Oatmeal

Oat is a cereal grain. This plant is grown particularly for the seeds that it produces. The seeds of the oat plant are nutritious and most popularly used as breakfast cereal oatmeal. Rich in important vitamins and other essentials like thiamine, magnesium, phosphorus and, fiber oats, are one of the healthy breakfasts recommended by nutritionists.

The best conditions for the growth of oats are temperate climates, which can easily be found in different parts of the United States. Oats are resilient plants when it comes to withstanding soil and climate conditions, making them easy to grow.

Processing oats is a very simple process. Once the oat crop has reached full maturity, they become dry stalks containing the oat seeds. These are harvested by the farmers through their harvester vehicles and then delivered to milling plants. At the milling plants, all the chaff, ricks and other materials are removed from oats. The oats’ outer covering is separated from the inner oat “groat” through horizontal spinning stones. The groats, which are separated from the hulls, are processed further for consumption while the outer hulls of the oats are used for feeding livestock.

There are several forms of oatmeal, the 3 most popular forms being rolled oats, steel cut oats and instant oatmeal.

Rolled oats are produced first by quickly and partially boiling the oat groats, then passing them through large rollers. When cooked, rolled oats are chewy and substantial.

Steel cut oats are produced by simply cutting the groats into small pieces using large industrial style steel blades. Steel cut oats take longer to cook and have nutty texture. They also take longer to be digested, thereby keeping you full and satisfied for a longer period.

Instant oats are produced by pre-cooking and drying the rolled oats. Instant oatmeal can be consumed just by adding hot water to it. It digests quickly and makes you hungry shortly after.

About the Author: Amita Vadlamudi had worked in the Information Technology industry starting in the mid seventies. After retiring from work Amita Vadlamudi now spends her time reading and blogging about various subjects.