A Double Scoop of Oats Cream?
Cynthia Hizer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rice, soybeans, barley, wheat and oats
have joined the trough of grains making up new nondairy frozen desserts.
Oats never tasted this good when I was a kid growing up on the farm.
Truth is, I never once thought of those acres of oats my dad planted as I downed
the new vegan frozen dessert called OatsCream. I thought only of how delicious
it was.
We've been enjoying frozen Tofutti made from tofu (soybeans) and
RiceDream made from creamy rice. Both are sold in the frozen food departments
(or frozen health food departments) of most grocery and natural food stores.
The newest frozen grain, OatsCream, comes to us dispensed as soft-serve
"ice cream," available at Whole Foods Markets, and soon it may be in other
stores in Atlanta. While all the nondairy frozen desserts are delicious, this
one is a cut above. Unlike the others, it has no additives, no gums or other
thickeners, no lactose, no sweeteners and no preservatives.
It's such a
simple product, made from milled oats, water, sea salt, calcium carbonate and
vitamin C. The natural starch in oats is malted, then converted into soluble oat
fiber and beta glucan. This creates the sweetness and the rich body of the
cream, with no diary, no lactose and no sugar, says Art Boccuti, director of
sales for the parent company, American Oats, in Wayzata, Minn.
A 1/2-cup
serving costs about $2 and comes in flavors that rotate every two weeks,
including chocolate, cappuccino, black cherry, mango, vanilla and even pumpkin.
Available only at the soft-serve machine, by fall it should be available in the
frozen food department in take-home pints. You can take your soft-serve home and
freeze it now, however. To serve, simply let it thaw for 45 minutes, or
microwave for 15 seconds.
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration
proclaimed that eating products that contained oat fiber as part of a diet low
in fat and cholesterol could reduce the risk of heart disease. It was the first
food to win such an approval, even before soy, Boccuti says.
In fact, it
has three times as much soluble fiber as soy, Boccuti says. For breakfast, you
may find want an OatsCream rather than a bland bowl of oatmeal --- the nutrition
is about the same.
