Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl) - PaleoHacks.com

Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-02T00:49:28Z

I was reading an article on Mark's Daily Apple yesterday about oats. Everything was sounding very familiar and near the end I saw a reference to PaleoHacks. I clicked the link and BAM! It was my oatmeal post here!! He used my recipe to make baked oatmeal. Ha! So that inspired me to edit the pics below to be live instead of clickable links.

Click here for the article from Mark's Daily Apple >> Are Oats Healthy?

We've only made this twice since I posted this in March, but we are gonna make it again real soon and I think we might try it with steel cut oats instead of rolled and still follow all the same procedures. It's a very infrequent treat for us, but we do really like this recipe.

Here's my original post with some updates ↓↓↓

Pre-Paleo, my wife and I ate oatmeal all the time (almost daily). We were all engulfed in the whole 'low saturated fat, high fiber, cholesterol lowering foods' deal. Oh how off base we were.

The case against oatmeal:

high in: carbs, fiber, phytic acid
contains Avenin, which may be similarly (but less) offensive as Gluten
many people, especially those with sensitive insulin response, have a significant surge in blood glucose after eating oatmeal. specifically for those that have metabolic disorders, this may play a role in contributing to health issues depending on the individual.

The case for oatmeal (and why I still choose to eat it):

like potatoes, oatmeal doesn't have much flavor by itself, but can be made to be delicious with the use of some selective additives
if prepared properly, it is not much different than the 'safe starches' from a metabolic perspective
although not particularly 'rich' in nutrients, oatmeal does contain some minerals such as iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese
extremely inexpensive if you're on a budget (sometimes finding inexpensive meals that 'qualify' allows more room in your food budget to purchase the premium quality foods to satisfy your main staples)

Best way to prepare oatmeal: soak/ferment to predigest the oats and reduce phytic acid:

pour 4 cups of raw oats into glass bowl and fill with purified water until oats are covered
add 8 tablespoons of raw whey (or any acidic medium like kefir/yogurt)
add 2 tablespoons organic buckwheat flour (this adds phytase to break down the phytates)
stir thoroughly. cover with paper towel and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours
drain and rinse thoroughly (most of the buckwheat flour will rinse out) and you'll notice that the oatmeal composition has been drastically altered. the oats appear to be 'broken down'

Now you can cook them as normal and prepare as desired. Personally, I add 4 organic eggs, half stick of melted pasture butter (the more butter, the more 'mushy' the end product is. the less butter, the more 'bready' it is, so consider this based on your preferences), 2 tsp vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, a handful of fresh blueberries and/or strawberries, 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, 1 tbsp baking powder, mix it all up, pour the oats into a casserole dish, and bake at 400 for 35-40 min.

The result? 'Baked blueberry oatmeal' that will make your entire house smell like the holidays. The oats are very light and fluffy, and do not cause gas or stomach upset. Qbviously you wouldn't want to eat this in large quantity, especially if you are T2 diabetic. If you're not low carbin it and you need to replenish glycogen or you are looking to get some starchy carbs, this will work. Also, these digest much better since the whey/buckwheat breaks down the oats so well before baking.

Now you've got yourself a delicious 'bready' style treat without the grain issues. We don't make this very often but we love it every time because we can be creative with the fruit variables and change it up each time.

Would this post possibly sway you to give oatmeal a try? And if so/if not, why so/why not?

Freshly Baked Strawberry Blueberry Oatmeal ▼ ▼

On a plate with pasture butter (it already melted through) ▼ ▼

Bowl style with a bit of fruit, sprouted almonds, pasture butter, and heavy cream ▼ ▼

Cheers!

Jack Kronk :)

Answer by Yoyo for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-02T01:04:19Z

Mmmmm, sounds delicious...But I vote it still has 'grain issues' by virtue of the fact that it contains not one but TWO kinds of grain. I'm a big fan of http://www.marksdailyapple.com/no-oat-oatmeal-its-no-atmeal/ myself. Got over my oatmeal addiction pretty quick when I started on this. I'd rather stay away all together from bready treats so's I don't still crave the bready treats so therefore am less inclined to 'fall off the wagon' and over-indulge in bready treats. Just my preference.

You know what they say; if it walks like a duck...

Answer by Joshua for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-02T02:16:15Z

I would be free of Oatmeal were it not for haggis. But I won't justify it in the paleo sense, just like I don't justify alcohol as paleo, or any other occasional fare.

If you like it, feel free to eat it. But, it's still grain. All grain requires some form of processing to be made edible (in the loosest definition of the word), most grains are packed with antinutrients, and all grains seriously affect insulin.

And I've a hard time imagining pre-agricultural man threshing, sprouting, drying, milling, boiling, and eating oats.

Answer by Jack Kronk for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-02T16:34:41Z

Ok I really feel the need to make a case here. Let's look have an honest look at this, because this is very different from your average bowl of instant oatmeal that more than half the people who work in offices all around this country eat daily. I am very open to some real rebuttals against this type of prepared oatmeal but I'm looking for something more concrete if it's gonna sway me toward not eating this every now and then.

