There’s no better breakfast than a hearty bowl of oats on a cold winter’s morning. The versatility of oats also makes it a very popular ingredient to have at home, cooked, overnight oats, muesli or granola makes an excellent breakfast, used to bake rusks, biscuits, muffins and breads and then oats can even make an appearance to bind your burger patties. With countless options and even more health benefits let’s take a closer look at the evolution of oats.

The History of Oats

Oats had a very humble beginning despite the widespread praise it gets today. Oats was one of the last major cereal grains to be domesticated, around 3,000 years ago in Europe1. It originated as weeds that grew within cultivated fields of various other crops1,2. The Romans and Greeks saw it as nothing more than a diseased version of wheat, only good enough for animal feed. The slow rise in popularity was also due to the bland taste and the fact that oats would go rancid very quickly, as a result they must be processed promptly. Now days oat (Avena L., Poaceae family) is one of the most commonly cultivated cereals worldwide and a valuable resource in numerous countries both for human consumption and animal feed1,2.

Uses of Oats

Besides being a very nutritious food both for animal and human consumption, oats has many other uses namely:

• Medicinal purposes: helps to reduce the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, helpful in lowering cholesterol, triglyceride and even blood sugar levels, it can even help with weight management2-4. 
• Agronomy: Used as a starter crop (natural herbicide) or as a weed barrier, erosion control, planted for groundcover, makes a great fertilizer and used as mulch2. 
• Consumption: used for many years in whisky, as a coffee substitute, to prepare feeds such as hay, pasture and grains2. 
• Other: Used to produce cosmetics, paper, fibre, animal bedding, pillow filling and thatching. Waste products and hulls are commonly used in the refining of lubricant oils, used in the manufacturing of shoe dyes, herbicides, fungicides, and soil fumigants as well as the production of nylon2. 

From being used predominantly as feed for animals to its many alternative uses, oats have quickly become popular as consumers aim to follow more healthy lifestyles. Evolved and produced in various forms to suit all needs we find it as whole oats, oat bran, steel cut oats, rolled oats, quick oats and instant oats, there surely is an oat type for everyone1,3.

Benefits of Oats

Oats has countless health benefits, if you are not convinced yet, perhaps the below will help3-6

• Helps reduce the risk of many diseases
• Heart health benefit, helps to lower cholesterol levels
• Helps manage blood glucose levels
• High fibre content helps keep you fuller for longer and keeps your digestive system healthy
• Provides energy and packed with nutrients

WHERE DOES FUTURELIFE® FIT IN?

FUTURELIFE® Smart White Oats and Oats Atta are scientifically formulated to combine the goodness of whole grain oats with a carefully selected combination of targeted minerals; Chromium, Zinc and Magnesium. You can enjoy our Smart White Oats as a meal and Oats Atta can be used for roti, parantha, kulcha and cheela. Both products are also high in fibre, high in protein, contain Zinc to contribute the normal function of the immune system, Chromium to contribute to the maintenance of normal blood glucose (sugar) levels and Magnesium to assist in reducing tiredness and fatigue.

CONCLUSION

With so many options out there, you surely want to make the best breakfast choice for your family, and it couldn’t be any easier with FUTURELIFE®.  The next time you are buying oats remember to look out for FUTURELIFE® Smart White Oats and Oats Atta. After all, everything in life has changed, why hasn’t your oats?

REFERENCES

1. Williams, J. K. (2006, November 24). A Brief History of Oats — And How You Should Eat Them. Retrieved from Fight Times: https://magazine.fighttimes.com/a-brief-history-of-oats-and-how-you-should-eat-them/
2. Avena Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved from Gramene: https://archive.gramene.org/species/avena/oat_intro.html
3. All about Oats. (2019, January 29). Retrieved from Unlock Food: http://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Heart-Health/All-About-Oats.aspx
4. Camiel, L. (n.d.). Oats: Superfood or Super-Medicine – 3 Health Benefits of Avena Sativa. Retrieved from Lana Camiel: http://www.lanacamiel.com/oats-superfood-super-medicine/
5. Mahan, L., Escott-Stump, S., & Raymond, J. (2012). Krause's Food & the Nutrition Care Process 13th Edition. Elsivier.

Palsdottir, H. (2016, July 19). 9 Health Benefits of Eating Oats and Oatmeal. Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal