Gerbs oat groats are incredibly flavorful & nutritious

Oat groats, traditional rolled oats and instant quick cooking oats are essential ingredients to make piping hot bowls of oatmeal, their high fiber and protein content are slowly digested and as a result, you will find yourself eating less throughout the day. Oat groats, or raw hulled Oat grains are delicious and make a healthful addition to your diet. Like other whole grains, they help fight Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Commonly called whole oats, oat groats, are the untreated, natural, hulled oats with the outermost inedible chaff, or hull, removed. Steel cut oats, are whole oat groats that have been sliced in half, nutritionally they are the same, the only difference is the cooking time is slightly less. They offer superior nutrition because the endosperm, the germ, and the bran are all preserved. They contain loads of fiber plus protein, antioxidants, minerals, various B vitamins, plus the heart healthy polysaccharide fats.

Nutritional Information for 1/4 Cup – Gerbs Oat Groats

Minerals

Calcium – 16.20 mg (1 % DV)

Iron – 2.00 mg (11 % DV)

Potassium – 144.00 mg (3 % DV)

Sodium – 0.00 mg (0 % DV)

Proteins & Amino acids

Protein – 5.00 g (10 % DV)

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate – 34.00 g (12 % DV)

Fiber – 5.00 g (18 % DV)

Sugars  0.00 g

Net carbs – 29 g

Fats and Fatty Acids

Fat – 2.502 g (3 % DV)

Saturated fatty acids – 0.500 g  (2 % DV)

Fatty acids (total trans) – 0.000 g

Sterols

Cholesterol – 0.00 mg     0 %

So, what is the difference between whole oat groats, traditional rolled oats and Instant oats?

If you think about it in regards of processing time at the farm, as we move from left to right, marginal amounts of fiber content and nutritional benefits are lost as the whole oat groat, is steamed, smashed/pressed (Gerbs Traditional Rolled Oats) and ultimately cut or smashed into smaller pieces yielding the Gerbs quick cooking oat grain. Conversely the cooking time will dramatically decrease from the whole Oat groat to the instant quick cooking oats, but the ‘nutty’ flavor, texture and consistency will also change. Outside of how much time you have in a given morning, the best way to determine which of these three you like the most is to order some below, set aside an hour or so, make batches of each this weekend, and do a family blind taste test (how fun right!) You never know what will be your favorite, and do not let cooking time dictate your preference.

Gerbs Oat Groats

Key Features of Oat Groats:

• Oat groats contribute beneficial minerals — including iron and phosphorus — to your diet. Both iron and phosphorus make up components of compounds essential to good health. Phosphorus is incorporated into your DNA, bone mineral tissue and ATP — a source of energy — while iron is incorporated into hemoglobin and myoglobin, two proteins you need to transport and store oxygen. Each serving of oat groats contains 204 milligrams of phosphorus, or 29 percent of your recommended daily intake.
• Oat groats also offer antioxidant benefits due to their zinc and copper content. Both minerals protect your tissues from free radicals, which would otherwise damage your DNA, contributing to genetic mutations and disease. Zinc also plays a role in immune function, while copper supports nervous system health. Each serving of oat groats offers 244 micrograms of copper — 27 percent of the recommended daily intake, according to the Institute of Medicine.
• Oat groats take much longer to cook than rolled or steel-cut oats — up to an hour — so they’re best suited to leisurely breakfasts rather than a quick meal before you jump into your daily grind. Try them topped with fresh berries, sliced banana and pecans. Alternatively, use cooked oat groats in grain salads. Combine the groats with dried cranberries, chopped dried figs and an orange-and-mint dressing, or mix them with toasted walnuts, chopped kale, slices of roasted carrots and parsnips.
• Each serving — a 1/4 cup raw, or approximately 1 cup cooked — contains 152 calories and provides 8 percent of the daily calorie intake in a 2,000-calorie diet. The groats provide 6 grams of protein per serving, which helps maintain healthy tissue and a strong immune system. A serving of groats also contains 26 grams of carbohydrates, including 4.1 grams of dietary fiber. These carbs fuel your active lifestyle and provide energy needed for brain function.

Gerbs Traditional Rolled Oats (Oatmeal)

Gerbs Traditional Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. They’re a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Studies show that oats and oatmeal have many health benefits. These include weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of heart disease.

Contains Fiber
Oats contain dietary fiber. Although it’s indigestible by your body, fiber helps to regulate digestion and prevent constipation. It may also help control your blood sugar and promote a feeling of fullness after eating, allowing you to cut calories with less hunger. Soluble fiber found in oats is particularly helpful for lowering bad cholesterol levels.

Lower Cholesterol
Oats may lower the risk of heart disease by reducing both total and LDL cholesterol and protecting LDL cholesterol from oxidation.

Lower Blood Sugar
Due to the soluble fiber beta-glucan, oats may improve insulin sensitivity and help lower blood sugar levels.

Lose Weight
Oatmeal may help you lose weight by making you feel more full. It does this by slowing down the emptying of the stomach and increasing production of the satiety hormone PYY.

Gerbs Instant Quick Cooking Oats (Oatmeal)

Features of Gerbs Instant Oats

• Starting your day with a bowl of instant oatmeal boosts your intake of B-complex vitamins. Each cooked cup provides half of your recommended daily intake for vitamin B-6, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, nutrients that help your body metabolize the carbohydrates, protein and fat in food. It also gives you half of your daily requirement of vitamin A, an antioxidant that benefits your vision and helps strengthen your immune system. It also contains 30 percent of the folate you need daily.
• The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get 55 micrograms of selenium per day. Selenium is a mineral that may benefit your immune system, heart and thyroid, according to the National Institutes of Health. A cup of cooked instant oatmeal provides 12 micrograms of selenium, giving you one-fifth of the selenium you need each day. Selenium acts as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals that damage cells, so an adequate intake may help prevent premature aging and chronic diseases.
• Instant Oats are also rich in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which are crucial for the health of your bones, nerve function and muscle development. A cup of instant oatmeal contains 20 to 30 percent of each of those minerals. It provides men with 13 percent of the zinc and more than 100 percent of the iron they need daily, and it gives women 18 percent of the zinc and 80 percent of the iron they need each day. Zinc is an antioxidant that may shorten the duration of colds and viral infection.

Gerbs Whole Oat Groat Porridge Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups water

1 cup Gerbs Oat Groats

dash powdered sea salt

Stove Top Directions

Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the oat groats, cover, and reduce temperature to a gentle simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until soft and water is absorbed.

If desired, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Excellent Topping Ideas

• Fresh Fruit
• Pumpkin, Sunflower, Chia, Flax or Hemp Seeds or All 5
• Gerbs Cocoa Nibs & Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Gerbs Pumpkin & 5 Seed Butters
• Heavy cream, milk, half and half, or non-dairy milk
• Gerbs Granola
• Gerbs Dried Fruit
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Storing, Reheating, And Freezing

Since making groat has a longer preparation time compared to standard oatmeal, we like to make super large batches on Sunday’s to refrigerate in individual lock n’ stack containers to have on hand for and entire week of breakfasts. Properly stored Groats in airtight containers will last up to a week+.

To reheat, add a tablespoon or so of oat milk or water and in the microwave for a minute, stir midway thru, until heat for another 1 minute until desired temperature.

Gerbs Oat Groats may also be frozen in the same single size serve containers. Just take them out and thaw overnight in the fridge and then re-heat using the steps detailed above.

Uncooked groats have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years in the pantry. Store in the packaging or transfer to a storage container.