The oats are nutritious whole grains and provide various health benefits. They are a natural source of carbohydrates, protein, and soluble fiber. They help lower cholesterol, sugar levels, and help in weight management too. Oats are easy to digest, and pure oats without any contamination are gluten-free.
Oats are great for any meal of the day and much better than other refined cereals. A variety of foods are made of oats like granola, muesli, snacks, dessert, cookies, muffins, savory items, laddoos(balls), breakfast bowls, etc. Home-cooked oatmeal forms a healthy diet as opposed to packaged instant oatmeal.
The above picture shows steel-cut, rolled, quick, and instant oats in order from left to right. Steel-cut, rolled, quick and instant oats are nutritious since all are made from whole oat groats. The oat groats are the whole, unbroken grains in the beginning. The difference between steel-cut, rolled, quick and instant oats are how much the oat groat has been processed.
Steel-cut oats – These are the least processed oats and are chewy, and have a nutty flavor. These take a longer time to cook.
Rolled oats – These are partially steamed, rolled, and flattened into flakes. These cook faster than steel-cut oats and retain their texture too.
Quick oats – These are pre-cooked, dried, slightly thicker and bigger than instant oats, and cook quickly. They do not retain their texture after cooking.
Instant oats – These are pre-cooked, dried, rolled, and pressed into thin flakes and do not require much cooking. Just soaking in the water or milk is good enough.
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