Oat-y facts

• Oats are a great source of B vitamins, particularly thiamin, riboflavin, B6 and folate, as well as vitamin E.
• Oats are low in sodium and a good plant source of iron and potassium. 
• The inclusion of oats in your diet can help reduce cholesterol.
• Oats are a wholegrain food. People with a healthy heart tend to eat more wholegrain foods.
• Oats are low GI foods. This means they can control blood glucose levels by reducing post-meal rises in blood glucose levels and providing a steady release of energy.
• A survey in 2006 showed that a massive 56 per cent of people did not know that oatcakes contained wholegrain, whilst 44 per cent were unaware that porridge oats were a wholegrain.

Why are oats so good for you?

Oats can help reduce cholesterol, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can have a positive impact on blood pressure. That was the message from Dr Derek Stewart of SCRI as he helped launch the ‘All About Oats’ campaign to promote the health benefits of eating oats.

Dr Stewart, head of the Quality, Health and Nutrition programme at SCRI – Scotland’s leading crop research institute – recently completed a review which found significant scientific evidence to support the health benefits of eating oats.

Some of the key health benefits of oats identified by the review include:

• can help reduce cholesterol
• can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• can influence blood pressure
• oats are low GI foods providing a steady release of energy
• oats provide soluble and insoluble fibre that can support probiotic bacteria and influence gastrointestinal health
• oats can enhance the human immune system though the action of β-glucans (the active ingredients in oats).

Although sales of oat products, such as porridge and oatcakes, increased by seven per cent from June 2006 – 2007 compared to the previous year a recent survey showed 35 per cent of those questioned didn’t know what nutrients were found in a bowl of porridge.

The ‘All About Oats’ campaign aims to change that by highlighting oats as a good source of B vitamins, iron, potassium and various antioxidants and phytochemicals including β-glucans. It includes an ‘All About Oats’ website containing health facts, recipes and useful information on oats.

The campaign has been set up by the Scottish Oats Group in collaboration with Home-Grown Cereals Authority and Scotland Food and Drink. SCRI is a member of the Scottish Oats Group.

Muesli - why has it always got wheat in it?

This was a question asked by Mary Rooks, posted on the River Cottage website

"Dear Hugh
                        After watching your lovely recipe for muesli, I thought perhaps you can help with a modern problem. Perhaps next year. When I first ate muesli, it was always based on oats, and was very nice. Sometime over the last 20-30 years it has got harder and harder to find this - even Alpen, which was standard, has long ago put lots of wheat in, and it is horrible, it is hard. You probably have to use hot milk to make it eatable. I know people who hate muesli, and I am sure this is why.

Nowadays I have to search hard for special ranges, and I can find one suitable variety at my local Co-op, but otherwise have to go to Health Food Stores which are much further away. I wonder if some time, you can raise the profile of this issue? You would be doing Britain a great favour if you publicised the problem. Perhaps you always make your own, so have not come across this. But ask any supermarket shopper and they will confirm my findings - usually wheat is listed before oats in the ingredients.

Yours hopefully
Mary Rooks"

I thought it was a very interesting and perceptive point... and will be responding to it over the next few days.

What is the original Muesli?

The original Bircher Muesli recipe is proportionately the opposite of most muesli available in today's supermarket varieties, calling for far more fruit than grains. One serving based on the original recipe consists approximately of:

• 1 tablespoon rolled oats, soaked in 2–3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 200 grams apple (about one large, preferably a sour variety), finely grated and mixed with the above directly before serving
• optionally top with 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts or almonds

The original recipe used sweetened condensed milk instead of cream, a compromise due to hygiene concerns regarding fresh milk products in 1900 (bovine tuberculosis etc.), before pasteurisation and refrigeration became commonly available. The original recipe also advised to soak the oats in water overnight as raw oats need a lengthy soaking to soften them before eating. This long soaking time is unnecessary with modern rolled "quick oats", which the manufacturers already soften through a steam treatment. While phytic acid is an anti-nutrient and strong chelator of important minerals, it is removed during the steam process, making muesli desirable, given its positive antioxidant qualities.