Raw Oats - A silly question!

[Choose Life]

Are oats raw and ok to eat or have they been heated in some process? If they are raw, does that mean I can make my own muesli etc?
Also, how do I know if olives are raw?
Thanks for your advice.

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi and welcome!

Rolled oats are not raw as they had some heat processing to roll them flat. You want to look for oat groats (either whole ones or steel cut which are whole ones cut into pieces with steel).

Those can be soaked overnight and used to make raw oatmeal, muesli, etc.

But just recently we have had discussion on a manual grain flaker that can be used to make your own rolled oats using the oat groats.

Here is a link to a previous discussion that will give you some ideas on what to do with the groats and point you to the website with the grain flaker.
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2961

OH and most olives that you find in jars in the store aren't raw, but there IS a such thing as raw olives. I'm not an olive person, but there are many here who do buy and love the raw olives and can tell you more about where to get them from and the varieties, etc.

[DotfromOz]

I absolutely love oat groats soaked overnight! They have a much more delicate flavor and none of that gooey, pasty texture that cooked oatmeal can have if not done absolutely right. Just a really nice chewy texture. I have to chew them really thoroughly, though, or they can disagree with me.

Buckwheat groats are yummy, too. I usually eat them as is with whatever's left of the soaking water, maybe a bit of honey or some berries stirred in. Best of all when I'm really in a sweets-hungry mood in the morning is to chop up a dried pineapple slice and stir it into my buckwheat groats. YUMMERS!

I can't eat wheat berries that haven't obviously sprouted as I have a wheat sensitivity, but those are a possible choice for anyone without my wheat problem.

[VeganVixen]

I absolutely love oat groats soaked overnight! They have a much more delicate flavor and none of that gooey, pasty texture that cooked oatmeal can have if not done absolutely right. Just a really nice chewy texture. I have to chew them really thoroughly, though, or they can disagree with me.

Buckwheat groats are yummy, too. I usually eat them as is with whatever's left of the soaking water, maybe a bit of honey or some berries stirred in. Best of all when I'm really in a sweets-hungry mood in the morning is to chop up a dried pineapple slice and stir it into my buckwheat groats. YUMMERS!

I can't eat wheat berries that haven't obviously sprouted as I have a wheat sensitivity, but those are a possible choice for anyone without my wheat problem.


I have A REAL problem with all grains ,even if they are raw....

[Choose Life]

Thanks for the info and related links. Just out of interest-being non American-what are oat groats?

[swingbolder]

Ohmygod! Thanks to whoever posted that link to the italian-made grain mill! $23.95-- can't beat that! I just can'twait to have "my" morning oatmeal again.

[Wendy]

I wonder if a Vita-mix with the dry container could mill the oat groats....

[Rawkinlocs]

Oat groats are the whole oats, before being "rolled" into the round, flat flakes we're accustomed to seeing when we buy oatmeal.

Wendy, it'll probably grind them really well into a powder/flour, I'm sure...but I don't think it'll "flake" them into rolled oats. I don't own one, but when I was researching them, I gathered the difference between the 1 caraff and the wheat grinding one was the direction the blades go...one pulling stuff in and the other doing the opposite or something like that (?? correct me if I'm wrong...going on memory here).

[vegangelist]

yeah, vita mix will make it into flour in no time at all....no flaking there.

kristi