Oatmeal Ingredients

This article dwells on oatmeal ingredients. Oatmeal is one of the healthiest breakfast foods around and is relished for the various health benefits it presents to the body.
Marketed in the form of cut oats, oat groats, rolled or crushed oats, oatmeal is a popular breakfast food. The oatmeal that we consume actually comes from the cereal grass called oats. A lot of behind the scenes work goes on for us to have our bowl of cooked oatmeal on the table. Cereal oats are cleaned, toasted, hulled and cleaned again to form oat groats. Oat groats when steamed and rolled flat form the product that we call oatmeal. The quick cooking oats that we find in the stores are oat groats rolled and steamed twice so as to make thinner, faster cooking oats. Cut oats are rolled groats cut with a knife. Oats are either consumed independently or consumed with milk and honey or even added into thick soups. Today we have ready to eat oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bars, oatmeal bread, cakes, muffins, porridge, etc. stacked up on shelves of supermarkets. Let’s have a look at the different oatmeal food ingredients needed for oatmeal preparation.
Oatmeal Composition
In terms of nutritional value half a cup of rolled oats features 27 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g protein, less than 1 mg sodium, 3 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 mcg vitamin K, 0.5 g sat fat, 1 g mono fat and 151 calories.
As far as the different ingredients in oatmeal breakfast go, they are as follows:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup diced apple
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups milk
1 cup brown sugar
Oatmeal Preparation
To prepare yummy oatmeal for breakfast, one needs to put all these oatmeal ingredients into a greased, slow cooker crockpot. Mix and whisk well. Cover the crockpot and leave it at ‘low speed’ overnight. Your tasty, piping hot oatmeal will be ready in the morning.
Ingredients of Instant Oatmeal
If you don’t own a slow cooker crockpot or don’t have an entire night to wait before having oatmeal, then you can opt for the instant oatmeal pack. The supermarket aisles are stocked with all kinds of instant oatmeal which have been processed with additional amounts of sugar, salt, colorings and flavorings. The label on the pack will reveal the list of ingredients used. While choosing an instant oatmeal pack, opt for the one which has 300 g of sodium or less. Avoid packs with added sodium. Look for packs with 0% trans fat and while considering the sugar content, make sure you do not buy a pack that has more than 200 calories per serving.
Instant Oatmeal Preparation
To prepare a mouth-watering instant orange oatmeal, you need ? cup orange juice and a packet instant oatmeal. In a microwave serving bowl, heat the juice for 30 seconds. Empty the contents of the oatmeal into the bowl with warm juice and microwave it for another 30 seconds. To add more flavor, add fresh or frozen diced fruits, dried fruits, chopped nuts, maple syrup, yogurt, jam or any fruit preserves to enhance the flavor.
Oatmeal Muffins
Oatmeal can be used to prepare cookies, muffins and cakes as well. Here is a recipe for oatmeal muffins.
Ingredients
2 cups oatmeal
1 cranberry packet
2/3 cup
melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 pint sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
Preparation
Into a mixing bowl, add oatmeal and sour cream and mix well. Next add brown sugar, eggs and melted butter. After sifting the remaining dry ingredients, add them into the oatmeal. Dollop the mixture into greased muffin tins and bake for 22 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scores of different oatmeal preparations are available. One can choose to prepare and relish any of the forms. The different oatmeal chinafooding ingredients present in them, conduce to various health benefits of oatmeal. Consumption of oatmeal on a regular basis is believed to lower blood cholesterol, stabilize blood glucose levels, control weight, reduce risks of heart diseases, stabilize blood pressure levels and also lead to healthier metabolism. The phytochemicals present in the oats have cancer fighting properties. Moreover, oats are a wonderful source of nutrients like zinc, copper, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese and selenium.