Oat Meal

Oat mills remove the tough hull before making rolled oats and other foods. Grinding the edible kernels produces oat meal; broken groats and floury pieces from rolling provide another usable stream.^6,7,8,10

1. 01 // Source Harvested oats The harvested grain has a tough outer hull around its edible kernel.
2. 02 // Process Hulls removed Milling separates the hulls, leaving oat kernels called groats.
3. 03 // Process Heat stabilized Steam and heat curb enzymes that otherwise make milled oats develop rancid odors.
4. 04 // Process Ground or rolled Groats are milled; rolling also creates broken pieces and floury fragments suitable for feed.
5. 05 // Output Oat meal A dry oat ingredient supplies starch when weighed into a kibble recipe.

1. 01

   Supplies cooked starch

   Its starch cooks during extrusion and provides usable energy. In dog feeding studies, diets containing substantial oat groats were eaten readily and digested well.^1,2,6

2. 02

   Helps form kibble

   Ground oats bring starch into the extruder, where cooking helps bind and shape dry food. They also contribute some protein and fiber.^2,6

3. 03

   Uses milling output

   Rolled-oat production leaves broken groats and floury pieces that mills can sell for feed. That gives manufacturers a grain ingredient from an existing food-processing stream.^7,8

How much Dog trials tested ground rolled oats at 25% of a complete diet and oat groats at 40%.^2,3

1. Brands say

   Oat meal gives dogs usable starch energy

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a 12-dog cereal trial, oat groats supplied digestible energy and had higher energy digestibility than barley, wheat or corn. A separate 10-dog trial found a complete diet containing 40% oat groats was well digested.^1,2

2. Brands say

   Oat fiber feeds a healthier gut

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 10-dog trial found more fecal fermentation products with oat groats than rice. In an 18-dog crossover trial, rye changed those measures more than oats. Neither trial showed that the changes improved a dog's health.^2,4

3. Brands say

   Oat meal lowers a dog's cholesterol

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A 14-dog trial found lower cholesterol after adding concentrated oat beta-glucan at 1% of the diet. The extract also softened stools and reduced nutrient digestibility. Ordinary oat meal was not tested as a cholesterol treatment.⁵

4. Brands say

   Oats keep blood sugar steadier than wheat

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In an 18-dog crossover trial, diets containing 25% ground rolled oats or whole wheat gave broadly similar blood responses. The oat diet produced a higher total glucose response than wheat, opposite the advertised advantage.³