CHEAP AND CHEERFUL OATS

It appears low glycemic index (GI) diets may help boost our mood and may even ward off depression. The GI is one of many factors linked to better mental health and an overall healthy eating pattern is important but cheap and cheerful oats can deliver. They are a wholegrain food with a lower GI that can be enjoyed many ways and at low cost. Could you be eating them more regularly to support your mental wellbeing as well as your household budget?

Nutrition

Oats are rich in fibre and contain good amounts of protein, thiamine (B group vitamin) and magnesium, and they’re low in saturated fat. Their lower GI makes them ideal food for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, or anyone wanting to eat well for health and longevity. Steel cut oats have a low GI (the type preferred for traditional porridge in Scotland), while the GI of more common rolled oats just edges into the medium GI category. Instant oats pay the price of further processing for fast cooking by becoming high GI. And they are gluten-free, and this is good for those who need to avoid gluten, although this is a nuanced story – see the note on gluten at the end of this article. Oats are well known for their cholesterol lowering ability thanks to the presence of a soluble fibre called beta-glucan. Older readers may recall the oat-bran revolution in the 1980s in the USA when bran’s cholesterol-lowering abilities were scientifically proven. Oats and oat bran were sought-after ingredients and sales of oats exploded. The oat-bran muffin became an iconic food of the period.

History

Wild oats were consumed by paleolithic hunter gatherers and were ground into flour to make flat bread and porridge. By the way, this shoots holes in the modern ‘paleo’ diet that excludes grains like oats. In the early days of cultivation, oats were unloved in favour of wheat and barley, considered a weed and originally used for animal feed. And here’s an interesting historical sidenote. ‘Sowing your wild oats’ is an expression that dates to the 16th century and describes young men engaging in foolish, idle or reckless behaviour including promiscuity. Like weedy, unwanted wild oats in a crop of golden wheat, their seed-spreading (!) is unproductive, wasteful and won’t yield anything lasting or beneficial.

Oats became popular in Northern Europe because they grew better than other grains in the cooler, wetter climate, especially in Scotland and Ireland. They came to prominence in the USA and beyond during the industrial revolution when milling machines could produce rolled oats that were easier to cook and digest, and the phenomenon of breakfast oatmeal (or porridge, as it’s called in the UK and Australia) was born.

Culinary

Oatmeal (porridge) is no longer the basic stodgy filler of the impoverished past and now has its 21st century groove on. Social media is full of beautiful images of cooked oats enriched and embellished with yoghurt, fruits, nuts, seeds and spices. Our demand for convenience has created overnight oats with no cooking required; simply soak in milk, yoghurt and your own bespoke blend of additions and inclusions. Based on a traditional Swiss Bircher muesli made with grated apple and honey, overnight oats now feature a dazzling variety of fruits, dried fruits and nuts. Baked oats are newer kids on the block and feature a batter of oats, milk, egg and whatever flavours you fancy such as banana, peanut butter, cocoa or maple syrup all baked in a dish until golden and cut into slices, which like pancakes or toast can be further topped with fruit and yoghurt. Oats are the primary ingredient in muesli and granola, and muesli/granola bars that are very popular as on-the-go snacks.

Oats are also great in fruit crumble-topping and baking such in cakes, biscuits (cookies) and loaves. Oat flour works well in muffins, banana bread, pancakes, cakes and mug cakes as it gives a light, moist texture and subtle oat flavour. If you have a good food processor you can make your own oat flour from rolled oats. And turning to savoury applications, oats can also be used to add volume, texture and plant-based goodness to meat balls, meat loaf, dumplings, crumbing and savoury crumble topping (yes, really – look it up).

In Australia and New Zealand oats are essential when baking ANZAC cookies, so called because they were sent to soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp fighting in WW1. These cookies are still enjoyed today, albeit from a modified recipe that does not need to withstand a long journey overseas… and will not break your teeth.

The low-down

Oats are a nutritious, versatile and mood-boosting wholegrain with plenty of culinary potential. In jurisdictions where oats are not permitted in gluten-free diets there are now gluten-free versions available further broadening their appeal (but check food labels and company websites to make sure).

Rolled oats, uncooked: Nutrition information per serving (½ cup (30g))