Characteristics
- Family: Gramineae
- Origin: Europe
- Season: Spring and autumn
- Colour: brown
- Flavour: sweet
Properties
- Rich in fibre
- Source of carbohydrates
- Promotes satiety and intestinal transit
- Contains gluten
- Rich in essential vitamins and minerals
Nutritional and caloric values
How much is one serving of oatmeal?
Zoom in on the micronutrients in oats
Oats owe their popularity to their unique nutritional profile.
The vitamins and minerals found in this cereal are second to none:
- Phosphorus
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Copper
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin B1
The benefits
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers and obesity
- An excellent source of fibre
- Rich in plant protein
Beware of processed foods, including breakfast cereals, which may contain sugar, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial flavours and other additives with low nutritional value.
How to prepare oatmeal?
Both flours and flakes can be used to replace some or all of the white or whole-wheat flour in breads, muffins, pies, cakes, pizza dough, etc.
To replace 1 cup of white flour, use 1 cup of oat flour or 1 and ½ cups of ground oat flakes.
To replace 1 cup of wholemeal flour, use ¾ cup oat flour or ¼ cup rolled oats.
There are many ways to make oatmeal:
- Pancakes
- Oatmeal
- Homemade granola
Some ideas for using oatmeal in the kitchen
- Add oats to vegetable soups to thicken them and increase their protein value.
- Mix the mince and oats with the courgette, onion, chilli, salt and pepper. Form patties and grill on both sides. Serve with sour cream, lettuce and tomato slices. Or mix canned salmon, oats, milk, eggs and herbs and fry like pancakes.
- Add oatmeal to meatloaf preparations.
- Make a mixture with vegetables or meat to stuff tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
- Substitute oats for rice in pilafs.
- Eat oatmeal raw, but make sure it is well digested first, as some people may have problems with it. To avoid unpleasant reactions, introduce raw oats gradually into your diet and always drink plenty of fluids.
- Add oat bran to yoghurts, fruit compotes, bread mixes, pies, cakes, muffins, etc. to increase the fibre content.
Contraindications and allergies
Although oats are known to be an excellent cereal for health, there are some contraindications to its consumption.
In fact, this cereal is a source of gluten, which has been implicated in intestinal hypersensitivity and celiac disease.
In addition, its phytic acid content can reduce the intestinal absorption of certain micronutrients.