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r Oats
(Oatmeal)
See also Wheat cereals.Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate
Protein: Moderate
Fat: Low
Saturated fat: Low
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: High
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins
Major mineral contribution: Iron, potassiumAbout the Nutrients in This Food
What we call oats is actually oatmeal, oats that have been rolled (ground)
into a meal, then steamed to break down some of their starches, formed
into flakes, and dried. Steel-cut oats have been ground in a special steel
machine; oat flour is finely ground oatmeal.
Unlike cows and other ruminants, human beings cannot break
through the cellulose and lignin covering on raw grain to reach the nutri-
ents inside. Cooking unprocessed oats to the point where they are useful
to human beings can take as long as 24 hours. The virtue of rolled oats is
that they have been precooked and can be prepared in five minutes or less.
Instant oatmeals, like other “instant” cereals, are treated with phosphates
to allow them to absorb water more quickly.
Oatmeal is a high-carbohydrate food, rich in starch and high in
dietary fiber, with insoluble cellulose and lignin in the bran and soluble
gums (such as the beta-glucans that gives cooked oatmeal its characteristic
sticky texture) in the grain.
The proteins in oats are limited in the essential amino acid lysine.
Oats have up to five times as much fat as rye and wheat plus an enzyme