Oat Groats
MYTH #2
Is whole grain bread a healthy choice?
Is “whole grain” bread truly a whole grain? Not really. A true whole grain has the bran, germ and starchy endosperm all intact and will actually sprout and grow when planted in the ground. Whole grains take longer for the body to break down and turn to sugar, so you avoid rapid blood sugar spikes.
Once a whole grain is processed and ground into flour it digests quickly, causing blood sugar levels to spike. An example of a whole grain is oat groats. Have you ever seen them? They don’t look like rolled oats at all. They take close to an hour to cook, are slightly chewy, and delicious.
Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut into smaller pieces with a steel blade and take about 30 minutes to cook. Once oat groats are processed into rolled oats or quick oats, they are a refined, processed food. They cook quickly, but break down in the body quickly too, causing blood sugar levels to rapidly rise.
Instant oats have been processed even further and are processed by the body much like sugar. Eating a whole grain in its natural form is a much healthier choice. If you don’t have time to prepare a whole grain, cut down the cooking time by pre-soaking, cooking in pressure cooker, or in a crockpot overnight.
You can make a big batch and re-heat portions for several days. Try topping your oat groats or steel-cut oats with coconut milk and walnuts and include eggs or turkey bacon on the side. The addition of fat and protein will help keep your blood sugar stable and keep you satisfied longer.
