”Swap rice for oats: double the protein and fibre”

Riina has a test kitchen not only at Helsinki Mills in Järvenpää, but also at her home in Sipoo. As the mother of 15- and 17-year-old boys who play sports, Riina is well aware of the challenges of everyday life: hunger waits for no one as young men head home from school and then continue to their evening training sessions. 

– Myllärin Gluten Free Long Grain Oats is one of the main ingredients in my home kitchen. And quite rightly so, when you compare food oats to, say, wholegrain rice. 100 grams of oats have 14 grams of protein and 9.5 grams of fibre, while wholegrain rice has 7.6 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fibre. Not to mention white rice, Riina points out.

”Even small choices can make a big difference”

More fibre, less red meat. How on earth do you manage this equation with the new nutritional recommendations in your everyday life and in your home kitchen?  

– Our crown jewel, the Finnish oats known to all are suitable for every Finn. For athletes and growing teenagers as well as vegans and omnivores. Myllärin Long Grain Oats are also gluten-free, so they are also suitable for people with coeliac disease. That is why this is such a great and simple thing: no need to think about special diets, and no need to look for expensive sources of plant protein, says Riina.

– No one has to go vegan, and there is no need to make major changes to one’s diet. The long lists of ingredients in vegetarian dishes require money, time and skill from home cooks, but protein-rich oats are a simple and inexpensive way to replace rice or pasta - and even some red meat - in a meal.  

– Even small choices can help you and your family move closer to the recommended diet. Also, from an environmental point of view the local, domestic oats are a far better choice than imported rice, which requires a lot of water during the cultivation phase. The carbon footprint of oats is about 70% smaller than that of rice*, reminds Riina, who smiles and calls herself an oat police.

Myllärin's gluten-free oat grains cook in 15 minutes as a side dish for chicken, fish, vegetables, and meat. Oats are suitable for casseroles, salads, bowls, soups, stuffings, porridges, baking, desserts... In fact, there are hardly any dishes where oats cannot replace rice or pasta. 

Let's take an example from the everyday life of families with children. When a quick, filling, and tasty home-cooked meal is planned, pasta is the first thing on the minds of both the chef and the children. This time the pasta makes way for the oats. 

– Oaty ground beef casserole combines wholemeal oats and minced meat in a rich casserole. Myllärin Long Grain Oats give good texture to the food, while the processed cheese adds softness and juiciness. The nutritional values also deserve attention: 100 grams of oaty ground beef casserole has 10 grams of protein and two grams of fibre.

– My personal favourite is the gentle cabbage casserole that I make using chicken breasts, white cabbage, and long grain oats. I also make oat crispbread often with leftover cooked oats, says Riina.

“Oat, which is full of fibre, is more filling than rice. The feeling of fullness comes faster, and hunger stays at bay for longer."
Riina Karimaa

Food oats! Nutritious and versatile, quick and easy

Myllärin's Gluten Free Long Grain Oats is a versatile side dish that works like rice. The tasty, mild, and gentle flavour of healthy oats lends itself to many dishes. Like rice, oats can also be seasoned to your taste - try them with chilli if you like some heat. 

– Oats have always been a part of our diet and always will be. I don't think it's a problem for Finns to get used to the familiar taste of oats instead of rice. Try it yourself: switch the rice in cabbage rolls to long-grain oats. You should also try the Finnish cousin of the classic Italian dish: parmesan oat risotto. It was praised at our trade fair tour aimed at professionals, Riina notes.

Compared to white rice, long grain oats have a chewier texture, because even after milling the light-colored, quick-cooking grain still contains the husk layer with its important fibres intact. If you want softer oats, you can leave them to cook for longer.

– It may take some getting used to, but because of its high fiber content, oats are more filling than rice, so you feel full faster and hunger stays at bay for longer - even if you reduce the portion size slightly. Oats as part of a meal help reduce the rise in blood glucose levels after a meal.

Riina tends to cook more grains at a time and freezes them ready-to-eat portion bags. When you take the bag out to thaw in the morning, it eases the rush of the busy weekday evening. Cooked oat grains keep well for several days, even in the fridge. 

– The same pan used to fry the oats also cooks the recommended vegetables, which become a natural part of my sons' diet, Riina says with a smile.

Try out Finnish oats and international recipes

Now that I'm excited about healthy, affordable, and ecological oats as a meal ingredient, how do I get started? 

– Feel free to substitute oats for rice and pasta in recipes you're already familiar with. You can also start out by replacing some of the rice with oats and gradually get used to it. Recipes are available online, for example, search for meal grains and food oats. The Myllärin.fi website also features lots of different recipes using oats, Riina encourages.

If you cannot find Myllärin's Gluten Free Long Grain Oats in your local shop, ask your local shopkeeper to order them. In a small K-Market in Turku, the product was on the shelf in a couple of days when a customer asked for it. 

– When choosing a product, check the ingredients, nutritional values, and labelling on the packaging. Myllärin's meal oats are one of the few gluten-free options. Nutritious oats are the only naturally gluten-free grain in Finland, but to remain completely gluten-free, they must be carefully separated from other grains. At Helsinki Mills this means a carefully controlled chain from the contract farmer's field through the mill to the consumer's table. And of course, Myllärin Gluten-Free Long Grain Oats have also been awarded the Heart Symbol and the Produce of Finland symbol, Riina reminds us.

So if you've got your family’s favourite Italian stew on the menu for next week, swap the rocket pasta made from wheat flour and durum wheat flour for gluten-free oats and set the table Mediterranean minced meat and oats dish. You could build your Saturday dinner menu around Tikka Masala casserole, Texmex peppers or Oat and Cheese.

– Really delicious and full-bodied Christmas porridge can be made from food oats. Replace the rice with Myllärin Gluten-Free Long Grain Oats and let the food simmer peace - you can make it the night before and conveniently in the oven. Finish the soft porridge with cream and butter, serve with familiar wintery side dishes, Riina Karimaa gives a tip.

* According to Biocode's calculation software.