mairzy doats and dozy doats

Call it porridge, call it gruel, call it oatmeal. Whatever you call it, you know you can call it just plain good and good for you. It's hard to find a proper place to start in describing oats and their greatness; the grain has been around since BC, it provides a hefty list of benefits and dammit, they're yummy.


Originally, oats were more of a wild grain that were thrown into a mix of other grains almost by accident simply because they grew within the same patches. They kept the status of the underdog grain for centuries before they were truly harvested for deliberate use. Even then, it was used mainly as stock feed. But the plant slowly made its way into the hearts and bowls of early Europeans and eventually early Americans.

There's even a cool quote from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary that defines oats as, "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland appears to support the people." The retort to this dis was by a Scotsman who said, "That's why England has such fine horses and Scotland has such fine men."

The Scott was pretty much correct in focusing on the fact that anyone who consumed oats was fine
(I be fine as hell).

I know that in my own experiences, oatmeal is something of a wonder food. I remember when I was in high school, trying to figure out what to eat for breakfast without adding to the luxury of my waistline. Even though I'd been juggling my medicine dosages for a couple of years, I was still struggling with my blood sugar sky-rocketting and my insulin getting spiked with other foods that I thought were healthy.

Without really considering the benefits that oats had to offer, I woke up earlier than usual one morning to find that there wasn't quite enough milk for my usual bowl of cold cereal, and decided to treat myself to hot grains.  By second period, I found myself in the nurse's office due to a severe drop in blood sugar. This happened a couple of times before I realized that I didn't need to take so much insulin for what I was eating, even though I had a heaping scoop of brown sugar mixed in (I tend to have a pretty strong sweet tooth). Oats don't spike your insulin.
Nuh-uh...?
Yeah-huh.
And something even sweeter is with as much fiber as there is in a bowl of oatmeal, you stay fuller longer. Kinda feels like you're rediscovering oatmeal, huh?


Mama Says: Mix oatmeal with your favorite shredded cheese, just like you do with grits.  
(I thought it was weird at first too, but after trying it, I discovered a new favorite. And with cheese instead of fruit and sugar, the fat element keeps the good stuff with you even longer AND is a little more lunch and dinner friendly)

This entry is dedicated to my poor little Canon Rebel XTi - whose last photograph to take was the one below before going to the doctor to get its lens fixed.

-k