I tried savory oats inspired by centenarians in the US Blue Zone, Loma Linda. I would make one key tweak to the recipe. (2024)

FAQs

Do blue zones eat oats? ›

In the Loma Linda Blue Zone, people live on average 10 years longer than the rest of the US. They eat oats as part of their high-fiber, high-carbohydrate diets. I would stir spices into the oats rather than sprinkling them on top.

“Whole grains are beneficial and healthy foods, and I can say that oatmeal is definitely beneficial,” says Qi Sun, an assistant professor of nutrition at Harvard, citing both his past research on whole grains and also some soon-to-be-published work he's done on oatmeal. “Eating oatmeal for breakfast is a good choice.”

Oats have been known for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of human consumption dates to more than 30,000 years ago, when it appears that wild oats were ground into a porridgelike oatmeal. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew that oats were edible, but the grain was typically only eaten by animals and peasants.

The important thing is that porridge should be creamy in texture (lots of stirring required), but with enough chewy bite to keep it interesting.

Eat a breakfast that contains multiple food groups

A healthy breakfast on the longevity diet might contain whole grains, nuts, and fruit. Longo himself likes to have friselle, a whole-grain bread from Italy, with a nut spread containing almond and cocoa, as well as an apple.

A healthy diet is one of the Blue Zones' 'Power 9,' but Dr Newman told The Sydney Morning Herald that there is no proof supporting the Blue Zone diet advice. He said: 'People are being sold this illusion there are these islands where people live forever. Look at the number of people who buy into the dietary advice.

Both types of oatmeal start out as oat groats. The main difference between old-fashioned oats and quick oats comes down to how they are processed and the resulting shape, texture, and cooking time.

Oats have unique components like the soluble fiber beta-glucan and antioxidants called avenanthramides. Benefits include lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, protection against skin irritation, and reduced constipation.

But the main difference between porridge and oatmeal is that porridge is made with a variety of whole grains, cereal or legumes, and oatmeal is made with oats (either rolled, flattened or ground).

It is known as simply "porridge" or, more commonly in the United States and Canada, "oatmeal". In the US, oat and wheat porridge can both be called "hot cereal". Rolled oats are commonly used in England, oatmeal in Scotland and steel-cut oats in Ireland.

What is the gooey stuff in oatmeal? ›

It's tempting to want to continually stir the oats as they simmer in the pot, but it can lead to too much starch, which results in a gummy, gluey texture. Follow this tip: Try to leave your oats undisturbed while they cook. Cover the pot as it simmers and give it just one or two stirs here and there.

Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten.

Grains including oats, barley, brown rice, and ground corn (not so much wheat) play a key role in the world's blue zone diets.

(Oat milk, for instance, has fiber; flax milk is loaded with omega-3s; soy and pea-based milks are rich in protein.) Alt-milks are also an integral part of the diets of many of the longest-living people in the world, meaning centenarians that reside in the Blue Zones regions.