fiber, good for every part of your body...

there are two types of dietary fiber

insoluble fiber will not dissolve in water so it takes whatever food is nearby and makes a quick exit from your body, if you know what i mean.

and

soluble fiber which dissolves in water in your body and turns into a heavy gel type substance. it moves slowly through your body and towards the end. when you eat this type of fiber, your stomach stays fuller longer and so you eat less. it also helps by slowing the absorption of glucose into your body which means that you will avoid nasty sugar highs and lows. it also helps to stop the re-absorption of bile into your body, which means that your liver has to get it's cholesterol fixed from your blood, which means that your blood serum cholesterol goes down. that is why oatmeal is recommended to help with lowering cholesterol.

oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain. oats come in many different types. whole oat kernels are called groats and they still have their bran coating on. they look similar to brown rice. they really are NOT yummy to eat.

but, if you send whole oats through steel cutters you get "steel cut oats" also known as scottish oats, irish oats, or pinhead oats. this type of oat produces a porridge, that is very creamy, a little chewy, and a little toasty. kind of like breakfast risotto.

toasty chewy my favorite and something i've eaten all my life


now if you steamed steel cut oats, then pressed them out in rollers then you would have rolled oats also known as "old-fashioned oats". by flattening them they cook faster but give a very mushy type cereal. but faster cooking is not always better.

the last step in processing oats is to smash them even thinner, par cook them and then dry them. then you get "instant oats".

to me, steel cut oats produce the yummiest of all oatmeals, hardy and satisfying. and you can keep them in your food storage. if you've never tried them you should.

when making steel cut oats it is always 4 cups of water to 1 cup of oats. forget whatever you have been told, and do NOT add salt to the water. in a chemical reaction it does not let your oatmeal become creamy. cover your pot and cook for 30 minutes before you eat it you can add a little dash of salt. or you can cook it overnight in a crock-pot. you can add dried fruit which makes it really yummy too.



i had one of my oat bran apple muffins for breakfast
1/4 cup of steel cut oats, no milk or toppings
bowl french onion soup, minus most of the cheese

rueben sandwich with pastrami, cheese, thousand island, sauerkraut

2 parmesan crusted breadsticks

1/4 of macaroon

1 bite of almond cake
1 bite of ginger cookie
2 bites of homemade twinkie

2 grilled ham & cheese sticks
2 ounces of wheat grass
120 ounces of water