If you are somebody who watches what you eat and actively strives towards a healthier diet, then you may be somebody who eats oats.
Oats are an incredibly popular ingredient in cooking, with lots of people enjoying them in the morning, at noon, and at night for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even as snacks.
From baked oats to overnight oats, there are tons of different recipes out there that utilize these healthy grains.
If you are searching for new oat recipes to check out, then you may find yourself wondering if you can eat raw oats.
That is a very good question!
If you are imagining all the delicious recipes that you could make using raw oats, then you will be happy to hear that it is perfectly safe to eat raw oats.
In fact, not only are raw oats safe to eat, but they are really delicious too.
In this guide, we’re taking a look at why it is safe to eat raw oats. So if you want to find out more, keep on reading!
What Are Raw Oats?
First things first, let’s take a look at what raw oats are.
Well, as the name suggests, raw oats are oats that are served raw.
These oats are not cooked before serving, instead, they are left uncooked and served in this form.
Typically, raw oats consist of rolled oat flakes.
These flakes are heated at processing, but that is all.
They are not heated to a point where they are being cooked, they are simply warmed up.
So unlike oats used for oatmeal, raw oats are not boiled.
They are simply heated up during the processing stage to ensure that the oats do not stick together.
Raw oats are often enjoyed by those following healthy diets, and that is because they are incredibly high in fiber.
High-fiber diets are great because they are associated with lots of different health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk of stroke, and also a reduced risk of bowel cancer and type 2 diabetes too.
That is without even mentioning the fact that high-fiber diets can help you feel full, and reduce the amount that you need to eat to feel satisfied.
So if you are watching your diet, then oats could be a great addition to your day-to-day meals.
Can You Eat Raw Oats?
So, as we have established, oats can be a great addition to your diet because they are high in fiber.
The high amount of fiber found in oats can really help you lead a healthier lifestyle, and reduce your risk of serious health conditions too.
If you are getting a little fed up with eating oatmeal, baked oats, or overnight oats, then you will be happy to hear that you can eat raw oats too!
Raw oats are perfectly okay to eat.
In fact, they are actually a very healthy option if you want to get all the nutrients from the oats, without the other ingredients that often come with oat-based dishes.
With dishes such as oatmeal, you may find yourself needing to add additional ingredients to it to add flavor.
But, you often do not need to do this with raw oats.
Not only do raw oats offer all the nutrients and health benefits of regular oats, but there are other benefits to eating raw oats specifically too.
These benefits include helping you lose weight, improving your blood sugar levels, and improving your gut health too.
So if you are somebody who struggles with gut issues or blood sugar levels, eating raw oats could help you lead a healthier life.
Is It Better To Eat Raw Oats Or Cooked?
With some foods, you have to cook them in order to eat them.
With other foods, they will be healthier when consumed raw. With oats, both raw and cooked oats are good for you.
Generally speaking, normal cooking methods do not take any of the nutrients away from the oats.
So, if you don’t like the texture of raw oats, that’s perfectly okay, you can simply cook them and enjoy them in whatever manner you like.
Raw oats are perfectly okay to eat, but the healthiest way to eat them isn’t in their most basic raw form.
Instead, oats taste a lot better and become a lot healthier when they are soaked.
You don’t need to cook them, you simply need to soak them for a set amount of time to moisten the oats.
You can soak them in water, milk, or juice and this will moisten the oats and make them even more nutritious.
It will often make them taste better too!
Generally, people tend to stay away from dry raw oats as they can cause indigestion.
You may also find that dry raw oats can sometimes get stuck in your throat, in a similar manner to how popcorn can get stuck in your throat.
By soaking the oats, you reduce the risk of this happening, and also make them taste better too.
However, it is totally up to you how you enjoy your oats!
Is It Safe To Eat Raw Oats?
Finally, let’s wrap this up by touching upon the safety of eating raw oats.
As we have established, raw oats are perfectly safe to eat.
They are totally delicious and incredibly nutritious too, but if you eat the raw oats dry then they can cause some irritation.
Raw oats that are served dry can cause indigestion and constipation too.
That is why we would always recommend soaking your raw oats to avoid these irritations.
Simply soaking your oats for a few hours will not only make them taste better but make them easier to eat. So for us, it really is a no-brainer.
Summary
In short, yes, you can eat raw oats.
Raw oats are utterly delicious, and they allow you to enjoy the nutritional benefits of these oats in their most basic form.
No matter whether you soak your oats or eat them dry, raw oats will come with lots of health benefits.
We hope this information has helped. Thank you for reading!
