An Englishman and a Scotsman were discussing oats. The Englishman, with his nose in the air, said “In England we feed oats to our horses, and in Scotland you feed oats to your men…”, to which the Scotsman replied “…that’s why in England you have such fine horses, and in Scotland we have such fine men!”

Oats are the third leading cereal crop produced in the United States (after wheat and corn) and the fourth most important crop world-wide. They were once considered a pesky weed, until one day an enterprising farmer decided that “if you can’t beat em… eat em!” and found that oats could be both filling and yummy. 

Oats fare best in cool, moist climates, which is how they came to be such a popular staple of the British Isles of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.  Oats were introduced to our continent in 1602 by a sea captain who planted them in one of the islands off the coast of Massachusetts. They quickly became a popular grain. Today, nearly half of the world’s oat crop–more than 4 billion bushels a year–is grown in North America.

Nutrient Values and Virtues of Oats

Oat kernels have a structure very similar to wheat. Because the oat kernel is soft, the nutritious bran does not need to be removed. Whole grain oats contain a wide range of B vitamins, vitamin E, and nine minerals, including iron and calcium. What’s more, the quality and quantity of the protein in oats is far superior to that of most other grains. A single ounce of oats has twice the protein of wheat or corn flakes!

 But the most important nutritional advantages of oats are are the soluble fiber and the GLA (gamma linoleic acid). The soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood. GLA is considered an “activated” essential fatty acid. Very small amounts of it fill the metabolic pipelines and allow the body to make other essential fatty acids.

Why are we looking at oats today?  Because early next week we’re going to talk about designing your own muesli with our different oat-y MojaMix options—and you can’t have muesli without oats!