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What’s the deal with steelcut oatmeal?

Besides the fact that it sounds more macho, steel-cut oatmeal does have an edge. It’s made from oat grains (aka groats) that have simply been chopped up. This is unlike instant oatmeal that are first chopped and then flattened with rollers so they’ll cook faster – except faster isn’t always better for your body. “The enzymes in your gastrointestinal tract take a longer time to penetrate the unrolled groats in steelcut oatmeal,” says Dr David Jenkins, PhD, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at the University of Toronto. “This results in a slower uptake of glucose and that makes steel-cut oatmeal better, especially for people who are at risk of diabetes.”

Steel-cut oats contain 8g of soluble fibre per one-cup serving, which is twice the amount in instant rolled oats. So while both types can slash your risk of heart disease by up to 40 per cent, steel-cut oats may get you there sooner.