What's with steel cut oats?

[Guest guest]

What's the Deal with Steel-Cut Oats?

Feb 9, 2010

Steel-cut oats are whole grains, made when the groats (the inner portion of

the oat kernel) are cut into pieces by steel. Also known as coarse-cut oats

or Irish oats, they are golden and look a little like small pieces of rice.

They gain part of their distinctive flavor from the roasting process after

being harvested and cleaned. Although the oats are then hulled, this process

does not strip away their bran and germ, allowing them to retain a

concentrated

source of their fiber and nutrients.

How do steel-cut oats differ from " rolled oats " ? Rolled oats are flake oats

that have been steamed, rolled, re-steamed, and toasted. All of this

processing

causes them to lose some of their natural taste, texture, and goodness.

Steel-cut oats take longer to prepare than instant or rolled oats due to

their

minimal processing. They typically require 15 to 30 minutes to simmer (much

less if pre-soaked), but they taste chewier and nuttier than instant oats.

Steel-cut oats have a lower

glycemic index

than instant oatmeal (42 versus 66, respectively), causing a smaller

insulin

spike when consumed. The exact cause of this is undetermined, but is

believed to be due to a higher proportion of complex

carbohydrate.

In August 1999, the FDA issued an endorsement of oats by allowing companies

to promote the benefits of whole grains in relation to heart disease and

certain

cancers. It has indicated that diets rich in whole grains, such as oats, may

reduce the risk of these conditions.

Grains are essential to a healthy lifestyle and form the foundation of the

food pyramid. Steel-cut oats are full of nutritional value and are high in

B-

Vitamins

, calcium, protein, and fiber, while low in salt and unsaturated fat. One

cup of steel-cut oatmeal contains more fiber than a bran muffin.

Oatmeal is the only food that naturally contains GLA (gamma linolenic acid),

an essential fatty acid critical to the body's production of favorable

eicosanoids

(PGE1 - prostaglandins). Eating steel-cut oats four times a week will

provide you with a good supply of GLA.

A 10-year study published in the American Journal of Public Health indicated

that eating one serving of oatmeal (one cup cooked) two to four times a week

resulted in a 16 percent reduction in risk of suffering from

type 2 diabetes

.. When people increased their consumption of oatmeal to five to six times a

week, there was a corresponding 39 percent reduction in the risk of onset of

type 2.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating

high fiber foods, such as oats, helps prevent heart disease. The almost

10,000

American adults who participated in this study were followed for 19 years.

The participants who ate the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had 12 percent

less

coronary heart disease (CHD) and 11 percent less cardiovascular disease

(CVD) than those who ate only five grams daily. Those who consumed the most

water-soluble

dietary fiber fared even better, with a 15 percent reduction in risk of CHD

and a 10 percent risk reduction in CVD.

History

The modern oat draws its ancestry from the wild red oat, a plant originating

in Asia. Oats have been cultivated for two thousand years in various regions

throughout the world. Known scientifically as Avena sativa, they are a hardy

cereal grain, able to withstand poor soil conditions in which other crops

cannot thrive.

Before being consumed as a food, oats were used for medicinal purposes. The

use of oats for human consumption was well established in Ireland very early

in the Christian era. There are references to oatmeal in the Great Code of

Civil Law, compiled about the year A.D. 438. There is evidence that even

before

this date, porridge was recognized in Europe as a characteristically Irish

food. The growing of oats became widespread in Europe, and oats constituted

an important commercial crop because they were a dietary staple for the

people of many countries, including Scotland, Great Britain, Germany, and

Scandinavia.

In the early 17th century, ish settlers brought oats to North America.

Today, the largest commercial producers of oats include Russia, the United

States,

Germany, Poland, and Finland.

* * *