Getting Your Oats

Oats may make that great Scottish breakfast, porridge. But there's more to this humble grain than meets the eye. Oats can do wonders for your love life, boost fertility and even limit water retention. Oats can be baked into cakes and puddings to make them that little bit healthier, and they're delicious sprinkled over stews and casseroles. Full of vitamin E, and reputed by witches past and present to strengthen love and summon up courage.

If you're off to a wedding throw oats instead of confetti, in the Middle Ages this was believed to boost the couples fertility. Even in present day pagan handfasting ceremonies oats are eaten by couples.

Originally cultivated in China around 7000BC, oats were thought by the Romans to be a weed fit only for cattle food. The ancient Greeks were eating oats a thousand years before the Scots had even thought of porridge. Scots porridge was cheap and filling, a large amount could be cooked and cooled. It would then feed a family for several days.

Scottish superstition says to ward off bad spirits porridge should be stirred clockwise with the right hand.

In Poland they throw oats at weddings too, but it's the bride and groom who throw them over the guests for good luck!

At Christmas in Norway its tradition to put oats in the garden for the birds, the ensuing loud bird song heralds a good year ahead.

Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans eat oats for breakfast, hardly surprising then that Canada exports about 1.5 million tons each year.

Back in the 15th century oats were being prescribed for various ailments - insomnia, constipation, gastritis, nervous exhaustion and even tobacco addiction. Today, homeopaths still use a tincture obtained from oats called Avena sativa, for anxiety, mental fatigue and mild depression. Oats contain a chemical called avenin, which soothes the nerves and causes a feeling of well being.

The same tincture may also be aphrodisiac as it can raise levels of testosterone. Avena sativa - the natural Viagra, you heard it here!

Oat grains are encased in a hard case or hull, this is discarded in the harvesting process. The grains are cut into pieces before being par-boiled, dried and rolled flat - hence the name, rolled oats.

Oats - nourishing and healthy

They contain more soluble fibre than any other grain and have a low GI. Eating porridge for breakfast helps your blood sugar levels stay steady and helps you fight food cravings. A study at Boston University claims oats for breakfast can aid concentration, improve mental task performance, and keep nerves steady.

The high levels of complex carbohydrates found in oats may help control diabetes by lowering blood glucose levels according to the British Nutrition Foundation.

Evidence also suggests that eating plenty of complex carbohydrates can reduce the risk of bowel cancer. The grain also cleanses the intestinal tract and produces an excellent balance of amino acids, which helps maintain cholesterol levels. Studies in America have shown a daily consumption of three grams of soluble oat fibre can reduce high cholesterol levels.

Oats are rich in vitamins B1, B2 and E and high in potassium, calcium, folic acid and iron. Oats have anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to relieve skin conditions like eczema and chickenpox.

Finely ground oatmeal mixed with water to form a thick paste can be used as a natural cleanser and exfoliator.

So, whether you enjoy porridge or an oatmeal facemask, never underestimate the not so humble oat!