Feeling your oats — Grain is great in cookies, bread, crisps and more

Oatmeal is a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food on cold winter mornings. But it's not just for breakfast, as we found out when we asked readers to submit their favorite oat recipes.

Oats are great in treats such as cookies, bread and crisps. And they're also useful in meatloaf and other savory dishes.

In recent years, oats have ridden a roller coaster of popularity. Studies in the 1980s linked oat bran (the hard outer layer of the oat kernel) to lower cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease. This sparked an oat-bran fad, with Americans chomping down enough oats to choke a horse. The market was flooded with oat-bran cookies, chips and other products.

The fad died down in the early 1990s when subsequent studies suggested that oat bran's cholesterol-lowering effect was more modest than earlier believed. Then in 1997, oats were back in the spotlight when the Food and Drug Administration approved the first heart-health claim for oatmeal and products made from whole oats. The labels state that soluble fiber from whole oats, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

More recent studies have added evidence to the health claim, according to an article in the January/February edition of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. The article was written by Mark Andon, who works for the Quaker-Tropicana-Gatorade Research and Development Department in Barrington, Ill., and James Anderson of the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine. Some of the data they highlighted suggests:

• As part of a low-calorie diet, oats may lower cholesterol more than a low-calorie diet alone.

• Oats have anti-inflammatory properties.

• Oats offer the same beneficial effects as do other whole grains in relation to blood pressure, diabetes and body weight.

Oats contain both insoluble and soluble fiber. Scientists believe that the soluble fiber (beta glucan) found in oats is responsible for oats' cholesterol-lowering effect (when eaten as part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, of course). And by lowering cholesterol, you reduce the risk of heart disease. The insoluble fiber in oats aids digestion and promotes regularity.

Aside from health factors, oats are used in a lot of recipes because they add a chewy or crisp texture, and a rich, almost nutty flavor.