Hello, hello, and welcome back, my dear students! Welcome to the last of three posts on Whole Grains! Unless, of course, you count the post on sprouted grains… but that’s more a bonus material post.

Did you do your homework and check that you’re getting the true whole grain breads??

Today we’ll look at oats – they, too, are a type of whole grain. So, without further ado, here are the different forms of oats, and what implications they have:

Oat Bran: like discussed before, this would be the bran – or outer layer – of the oat kernel. This is sometimes removed for certain forms of oats; but often left in tact for rolled and steel cut oats.

Oat Flour: finely ground oats, often mixed with standard wheat flour, used for baking.

Oat Groats: the least processed form of oats – the kernel is left in tact. This makes it a tougher texture; you may want to soak groats before using in order to soften.  You have the bran, germ, and endosperm all included, with all the lovely health benefits.

Steel-Cut Oats: Oat groats that have been run through blades (of steel, of course) to make them more thinly sliced.  Still a very healthy option.

Old-Fashioned/Rolled Oats: groats that have been steamed and then flattened with a roller.  More processed, slightly less nutritionally potent.

Quick-Cooking Oats: groats that have not only been steamed and flattened, but also cut into smaller pieces for quicker cooking.  More processing, more air exposure for increased oxidation.

Instant Oatmeal: Groats that have been cut, steamed, and rolled, and often slightly pre-cooked.  More processing usually means less nutrition.

So there you have it! The various types of oat forms. While the nutrient value of each probably is similar, there’s just always a draw for me towards the least-processed form available. But all forms (except perhaps instant if they have extra sugars and colorings and funky dinosaur eggs added) will be rich in cholesterol-lowering fibers. So go dive in to a whole-grain-goodness bowl of oatmeal some time!