The benefits of oatmeal are obvious - it has long been used as baby food as food for babies and has become an indispensable component of the diet for fans of a healthy lifestyle. But to the questions how it differs from Hercules, which flakes still exist, which of them is more beneficial for adults, and which is for children, not everyone will answer. After reading the information in the article, you will be able to understand the advantages of each type of oat processing product and make the right choice when preparing breakfast.

What is oatmeal and oatmeal

Oats are cultivated everywhere and as a whole they are used mainly as fodder cereal. The bulk of the crop goes to processing and turns into various types of cereals, flour, cereal and coffee substitute.

Under the guise of oatmeal, they sell oatmeal, flattened in the form of smooth or corrugated petals. Manufacturers believe that flattened grains are rightly called oat-flakes, and under this name, familiar to everyone since Soviet times, combine cereal flakes, sometimes not related to oats.

A memorable and commercially successful brand easily came into use, because the image from Greek mythology promised strength and health with regular eating of a product convenient for cooking. But, in fact, the first boxes of the classic "Hercules" were oat flakes of a rather large fraction, which were boiled for 20 minutes.

Did you know? Whole and crushed oatmeal in cooking can be a good alternative to rice and can be used for filling meatloaf.

In addition to them, the assortment of shops still contains other types of oatmeal - “Petals” of medium thickness and the thinnest “Extra” with different cooking times, suitable for boiling, steaming, making granola and granola. But only a sonorous name stuck, and it also stuck to designate large instant flakes. Easily digestible porridge, cooked from them, began to be called herculean.

Consumers are used to calling porridge cooked from cereals or oatmeal as oatmeal, but this is not entirely correct. Despite the popularity of this name for cereal porridge at the household level, it is more correct to call processed oatmeal and porridge made from whole or crushed peeled oat grains.

Farmers by oatmeal mean only oatmeal, which goes through the following processing stages:

• cleaning;
• short steaming;
• sorting;
• drying;
• packing.

The result of the process is a hard grits, which is similar in shape and color to whole grains. Oatmeal, although it requires a long cooking, but the minimal processing of grains, sometimes with the addition of bran, helps to keep the maximum of substances useful for the body in the product. When cooked, it has a pleasant taste, while the granular consistency of porridge requires thorough chewing. In a classic oatmeal, calories are released more slowly, respectively, the body receives saturation and energy for a longer time.

Video: What is the difference between oatmeal and oatmeal

Product Highlights

Despite the confusion in the names, it should be remembered that oatmeal is made from first-class whole oat grains, and hercules, in turn, is from crushed oatmeal. The form and duration of the initial heat treatment for each type is different.

The differences between them are as follows:

• technological features of production;
• time for preparing;
• nutritional value;
• frequency of use and target group of consumers.

Manufacturing technology

In order for the oat processing products to have a pleasant taste in the future, the grain is preliminarily fried at low temperatures. Roasting adds flavor and removes the bitterness in the finished cereals, while increasing their shelf life. Then the whole grain is crushed into several parts with the preservation of bran and grain germ.

For the manufacture of uncrushed oatmeal, coarsely ground cereals are not rolled, but the mandatory stages of its processing are:

• steaming;
• peeling;
• grinding;
• packing.

For the manufacture of "Hercules" and more tender petal flakes, oatmeal of the same grade is used - the highest. The thinnest plates of the Extra type are made from oatmeal of the first grade.

The latter are divided into classes, the difference lies in the size of the rolled sheets:

• fraction No. 1 - whole grain flakes;
• fraction No. 2 - crushed plates of crushed grain;
• fraction No. 3 is a fast-digesting species made from cut grain.

In the process of production, croup is cleaned of husks and bran, which complicate the digestion of the body. Flattened and crushed cereals are steamed for longer, after which they are passed through corrugated rolls, as a result of this procedure, the plates acquire wavy prints on each side. The cracking of the fibers, obtained using the technology of applying notches during rolling, allows you to get additional softness and significantly reduces the cooking time, since such a product absorbs moisture better.

The following processes are used to produce flakes:

• sorting cereals;
• short-term steaming;
• crushing and grinding;
• long steam treatment;
• flattening;
• screening;
• calcination for drying;
• packaging.

Did you know? Oatmeal perfectly absorbs odors. If you pour them into an open container and put in the refrigerator, this way you can get rid of the unpleasant odor there.

Summarizing information on production processes that are different for each species, remember that oatmeal is made from whole, slightly peeled oat grains, and the ingredients for hercules are purified oatmeal flakes of various fractions, without bran and germ, hydrothermally processed, steamed and mechanically rolled .

Video: Oat Processing Technology

Time for preparing

Groats require longer cooking than flakes that are not cooked for long or steamed with boiling water, because the presence of the shell preserves the whole grain structure in crushed cereals, protecting it from boiling and increasing the time for the necessary heat treatment.

To obtain porridge with high taste, oatmeal should be cooked:

• 40-60 minutes, if you prefer whole grain cereals;
• 30–40 minutes when choosing a crushed view.

Cooking cereals due to the preliminary heat treatment of cereals will take much less time - sometimes thin plates can only be steamed in boiling water, although the classic "Hercules" usually requires boiling. The speed of cooking cereals depends only on the fraction of flakes, the thickness of which varies between 3-5 mm.

