Oats: The Bulletproof Ingredient to Gluten Free Snacks with nom

Here at nom, we love oats as the cornerstone ingredient for our healthy snack bars. They’re often overlooked, seen as the boring option amongst other more fashionable grains, but we want to give them the spotlight we think they deserve! Their ability to hold other flavours makes them a perfect base for healthy snacks, breakfast and dessert recipes, and they come with some great nutritional benefits too. They’re a diverse and delicious grain that we just can’t get enough of, which is why we use them as the base for our range of gluten free snack nom bars!

So, what are the benefits of eating oats? First of all, the high fibre content of oats slows digestion and the absorption of sugar into the blood, meaning slower energy release. Paired with their protein content, oats should keep you feeling fuller for longer – perfect for a healthy snack on the go! They also contain a range of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron and vitamin B1, as well as phenolic compounds and phytochemicals that can act as antioxidants, thought to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.

Oats are a naturally gluten free grain, however they can be cross-contaminated during processing. Oats that are labelled as gluten-free are produced following strict procedures to ensure that cross-contamination does not occur. This is why we make sure our bars are the safest and healthiest gluten-free snacks – so they can be enjoyed by as many people as possible! Oats do contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to gluten and so this can cause concern. According to Coeliac UK, research has found that Coeliacs are generally safe to consume avenin. However, it is always a personal choice as to whether you wish to have oats as part of your gluten free diet.

Oats are pair really well with a range of flavours because of their mild, nutty flavour: our favourite combinations that we use for our bars include cacao and raspberry, and banana. This also means that we can use our bars for other recipes when we want some added flavour, especially for vegans out there looks for a substantial vegan snack! We use our banana nom bars as the base in our banoffee pie recipe, and our original bars for our raw chocolate tarts – they give the desserts a substantial texture, so are a great treat!

For more oat-based healthy snack recipes, or to try our oat bars, you can head over to our website: www.nomfoods.co.uk/

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