Talk Back with Ellen Wood

Eat your oat groats and feel better

Who wants to eat the same thing every day for breakfast? I sure don’t.

So even though I love poached eggs and veggies here’s another favorite breakfast of mine: oat groats, one of the least refined of oat products. Except for the inedible hard outer hulls removed in processing, groats contain the entire oat grain including the oat’s bran.

Many vitamins and much of the oat’s fiber are contained within the bran, and a number of research studies show that oat bran lowers cholesterol levels and blood sugar after eating, thus decreasing your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.

Doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, the medical brains behind The Doctor Oz Show and www.realage.com, are also in the oats fan club. They point out that one cause of accelerated aging is chronic and hidden inflammation in the body. Underlying inflammation, in fact, going on in corners of your body where you can’t see it or feel it, is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s, and other chronic illnesses.

That’s where the avenanthramides found in oats come to the rescue. According to Oz and Roizen, “What sounds like an army of giant spiders from outer space is, in fact, a type of friendly molecule that dials back levels of inflammatory cytokines (potent immune system chemicals) in your body.” The doctors go on to cite the many other advantages of oats that have been documented in nutritional research. Oz and Roizen say that oats are helpful for weight loss, keeping our arteries flexible, lowering our chance of developing blood clots, and balancing LDL cholesterol levels.

Oats are great for breakfast because they keep you fuller for longer than other cereals and eliminate sugar highs and crashes. The high fiber content helps reduce constipation and it’s been shown that oats alter metabolism and enhance performance when eaten an hour before exercise.  Of all the grains oats have a better balance of protein, many vitamins and minerals, as well as a good balance of essential fatty acids.

If you aren’t gluten intolerant, try oat groats – they’re tasty and much more nutritious than oatmeal. You can buy them at the health food section of your supermarket – from the bin or by the bag. They’re really easy to make but they need to be soaked overnight for optimal digestion and shorter cooking time, so you have to remind yourself the night before that you want to have oat groats for breakfast. Now, oat groats aren’t only for breakfast. You can eat them with other meals in place of quinoa or potatoes.  They taste really good served with a splash of Bragg amino acids.

How to make oat groats for breakfast

1. Soak oat groats overnight – one cup of groats in three or four cups of water.
2. The next morning drain the groats and rinse them, put them back into the pan and add two cups of water and a pinch of salt.
3. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes – uncovered, or you’ll have a mess all over your stove.
4. When ready, put a serving of groats in a bowl, add two teaspoons of coconut oil, half a teaspoon of coconut nectar and some organic milk or unsweetened vanilla almond or coconut milk.
5. Oat groats will give your jaw a good workout – chew them thoroughly.
6. While you’re eating, steam up some vegetables and eat those after your oat groats, along with a poached or boiled egg.

Try oat groats for breakfast for a week and it’s possible you’ll notice a wonderful difference in the way you feel.

Love and Blessings,

Ellen

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