Hearts get healthy on National Oatmeal Day! Not only is oatmeal one of America’s favorite breakfast foods, but it’s also separated all over America on October 29th, making it a perfect day to enjoy one of America’s favorite breakfast foods.
A warm bowl of oatmeal starts a day off right. Add spices, fruit, nuts, or nut butters to add flavor. It’s also a versatile ingredient to add to baked goods to create a delicious crumble, cookies, and bars. Or use it as a base for your home-made granola! And sometimes even soup recipes call for oatmeal to help create a thicker texture and nutty flavor.
Some Oat Fun Facts:
- Steel-cut oats are coarsely cut oats. They’re the nuttiest and most flavorful oats available.
- Oatmeal also comes in different forms. Rolled oats are a whole grain oat that’s rolled into oat flakes. They may take longer to cook, but the nutty flavor adds to the enjoyment.
- Another kind is instant or quick oats. These oats cook more quickly because they’ve either been pre-cooked or cut thinner. They lose some of the nuttiness found in rolled oats, but they offer similar health benefits.
- Some of the most popular oatmeal toppings include brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and all kinds of nuts (although almonds and walnuts are the most commonly added).
- The Quaker Man is one of the oldest advertising mascots in America. The Quaker Oats company registered him as the first trademark for a breakfast cereal in 1877.
The Many Health Benefits of Oatmeal:
- A bowl of oatmeal daily can lower cholesterol.
- It may reduce the risk of heart disease.
- It may reduce your risk of cancer. (According to the American Cancer Society, eating a diet high in fiber may help reduce your risk for cancer.)
- The grain is low in fat.
- Oatmeal is low in calories.
- Add oatmeal to your diet as a good source of iron and fiber.
Oatmeal’s U.S. History:
Oatmeal has a long tradition in the state of Vermont, which originated within the Scottish settlement. Although there were many variations, most oatmeal recipes began with steel-cut oats. They soaked the oats overnight in cold water, salt, and maple syrup. Early the next morning, the cook would add ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and, occasionally, ground ginger. The pot was then placed over heat and cooked for approximately 90 minutes. The oatmeal was served steaming hot with cream, milk, or butter. Vermont still leads the United States in per capita consumption of cooked oatmeal cereal.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalOatmealDay
Have a bowl of oatmeal, of course! Share your favorite recipes using oatmeal. What are your favorite toppings and mix-ins? No matter how you celebrate, be sure to use #NationalOatmealDay to post on social media outlets to share the Oatmeal Love.
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