Why should oatmeal or cereal flakes be eaten fresh?

An Interview with Wolfgang Mock, the pioneer and mill expert!

Q: You are building a device, the Flakelovers, with which I can make fresh oatmeal. Why should I do that?

W. Mock: Because you can only enjoy the full flavour of the valuable natural product oats with fresh flakes.

Q: Most people, indeed the vast majority of the population, buy rolled oats or ready-made muesli from the shop shelf. Don't I get the full benefit of this?

W. Mock: Unfortunately not. In fact, around 70 % of Germans eat muesli whose main ingredient is oat flakes or flakes made from other cereal grains. Many people love spelt flakes, for example, and cereal flakes are also used to thicken soups, sauces and patties. And because they are wholemeal flakes, from a health point of view this is much better than not eating wholemeal flakes. But unfortunately that's only half the truth.

Q: What do you mean, that's only half the truth?

W. Mock: If you know how a grain of cereal is structured, it becomes immediately clear. The grain always consists of 3 main components, the germ, the endosperm and the husk. And when you put the grain in the right soil, a plant begins to grow from it. This means that a new living plant grows from the germ using the endosperm = concentrated feed and the many vitamins and minerals from the husk. And as long as the grain has its intact hard shell, its valuable ingredients such as protein, fats, vitamins and minerals are perfectly protected. However, if the husk is damaged, for example by grinding or crushing, air and light penetrate inside and a rapid degradation process begins.

Q: How can I visualise this? What happens during this degradation process?

W. Mock: Let me give you an example. If you cut a freshly picked apple into small pieces, you can see how the pieces quickly turn brown. When exposed to air, an oxidation process, i.e. degradation, begins immediately. You can see this in the apple, but you can't see it in the grain. But you can taste it.

Q: But I have been buying and using oatmeal for years and I think the flavour is good. What should I taste? You said that grinding or crushing damages the grain and starts the degradation process. And quickly!

W. Mock: You can't actually taste it, although the flakes should actually taste rancid. However, because a rancid food would be unsaleable, certain measures are taken to prevent the flakes from tasting unpleasant due to the rancid fats and oils in the sprouts.

Q: And how is this done?

W. Mock: The fatty acids are deactivated: Industrially produced cereal flakes for muesli are heated to a high temperature. This starts with the cereal grains being pre-treated with very hot steam. This is followed by rolling and then drying at high heat. The heat treatment by the steam deactivates the fats and oleic acids. And the beauty of the process is that the now moist grains can be flattened wonderfully during rolling. And consumers are delighted with the ‘nice’ thin, large flakes.

Q: Is it so bad if only the fats and oils, as you say, are deactivated? Isn't that just preservation? All sorts of things are also preserved at home.

W. Mock: It's bad. Oats in particular contain especially valuable fats, at around 7% twice as much as other cereals. Unfortunately, other important nutrients are also destroyed during the production of oat flakes (as with all cereal flakes) because they are sensitive to heat. The important B vitamins, for example. Even the dietary fibre loses up to 60% of its swelling capacity during flake production for its long life on the shop shelf. Once again: even fibre loses its value, unfortunately. Fresh, home-made cereal flakes are therefore better.

Q: We hear a lot about dietary fibre. I think their importance is still not sufficiently recognised?

W. Mock: Yes, you're right. These

These substances are so called because they pass through the small intestine unchanged, which is why people used to think that fibre could be omitted from the diet. However, they are partially processed in the large intestine, where they also serve as food for the microorganisms, i.e. the intestinal bacteria. These perform important tasks for our health. They inhibit inflammation, protect against infections, support wound healing, produce important messenger substances and prevent diseases. One particularly valuable fibre is beta-glucan, which is very abundant in oats.

Q: Oats seem to be a real miracle cure?

W. Mock: That's right. Oats are a real superfood. Why always go far afield. We also have wonderful regional foods that are not so easy to do good business with using suggestive marketing. Oats are also a miracle cure for athletes. For them, fresh oat flakes are the ideal fitness food. The long-chain carbohydrates in oats provide energy for many hours. This ensures good performance. And the iron, zinc, phosphorus and magnesium in the oats ensure muscle regeneration. In addition, there are 12 g of protein per 100 g of oat flakes and many important enzymes. For example, there is seven times more of the enzyme lipase, which is so important for burning fat, in freshly crushed oatmeal than in oatmeal from the bag. This is because this enzyme, like other nutrients in oats, does not survive heat treatment well.

Q: That's a lot of arguments in favor of fresh flakes. What is your recommendation?

W. Mock: Enjoy everything that nature gives the oats. And this is only possible with very fresh flakes. You can only get them if you crush them yourself before every meal. It doesn't take long. You can find hand-operated and electric oat crushers on the market for this purpose. Of course, I am happy for anyone who decides to buy my inexpensive E-Flaker. It currently costs about half as much as other electrically powered flakers.

Are you curious?

Has the interview convinced you? Then don't hesitate! Get the Grainlovers E-Flaker and experience the freshness of home-flaked grain. Borrow and test now or buy directly - rediscover healthy enjoyment every day!

E-Flaker