Feeling your oats

As a kid, you may not have been too thrilled when mom presented you with a bland bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Today, however, oatmeal is anything but boring. As Instagram influencers post pics of their latest oatmeal bowl creations and manufacturers use oats as a substitute for dairy in a variety of products, this humble ingredient is undeniably hot right now. Check out these innovative oat-based offerings.

EARTH’S OWN (Made in Vancouver)
Earth’s Own, a Vancouver company specializing in plant-based/dairy-free “milks,” now offers several oat beverages that are packed with protein,
fibre and calcium. The company launched three new oat products in the past year: Oat Chocolate (a chocolate oat milk); Oat Barista Edition, ideal for making frothy latte beverages; and Oat Single Serves, which are available in Unsweetened Original, Unsweetened Vanilla, and Chocolate varieties.

YUMI ORGANICS
Yumi Organics offers overnight oats in Blueberry Coconut, Apple Cinnamon, Dark Choco and Matcha Green Apple varieties. Soaking raw oats overnight (as opposed to cooking them) preserves more of the oatmeal’s nutrients and boosts its healthy qualities, according to the Montreal-based company, which also sells a reusable Yumi jar to make the oats in. The jar features measurement and fill lines on the back to help make the process easy.

RXBAR
Chicago-based RXBar’s brand new line of RX A.M. Oats offers a nutritious and convenient way for consumers to start their day. Each single-serve cup of oats is simple to prepare, either by adding boiling water, microwaving or preparing as overnight oats. The new oatmeal cups feature 12 grams of protein per serving and less than nine ingredients. Varieties include Maple, Chocolate, and Apple Cinnamon.

SO DELICIOUS
For consumers who love ice cream but seek an innovative dairy-free alternative, So Delicious Oatmilk Frozen Dessert is now available in appealing flavours such as Oatmeal Cookie, Caramel Apple Crumble and Peanut Butter and Raspberry. Crafted with smooth and creamy oat milk instead of dairy, this new product is available in the United States now and will be rolling out in Canada soon.

SILK
Silk’s Oat Yeah Oatmilk Yogurt Alternatives combine gluten-free oats with live and active cultures to create a creamy, dairy-free “yogurt” available in four flavours: Vanilla, Mixed Berry, Strawberry and Mango. This new oat-based product just launched in the United States this summer, with plans for a Canadian launch later in 2020, according to parent company Danone.