National Oatmeal Day

National Oatmeal Day - Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Food & Beverage Healthy Food
National Oatmeal Day comes around annually on October 29, celebrating one of the world’s most versatile, familiar foods. But how many of us know more than that? How many ways are there to prepare it? With all the way to eat and use oatmeal, it’s no wonder we had to dedicate a whole day to it!

History of National Oatmeal Day

Oatmeal, while praised today by nutritionists and health gurus, comes from very humble beginnings. The last of the cereal grains to be domesticated by western society 3,000 year ago, the oats for oatmeal came from weeds that grew in fields prepared for other crops.

Ancient Romans saw oats as an unfortunate and diseased wheat and used them as cheap horse food. They scoffed in disgust at societies who ate oats in their meals, such as the Germanic tribes who conquered the West Roman Empire as well as the Scottish whom the Romans were never able to conquer. Huh, almost sounds like the Romans should have eaten their oats after all.

Though oats are still used in horse food today, there is a portion set aside specifically for human consumption. And for good reason! The fiber within oats is more soluble than any other grain. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and turns into a thick, viscous gel, which moves slowly through the body. This means it keeps you full for long periods of time. Soluble fiber also slows down the body’s process of glucose absorption and inhibits re-absorption of bile into the system, meaning you avoid sugar highs and lows while your liver gets its needed cholesterol from your blood. So apparently, eating oatmeal makes you stronger than a Roman. Who knew?

National Oatmeal Day timeline

1877

​Quaker Mill rolled out its oat products

The Quaker Mill Company, which would later become Quaker Oats, started in Ravenna, Ohio. 

1755

An unimpressed ​Samuel Johnson

Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" described oatmeal as a grain "which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."

1600s

​​Great Scot(s), that's tasty oatmeal!

The Scots have eaten oatmeal for centuries; the grain itself grows well in that part of the world due to that country's low temperatures and high humidity.

​1000 BC

Oats made it to Europe

According to some historians, the wild ancestors of modern oats were prevalent in Asia. But they weren't domesticated until sometime in the first millennium BCE in what is now Central Europe.

7000 BC

Wild oats were sowed

Oats are one of humankind's earliest cultivated foods. In fact, the ancient Chinese knew all about the grain.

National Oatmeal Day FAQs

Is it okay to eat oatmeal everyday?

Yup! Oatmeal is perfectly safe to eat every day. And with all of the health benefits it provides, your body might thank you for it!

How good is oatmeal for the body?

Oatmeal is one of the healthiest grains on earth. They’re gluten free, rich in antioxidants, and help you lose weight, lower your blood sugar, and reduce risks of heart disease.
 

What is the difference between oat and oatmeal?

Oatmeal is made from ground oats and is mostly used in breakfasts and other filling meals. 
 

​5 Reasons Oatmeal "Steel's" The Show

  1. The Quaker Oats guy is a very old standby

    The "Quaker Man" has adorned Quaker Oats since 1877, when he became the first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal in America.

  2. Oatmeal is good for you — and good for your skin

    Many people take oatmeal baths in order to rejuvenate and soothe their skin. In fact, oat-based products are awash in proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and antioxidants that apparently make excellent additions to one's skin regimen.

  3. Just about every American has oatmeal at home​

    According to research, an estimated 75 percent of U.S. households have oatmeal in their kitchens right now.

  4. Oatmeal is crazy versatile

    If people aren't making oatmeal for breakfast, they're baking oatmeal cookies for dessert. And in between? Meatloaf! Yup, some people use oatmeal for holding that savory dish together.

  5. ​Peas porridge hot, peas porridge ... oats?

    Although the terms are often used interchangeably, porridge and oatmeal are not necessarily the same thing. Oatmeal is a kind of porridge, but porridge can be made from many things other than oats.

National Oatmeal Day Activities

  1. Grab a bowl, naturally

    Many fitness experts swear by steel-cut oats, which have a pleasant chewy texture. Prepare a bowl and get your day off to a nutritious and filling start, the natural way.

  2. Add something sweet

    There are a lot of ways to celebrate National Oatmeal Day that may have your doctor shaking his head but will have your taste buds jumping for joy. Oatmeal raisin cookies, apple and cinnamon oatmeal, brown sugar oats. We're getting hungry just thinking about it.

  3. Feed the world — or at least your neighborhood

    A lot of people go without food every day right here in the U.S. Many homeless shelters accept oatmeal since it's an easy and nutritious way to fill the bellies of the less fortunate. Consider donating a big batch of packaged oatmeal to a local shelter or to your church.

Why We Love National Oatmeal Day

  1. It's tasty (in so many ways)

    Whether it's saturated with brown sugar, baked into cookies, or prepped as plain as the day is long, oatmeal is a truly, wonderfully, satisfyingly delicious meal and snack. 

  2. It's healthy

    Depending on how it's prepared, oatmeal has definite health benefits. Oatmeal is mostly water. It's also low-fat and stuffed with essential nutrients, such as manganese, phosphorus and zinc. Plus, experts say consuming oats can reduce the risk of heart disease.

  3. It feeds the world

    Oats are a hardy grain. They tolerate rain well (better than most grains), and can be planted in fall or springtime. Plus, oatmeal is a staple of food culture the world over.

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