FAQ Page - UHC Support Center

Are oats wholesome?

There are many varieties of oats out there in the market. 

Out of all, the only one that is wholesome is whole oat groats. This is the oat grain in its most whole, intact form. The hull has been removed, but other than that, the bran, endosperm, and germ are all still intact. Of all the different forms of oats, this one takes the longest to cook – anywhere from 30-45 minutes. 

Steel cut oats are produced by chopping the whole oat groat into 2-4 pieces with a steel blade. This gives them a bit of a chewier texture than the whole oat groat. This is done to reduce their cooking time - steel cut oats take only 20-30 minutes to cook. 

Rolled oats are made by steaming the oat groat, then rolling it flat between steel rollers. So it’s already been cooked soon before it gets to us. 

Quick oats are also steamed, but they are often rolled thinner, and sometimes chopped into smaller pieces, giving them a larger surface area, and therefore a shorter cooking time. Quick oats cook in 1-3 minutes. These are the worst because they’ve been completely processed before they get to us. 

Oat flour is simply finely-ground rolled oats.