Important! Before making oatmeal, soak the cereal in cold water for several hours, this will slightly reduce the cooking time.

When purchasing “Extra” flakes, be careful, because the labeling class indicates the degree of grinding of cereals for their production, respectively, affects the cooking time, which will take:

• 20 minutes. for the traditional "Hercules";
• 10 minutes. for petal species;
• 10-15 minutes for Extra flakes No. 1;
• 5-10 minutes for Extra records No. 2;
• 2–5 minutes for a plate of finely ground oatmeal "Extra" No. 3, which will turn into mashed potatoes, suitable for baby food;
• instant cereals should not be cooked - pour boiling water over them for a couple of minutes, and the porridge will be ready for use.

What is more useful - Hercules or oatmeal

In the process of processing whole grains into cereals, flour and cereal, the amount of nutrients changes. Nutritionists advise cooking porridge from minimally processed grains, as whole oatmeal contains higher fiber, vitamins and minerals. Porridge cooked from oatmeal is more effective in diets and is good for maintaining health than oat flakes. The closer the grain structure is to whole grains, the longer will be the feeling of satiety after such a meal.

Important! With diabetes, doctors recommend reducing the consumption of oatmeal to 30 g of dry cereal per day and not add sugar to cereals. To change and improve the taste will help fruits or berries.

Oatmeal is a low-calorie dietary product with vitamins E and group B, proteins, and the coarse plant fiber present in it will help to eliminate toxins from the body. A viscous substance contains β-glucan that neutralizes cholesterol.

• Among other exceptional qualities of whole oatmeal, experts note:
• weight loss, accelerated metabolism, rapid saturation;
• thrombosis prophylaxis;
• improvement of thought processes, memory, mood;
• stress relief;
• strengthening the immune system;
• solving the problems of the gastrointestinal tract;
• beneficial effects on kidney function;
• strengthening hair, nails;
• muscle regeneration and skin healing.

Grinded and heat-treated grains have a reduced amount of beneficial vitamins and minerals. Dietary fiber is crushed during prolonged processing, which increases the carbohydrate content in the product. The thinner the product is rolled out, the faster it is absorbed: the thinnest instant flakes have a higher glycemic index than ordinary ones. The method of producing oatmeal allows you to maintain a complete set of nutrients, while long-term processing of cereals deprives the lion's share of the benefits of oats.

Grain processing changes the quantitative values ​​of the elements that make up the nutritional value:

If you have free time, it is better to cook traditional hercules, which is cooked longer than other types and remains as useful as possible due to its proximity to oatmeal. Oatmeal is an excellent choice for daily consumption, diet and weight loss, and cereals that are devoid of nutritional value are recommended only as a semi-finished product for fragmentary satisfying hunger on the road or with an acute lack of time.

What is better to give children

Despite the obvious advantages of whole grains, porridge for children under 3 years old is not suitable for them - for an unformed stomach, digestion will be a painful and long process, and a taste unlike the delicate texture of a cereal dish will not attract a child. But even in the processed product, qualities that are useful for full growth with a restorative effect are preserved.

• Hercules porridge contributes to:
• preventing the risk of bronchial asthma;
• mental work and increase efficiency;
• obtaining a full amount of energy for a mobile organism;
• the proper development of bone tissue and the formation of muscle mass.

But the baby is not in a hurry with expanding the diet. There are a number of rules for the use of oatmeal in baby foods developed by pediatricians:

1. It is advisable to start feeding with oatmeal porridge at the age of six months due to the gluten content in oat products, which can provoke an allergy in a child with a propensity for her relatives.
2. Hercules should be administered a month after the start of feeding with buckwheat flakes.
3. If you are an adherent of natural products in feeding children, you can grind oatmeal with your own coffee grinder and cook porridge in a mixture adapted for the baby.
4. Expensive baby food is not affordable for everyone; you can cook cereals as a substitute for it on water or with milk equally diluted with water.
5. Accustom yourself to the oats cooked in milk, gradually and only after the child is one year old. The first time you can offer this porridge during breakfast, but not more than 0.5 dessert spoon. If an allergic reaction does not occur, double the serving at the next feeding. Continue feeding in this way until the volume of the eaten mixture reaches 150 ml. The presence of phytic acid in oatmeal adversely affects the digestibility of calcium, so do not feed baby crumb more often than three times a week.
6. In the presence of obesity, milk porridge should be limited, and lettuce cooked in water, give no more than once a week.
7. Eliminate oatmeal completely if your child has been diagnosed with celiac disease and diabetes.

For older children, you can cook a delicious, full-fledged oatmeal for breakfast, it will give a feeling of satiety and will bring undeniably more benefits. For the most fastidious, add sweetness to it, decorate the taste with honey, sprinkle with nuts, dried fruits or pieces of fresh fruit.

Hurrying high school students are often too lazy to cook porridge on their own. For a quick breakfast, sometimes it’s enough for them to have a bite of at least some steamed cereal with cream and flavors or dilute the raw product in cold milk.

With all the variety of types of products from oats, whatever you choose, from any one you get a delicious and full breakfast. And the supply of nutrients will give strength and energy boost for the whole day.