What's the Deal With Oats?

An oats craze has taken over. About a year ago, I noticed a "baked oats" trend making its way through social media. Every time I logged onto Instagram, there were countless photos of elaborate and creative oat ideas. There were even social media accounts and blogs emerging whose brands focused solely on oats. They were always aesthetically pleasing, but I wondered what they hype was about. I tried a baked oats recipe with chocolate chips that resembled a slightly lower sugar version of chocolate chip cookies, and it was good, but not a chocolate chip cookie. It seemed like the obsession grew from there.

After an abundance of inspiration from baked oats, attitudes shifted to savory oats, oat bowls, overnight oats, and full circle back to good old oatmeal.

I paused for a moment because it looked like another diet fad. For a while, it seemed like general attitudes about health had made so much progress with encouraging intuitive eating and focusing on balance, and this seemed like a step in the wrong direction. If you're craving tiramisu, why make an elaborate oat dish instead? If you want pasta, why put tomato sauce on oats?

However, I quickly learned that these quirky new recipes had a more positive motive. It wasn't about dieting or replacing favorites with a trendy alternative - it was about taking beloved snacks or meals and elevating them with something even more nourishing. Here are some of the reasons they've become so popular:

1. Oats contain important vitamins like manganese, iron and zinc.

2. They're high in fiber, specifically beta-glucan, which can help lower blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease.

3. Oats can help to relieve constipation.

4. Depending what you eat, they can be really filling - this is from personal experience.

5. Oats come in many forms, such as steel cut or rolled, that are used for different types of recipes.

"Oats are a fantastic source of soluble fiber - this type of fiber forms a gel-like substance when broken down in the gut," says Marissa Sommers, RDN CPT, "Soluble fiber slows down digestion and can prevent blood sugar spikes after eating. It also helps the good bacteria that live in our gut proliferate and grow."

Besides the obvious health benefits, another win for team oat is that there are so many ways to enjoy them, from oatmeal cookies to veggie grain bowls. I loved the cinnamon apple flavored Quaker Instant Oats as a kid, but I never branched out until recently. Now I've embraced a bit more creativity. Sommers says that making overnight protein oats, adding oats to smoothies, and using them in baked goods are some of her favorite ways to incorporate them into her routine. The possibilities are endless!

So the next time your Instagram feed is flooded with oat pictures, just know there's a good reason!