The questionables in the ingredients are: oats, buckwheat flour, maple syrup. Right? The fruit is optional and a wee bit of fruit in moderation is totally fine, so we'll leave that out.

Oats: soaked in whey to literally predigest them and remove phytic acid (up to 96% efficiency). As I mentioned in the notes, the composition of the oats completely change after soaking them. The fiber content is almost compelely broken. Predigesting them negates most of the problems associated with the 'grain', even though oatmeal is a very mild grain as far as antinutrients are concerned.

Buckwheat flour: first of all, this is not from the wheat family, and is gluten free. Stephan Guyenet recommends adding buckwheat for the phytase content. Also, the entire recipe has 2 tablespoons total. And as I mentioned, when you rinse the oats after soaking, almost all of the buckwheat goes down the drain. It has served it's purpose. I'd say at least 95% of it gets washed out, so how much could be in the final bake... 1/8 teaspoon? The oats, after being rinsed, look pure cream colored, with the buckwheat flour being nearly undetectable.

Pure Maple Syrup: 2 tablespoons (you could leave this out by the way). That's 32 carbs. Figure you cut this dish into 8 squares. That's 4 carbs per square from the maple. If that's too much, leave it out then. No worries at all.

But consider that of all the ingredients, there is no manmade stuff or weirdo chemicals ("processed" oats/flour... sure, but still not "concocted"). There is virtually zero poly. There is virtually zero gluten (save for the possible faint remainder left in the soaked oats). There is no refined sugars, and no sugar at all if you leave the maple out of it. Plus it's loaded with eggs and ghee. Plus if you add butter or cream to it afterward, you've got far more fat than carbs.

The only real issue here could be with the carb content. For someone who is diabetic, I probably wouldn't recommend this. But for everyone else, how is this any metabolically different than eating a safe starch like white rice or white potatoes? Let's remember to keep in mind the 'content' of what we're eating versus labeling something "Paleo" or not. We all know cavemen didn't eat this, but so what.

Answer by Shari Bambino for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T03:39:03Z

Flaked quinoa make a VERY nice Paleo Oatmeal alternative. Easy to find at Whole Foods.

Answer by Travis Culp for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T04:08:25Z

You processed oats down to an inoffensive carb source (if you left out the fructose-heavy sweetener). I see nothing wrong with this, though I wouldn't eat it by itself. As a starch source in the context of a meal, I think it's great for mixing things up. Well done.

It's more work than I'd like to do regularly, but I think I'll try this out on a weekend at some point.

Answer by Shmoe for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T12:15:04Z

Great work here, I definitely would see no problem from a physiological point of view if you are fine with the carbs. My only issue is that you are mentally still consuming SAD type foods, which means that your cravings are still there. Still great for those just starting out and not wanting to go the whole way and fast or eat some meat or equivalent.

Answer by Daniel for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T15:04:52Z

Definitely a useful recipe to have on hand for any non-paleo guests. Would sort of 'bridge the gap' so to speak. And good job slathering it in butter haha. I might have to add a fat dollop of unsweetened, fresh-made whipped cream.

Answer by Riveted for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T16:58:32Z

Let me first say that I think people should eat what they like and what works best for them, paleo or not. My question would be around cost-benefit (sorry...I'm an economist). Sure, it may be harmless to some (not me), and sure there are ways to manipulate it into something less harmful, but where's the benefit?

After the prep and 24-hour soak, I would argue that most of the benefit of the casserole comes from everything else you add to it (eggs, cream, butter, berries, cinnamon...). Running "cooked oats" through my trusty ole Cron-O-Meter shows trace amounts of a few B vitamins, very small amounts of a range of minerals, and more than double the Omega 6 to Omega 3.

Half a cup of blueberries by themselves triple and quadruple most of what's in the grain. Add eggs, butter, cream, etc. and you've got the benefits of a very healthy and balanced plate of food without the costs of prep, soaking, insulin spikes, and anti-nutrients.

Answer by Stephen-Aegis for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-03-03T17:50:58Z

Alot of responses, and I didnt see one mention Avenin.

Avenin is the Gluten of Oats. Avenin is the Prolamine found in wheat, and while not nearly as offensive to the human system as Gluten... it does the same thing on a smaller scale. Its a Grain. With a Prolamine. Its why we dont eat Wheat or Corn(whose prolamine is Zein)

an argument for Reducing Phytic Acid etc for Oat, is the Weston Price approach, Soak, Sprout, Ferment and severely limit the toxin load.

Personally, id rather avoid the toxins all together. Noatmeal ala Mark Sisson is a much healthier alternative, and im not exactly pro-nut either.

Answer by xjhues for Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Would you eat oats soaked in whey/buckwheat? (pics incl)

2011-08-19T18:13:27Z

Maybe I'm just lucky, but oatmeal (the McCann's steel cut variety) does not affect me negatively, at all. I'm hypoglycemic but I have zero blood sugar problems from oatmeal. In fact it keeps me satiated for 3 hours. Eggs don't even do that. And the whole phytic acid thing is blown way out of proportion. Don't take your mineral supplement with your bowl of oatmeal - problem solved.