and water (1/3 milk and 2/3 water) for about 5 minutes on a stove. Serve with blueberries and cut bananas. Yummy!



Quick oats are thin flakes of oatmeal that cook up in about three or four minutes. Usually used to make oatmeal cookies.





Instant oats are very thin, precooked oats that need only be mixed with a hot liquid. They usually have flavorings and salt added (most 3-in-1s). They're convenient, but not as chewy and flavorful as slower-cooking oats.



Some trivia on oats

• There are only 3 main species of oats cultivated worldwide
• 75% of oats come from one species - Avena sativa
• Avena nuda produces hulless oats.
• Oats are often food for poultry and horses
• Oats are well-regarded by the Scots but not the English
• There is a traditional English saying - "Oats are only fit to be fed to horses and Scotsmen".
• To that, the Scots reply - "and England has the finest horses and Scotland the finest men!"

References:
Oat Milling, North America Millers Association
Holy Oat! by Brenda R. Carlos, Chef.com
Oat by Wikipedia