Is It Safe To Eat Uncooked Oats?

Most people like to eat "raw oats" in the form of oat groats without cooking it in any way, they use to eat it just by soaking them in plain water or pouring some milk over it just like the way we eat cornflakes. if you are the one who is eating your "raw oats " in this way, then it is assured that you are eating it in a quite healthy way.

But if you are the one who is eating oats raw in the form of oat groats "dry", without moisturizing it in any way, then this way of eating raw oats is not so healthy, as it can lead to some distasteful effects in your stomach.

If You Don’t Want to Cook It, Just Soak It

There is a general belief that eating raw oats is more nutritious than cooked one, but it is true until you don’t eat "raw" and dry.

It’s important that the oats you are consuming are soaked, and made soft.

It happens due to the reason, that the nutrition from oatmeal comes from starch, and for the stomach to digest the starch it must get through thick membranes of the cells. The softer the membrane is easier to digest.

See Also: Online Nutritionist

Eating raw and dry oats is not healthy because it is not only quite difficult to swallow and chew, even it will bulk up in the stomach which can lead to an upset stomach.

Even, after all about it, If you consume it dry then make sure to drink plenty of liquids with it, or else you may even get stomach cramps. Raw oats will be more difficult to digest as compared to the soaked one with the boiled water, which ruptures the cell membranes so the starch is easily digested.

You can mix raw oats to your shake and drink it down. It can be a good solution because you are taking your oats along with the liquids. It would be best if you let the oats soak in the shake for around 30 minutes before consuming.

There is another good option to consume the raw oats is to add two cups of boiling water (no hotter than 110 degrees) to it and leave for around 10 minutes or so and then mash it. The heat of boiled water will break down the starch cell membranes and even, it will make easier for you to swallow the preparation.

People also felt constipated after eating uncooked oats for a couple of days. The reason behind this is lack of water caused the oats to create a thick cement-like gummy residue in the colon, preventing the smooth passage of the stools.

Is it safe to eat uncooked oats? Before getting the answer to this question, it’s important to understand that "Raw" really implies when it comes to eating oats.

It is quite obvious, that grains need to be cooked so that the starch is broken down for easy digestion.

See Also: Online Nutrition Counseling Services

This is the only reason why we don’t eat other cereals raw like rice or wheat; it would lead to digestive problems. In fact, due to the same reason, starchy vegetables such as potatoes are to be boiled well before consuming. So that the starch breaks down enough for easy digestion and assimilation of the sugar.

Well, there is no need to overcook the oats, just make sure you cook it enough to break down the starch.

Raw Oats Vs. Cooked Oats

Eating raw oats is healthy when you soak them in some liquid, like water, milk or even cranberry juice, before consuming them. Eating raw dry oatmeal is bad for you in more ways than one, and if you must do it make sure you drink sufficient amount of water after its consumption.