Why are there different types of oatmeal? What’s the difference? Which ones’ are less processed than the rest?
Oat Groats: Have only the outer hull removed. Almost the size of uncooked rice. I use this as my base for raw oatmeal, simply soak overnight then pour the water and oats into a blender with nuts and whatever else you choose. Blend until you get the consistency you desire.
Steel Cut Oats: known as Scotch oats, looks a bit like chopped rice when you find them in the store. This was my favorite for years, until i discovered oat bran. This is an awesome breakfast if you make the time to cook them.
Oat Bran: Is the outer husk of the oat grain. This part of the grain used to be heavily discarded during the milling process. You can find it in the market regularly nowadays. This is my favorite form of oat. Oat bran contains the bulk of the fiber and a load of valuable vitamins and minerals. This is my choice breakfast for hot cereal in the am. You can also sprinkle in smoothies and raw dishes. Yummy!
Rolled Oats: These are oat groats that have been steamed plus rolled or flattened.
Quick Oats: These have been first dried then rolled they are called quick because you only have to add hot water to them to them to be ready to eat.
Oats lose a large part of their nutrition after the hull has been removed. If you want to take full advantage of the full benefits of oats, its best to choose the oats with the least amount of processing. Those choices are steel cut, oat groats and oat bran.
Bliss Returned 