ExRx.net

A packet of porridge oats will typically give instructions of cooking - bringing to the boil and simmering, etc, but is any cooking really required?

I have eaten them (the smaller-flaked ones, not jumbo oats yet) just out of the packet and soaked in milk for just a few minutes, and they seem perfectly edible.

I have noticed that the packets of barley flakes that I buy say nothing about cooking, and barley flakes look pretty similar to oat flakes.

Are the oats just as digestible uncooked; will my body still be able to extract the same number of calories / amount of nutrients as if they were cooked? Is there any issue with 'phytates'?

Some clarification would be nice .

If I remember right, I once read on the back of an instant oatmeal packet that had random questions about oatmeal, and one of them was does it need to be cooked, and the answer was no. I don't see any logical reason for cooking them other than making them more enjoyable to eat. I don't think you'd get sick from eating oats unless they were really, really old.

As far as the nutrients I could see not cooking them having a slight benefit, but I don't think there's enough nutrients in oatmeal for it to really matter, unless its been artifically put in.

I never cook mine and my usual breakfast includes half a cup of them blended in a protein shake. You'll be fine except for the increase chance of male pattern baldness. Okay I made that last little bit up.

Interesting.....What type of oats are we talking here....Quaker Oats type? In the cardboard cylinder?

I can see me trying this....milk, protein, oats, and a berry of some sort.

My morning shake is:

Half a green apple
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
1/4 cup of PB
1/4 cup of oats
1.5 scoops of whey
Milk

My 9pm snack is either

1)
Same as above except with frozen berries rather and apple

2)
Coffee Icecream
2 scoops of whey
milk

(I'm bulking... Love Icecream, may never cut, ever)

Doesn't sound half bad.....need to go to the grocery store now.

Yup, just plain ol Quaker Old Fashioned Oats.

Here's my recipe
2 cups H20
1 banana
fill the blender to the 3 cup line with blueberries (frozen)
Start the blender
Add 1/2 cup of oats
1 scoop of ON whey
1 scoop of ON casein
some olive oil

Thanks hoosegow....always like trying new things. Cereal and hard boiled eggs are getting old.

Yah, oats + milk + protein into the blender is a great alternative, and way easier to get everything down right off the bat. It's funny, I find that my diet stays almost perfect when my breakfast has oats.

I have been doing this for a couple days:
1 cup milk
1 scoop whey
1/3 cup oats
1/2 + cup fruit (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry)

Tastes good, and really sticks to the ribs. I was worried I would be starving a couple hours afterwards....not the case.

Thanks for the tip!

I take 1/2 cup steel cut oats and mix with vanilla whey, peanut butter, artificial sweetener, cocoa powder.