The common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name. Oats are grown throughout the temperate zones; it is an annual plant, and can be planted either in autumn (for late summer harvest) or in the spring (for early autumn harvest).

Oats have numerous uses in food; most commonly, they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour. Oatmeal is chiefly eaten as porridge, but may also be used in a variety of baked goods, such as oatcakes, oatmeal cookies, and oat bread. Oats are also an ingredient in many cold cereals, in particular muesli and granola. Oats may also be consumed raw, and cookies with raw oats are becoming popular.

Oats are occasionally used in Britain for brewing beer; while in Scotland, a dish called Sowans was made by soaking the husks from oats for a week so that the fine, floury part of the meal remained as sediment to be strained off, boiled and eaten. Other than being eaten, oat extract can also be used to soothe skin conditions (as in skin lotions).

With the discovery that oat fiber can help lower blood cholesterol, it is obviously known as a healthy food.  Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat. Its consumption is believed to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease.

After reports found that oats can help lower cholesterol, an “oat bran craze” swept many countries. In some countries, oat bran was even added to potato chips. The food fad was short-lived and faded by the early 1990s. The popularity of oatmeal and other oat products again increased after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final rule allowing a health claim to be made on the labels of foods containing soluble fiber from whole oats (oat bran, oat flour and rolled oats), noting that 3.00 grams of soluble fiber daily from these foods, in conjunction with a diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and fat may reduce the risk of heart disease.

In order to qualify for the health claim, the whole oat-containing food must provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per serving. The soluble fiber in whole oats comprises a class of complex carbohydrates known as Beta-D-glucan (which is widely distributed in nature in sources like: Grains, barley, yeast, bacteria algae and mushrooms).The percentages of beta-glucan in the various whole oat products are: Oat bran, greater than 5.5% and up to 23.0%; rolled oats, about 4%; whole oat flour about 4%.

Oat is the only cereal containing a globulin or legume-like protein, avenalin, as the major (80%) storage protein. Globulins are characterized by water solubility; because of this property, oats may be turned into milk but not into bread.

Oat protein is nearly equivalent in quality to soy protein, which has been shown by the World Health Organization to be equal to meat, milk, and egg protein. The protein content of the hull-less oat kernel ranges from 12–24%, the highest among cereals.

If you’re appetite for oats is not increased by seeing just as a porridge to consumer, here are some ways to modify that bowl of healthy oats for breakfast; you can mix any of these food items into your oats: Cheese cubes or shredded cheese, a tablespoon of raisins, small slices of banana/apples or peaches. To make it a little chocolatey,  you can add a teaspoon of your favorite cocoa powder.

Have a pleasant breakfast all throughout the year.