Versatile oats go beyond breakfast at Natural Products Expo West
![Versatile oats go beyond breakfast at Natural Products Expo West Versatile oats go beyond breakfast at Natural Products Expo West](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt8cdee8c987c17c2d/64ff21d2df1d8fd0f856661e/Oat-collage_0.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
You’ve noted the popularity of sprouted grains, such as brown rice and buckwheat, due to their increased availability of key nutrients, including B vitamins, folate and fiber. But it’s not often that you see sprouted oats or products made from them … until now. One Degree Organic Foods recently launched a line of four granolas that feature organic sprouted oats and other nutritious ingredients, such as chia, flax, hemp and quinoa. We love One Degree’s commitment to transparency—you can see videos and photos of where and from whom every ingredient is sourced on their website and QR codes right on their packaging. onedegreeorganics.com
Why relegate oats to breakfast? The new whole grain side dish pouches from Grainful showcase the savory versatility of steel cut oats in products that are prime examples of the speed scratch trend that makes cooking from home easier and more healthful at the same time. The convenient side dish starters include steel cut oats, spices and vegetables that can be heated and served as is or rounded out with the addition of poultry, meat, seafood or fresh veggies. grainful.com
These wheat-free, egg-free, butter-free granola cookies are made from almonds, oats, honey, coconut, oat flour, olive oil, organic cane sugar and spices. The soft and chewy cookies come in Cherry Cranberry Almond and Chocolate Coconut Almond. Though they're made without gluten-containing ingredients, they can't be labeled as such because some of their ingredients are processed in a facility that also processes wheat. We love that these developed-by-a-mom, oven-baked cookies are made only with ingredients you'd find in any home kitchen. nothinbutfoods.com
Each of these 100-calorie bars is made with certified gluten-free rolled oats, chia seeds, brown rice flour, chicory root fiber, cashew butter and other nuts, dried fruits and seeds. The company's name, Toosum, is a play on the word "toothsome" which is often used to describe how you know when pasta is cooked to the right texture (soft but still with some bite to the tooth). But it's also an appropriate word to described perfectly cooked oatmeal, which is the base for these bars. toosum.com
Though GrandyOats has been making delicious granola for more than 14 years, it's their recent move to run their production out of an abandoned elementary school that they converted to run on 100 percent solar power that really impressed us. Their ovens, forklifts, computers, lights, heating and cooling are all powered by the sun, drastically reducing their carbon footprint and paving the way for other natural product manufacturers. They've also expanded their line to 14 organic granolas, seven organic trail mixes, 11 organic roasted nuts and four organic hot cereals. grandyoats.com
What is yogurt missing? Fiber and a crunchy texture. Slingshot remedies both with drinkable yogurt that comes with a readymade mix-in. The high-protein yogurt drinks are made from low-fat milk and whole fruits or veggies and sweetened with agave syrup, honey or organic cane sugar. Around the neck of each bottle is the "shot," a package of a granola mix-in made from toasted oats, chia seeds, almond bits, honey and sunflower oil. The idea is to add the shot directly to the drink just before you down it for some added texture and nutrition. slingshotfoods.com
TreeTop, known for their 100 percent fresh pressed fruit juices and organic apple juice boxes, just introduced pouches of apples, berry puree, juice concentrate, oats and cinnamon that combine for an eating experience that will remind you of cobbler. The 60-calories pouches are gluten-free, BPA-free and easy to slip into kid and adult lunches for a dessert-like serving of fruit. treetop.com
Klippy's, the makers of ready-to-bake, gluten-free cookie dough and flour blends, recently released their gourmet pre-baked cookies, such as this Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Handcrafted Cookie that is gluten-free, vegan, nut-free and made from all non-GMO ingredients. glutenfreeklippys.com
Klippy's, the makers of ready-to-bake, gluten-free cookie dough and flour blends, recently released their gourmet pre-baked cookies, such as this Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Handcrafted Cookie that is gluten-free, vegan, nut-free and made from all non-GMO ingredients. glutenfreeklippys.com
Though the popularity of grain-free foods is growing, we also spotted a plethora of whole-grain products at Natural Products Expo West this year. While we loved seeing some innovative uses for ancient grains, including Kamut and amaranth, there was one hard-working, well-known whole grain that seemed to be popping up more than others. Manufacturers, it seems, have tapped into the versatility of oats.
Here is a sampling of the range of delicious oat products we spotted and tasted on the show floor. Even though oats are a gluten-free grain by nature, they’re often lumped in with lists of gluten-containing grains for those with celiac or gluten intolerance to avoid due to the way they’re often harvested or processed with other grains. Most of these oat products are gluten free, meaning their oats were processed in a facility (or part of a facility) that is free from contamination with gluten-containing grains.
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