Let's talk about whole grain oat flour!

What is it?

Whole grain oat flour is an oatmeal made from very finely ground whole grain oats. It’s called whole grain because the oat kernel still has an intact bran, germ and endosperm before grinding, meaning that no fibers or other nutritionally valuable content have been removed.

Compared to regular (wheat) flour, oat flour has a heartier, nuttier or somewhat earthier taste. Also, many people find the flavour of oatmeal a little sweeter than its wheat opponent.

How do we use it?

Whole grain oat flour is a highly important ingredient for us, as it is the basis of Queal Steady and Queal Ready.

Why do we use it?

Well, first of all: Oats are extremely nutritious. They’re one of the world’s healthiest grains. Oats, next to their high content of so called "beta-glucans" (dietary fibers), contain a lot of useful vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

The fibers in oats are more soluble than those present in other grain types, meaning they are satiating and will keep you fuller for a longer time. Its overall contribution to digestive health; the fibers (especially the beta-glucans) in oats are associated with a range of other benefits. For example: They can lower cholesterol levels and are believed to cause a reduction in blood sugars and insulin levels, after you’ve consumed a meal rich in carbohydrates.

Another main reason of using whole grain oat flour as base for our shakes and instant oats, is because we found it to be the best fitting form of grains/carbs, one of the building blocks of a healthy meal. Although oats do in fact contain protein (between 11 to 17% by dry weight to be exact, and is actually one of the most protein-rich grains) and unsaturated fatty acids, most of it consists of carbohydrates (66%).

In addition, oats are a so called "miscellaneous crop": they can be grown on almost any kind of soil and - in most cases - do not need any special kind of treatment or feeding. Also, the grinding of oat kernels into oat flour can be done easily. Therefore, oats are both a sustainable and economically efficient crop, just like what complete food is all about.

The last main reason why we like to use whole grain oat flour as a base is for its applicability and taste adaptability. This means that the flavour of our products are not impacted too much by the natural flavour present in the oats. That way a Cool Chocolate will taste like velvet, and Awesome Apple Pie tastes like how your grandma would have made it.

Where does it come from?

Oats are mainly grown in Europe and Russia. The oats we use are mostly from the UK, though – some we get from Finland – and are being processed into flour in Germany. Just like every other ingredient we use, they are free from GMO’s. To make sure only the best quality flour ends up in our shakes and instant oats, they are held to the highest standards for Mycotoxins, Heavy Metals, 3-MCPD, Dioxins and PCB's, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Colourings and Pesticides.

Allergens.

Gluten. Oats itself do not contain gluten, but as our procession facility also works with wheat-products, the oats we use are not entirely gluten-free.