The Scottish have a long tradition of eating oats for breakfast. Samuel Johnson, the great English author and lexicographer, hated oats. He told his friend Boswell (a Scot), "I can't imagine eating oats. In England, we feed only the horses with oats!” Boswell immediately replied, "That's perhaps why England has such good horses and Scotland has such good men."
If Johnson were alive today, he would have had to eat his own words and a bowl of hearty oatmeal as well! In recent years, the realization of the benefits of oats has been so pronounced that the humble stock in horse stables has become a staple in the daily diet regimen of many health-conscious people. With its innumerable healthful qualities, oats has been inducted into the elite club of super foods of the future.
Oats is one of the few grains that can hold its bran and germ intact even after the hulling process. So the fiber and nutrients are all in place, in their concentrated form. Oats provides you with your daily quota of valuable minerals like manganese, copper, zinc, and biotin, apart from fiber and protein. The beneficial effects of oats are too many to be enumerated.
Listed below are a few:
Many people seem to dislike oats, presumably because of its 'gooey' consistency and sticky texture. This problem can be easily addressed by opting for one of the plethora of breakfast cereals made of oats. There are oat bars speckled with chocolate chips, fruits, and berries in order to entice children into craving for this nutritious grain.
To lead a healthy life free of diseases, start your day with a steaming hot bowl of oats. Vote for oats!