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  Shikha Sharma recommends unprocessed oats as they are richer in fibre as compared to the processed variety.Pic by Jagan Negi

Utter the word oats and you conjure up the image of Quakers, kilted Scotsmen and the early morning breakfast cereal that not everyone loved. Mention the word oats now and you'll have cardiologists and nutritionists nodding enthusiastically in approval. More astonishingly you'll have a range of dishes that could even be positively lip-smacking.

Consider a hypothetical scenario where you rise in the morning and start the day with oats porridge. Hold it right there. Would you like your oats neat in the old-fashioned way or would you prefer an alternative porridge like Homestyle Masala or Lemony Veggie mix?

Move on to lunch and how about oats idlis if you are in a mood for a low-cal and highly nutritious meal? You could even follow that up with an oats poha or a granola bar for an evening snack.

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  Oatmeal cookies from Nourish Organics make for healthy snacks

'Oats as a category always existed and the health benefits were also known. But perhaps not to the mass consumer,' says Sameer Satpathy, executive vice-president and head of marketing, consumer products business, Marico, which markets oats under the Saffola brand name.

The corporate world has been quick to put oats on the cooker. Brands like Quaker, Saffola and MTR have smartly customised oats for the Indian palate and are serving up all kinds of India-oriented flavours.

In fact, Marico has specific flavours for different regions. The company offers Peppy Tomato and Classic Masala for north, west and east India. There's Masala & Coriander, Curry & Pepper, Pepper & Spice and Veggie Twist for the southern market.

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  Today, shop shelves are laden with all kinds of oat products .Pic by Jagan Negi.Location courtesy Godrej nature's basket

Even Quaker has tweaked its product in India and offers both sweet and savoury flavours. So, you have Homestyle Masala and also Lemony Veggie Mix and Strawberry with real Apple. 'To drive consumption and build local relevance, we expanded our product portfolio through affordable offerings that meet changing consumer needs,' says Anuj Chadha, category director, Quaker.

Putting a different spin on oats, MTR, the southern food brand launched ready-to-cook Oats Idli last September. 'At MTR we wanted to bridge the gap by taking a New Age ingredient like oats and presenting it in a familiar breakfast form,' says Vikran Sabherwal, vice president, marketing, MTR.

Health and wellness consultant Dr Shikha Sharma reckons the new enthusiasm for oats is partly because people are moving away from just eating rice and wheat. But she also reckons that good marketing is playing a big part in popularising oats. 'Oats have become big because they are being marketed well and people have access to it,' she says.

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  Ishi Khosla's WholeFoodsIndia offers flour, idli mix and bars that contain oats .Pic by Jagan Negi

But easy-to-cook oats have to be hulled and processed — which reduces their nutritional value. Says Sharma: 'Just like brown and white rice, unprocessed oats are better than the processed ones. There's much more fibre in traditional oats.'

That's why Nourish Organics is offering customers traditionally milled and organically grown oats. Says Seema Jindal Jajodia, founder Nourish Organics: 'These oats take longer to cook, but consumers who are aware of the benefits prefer it.'

Other alternatives abound. Clinical nutritionist and entrepreneur, Ishi Khosla's WholeFoodsIndia, for instance, has oats flour which can be added to regular flour and also offers an oats idli mix.

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Even in between meals you can keep munching on oats-based products.Khosla, for instance, offers oats-based health bars. And Nourish Organics has oatmeal cookies.

There are also brands like Nature Valley which started selling oats-based granola bars in India eight years ago. 'Oats form about 35 per cent to 40 per cent of the granola bar, which is aimed at working adults who are aware of food products,' says Manas Barpanda, brand manager, Nature Valley.

Nutritionists point out that there are plenty of reasons why people should tank up on oats. 'Oatmeal is the only wholegrain food recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease,' says Khosla.

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  Quaker offers oats in both sweet and savoury flavours

Khosla says that consuming just three grams of soluble oat fibre per day (a bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by anywhere between 8 per cent and 23 per cent. Oats' high complex carbohydrate content and low glycemic index contributes to weight reduction.

Sharma recommends oats thrice a week. She favours a diet that's high on different types of grains. 'It is best to eat a variety of grains as each have some qualities. For instance, ragi is calcium rich. People who cannot have a lot of wheat — like diabetics — can have oats. Plus the amino acids in oats are also different from the ones in rice and wheat.'

So, would you prefer oats idlis or have a granola bar instead? Either way, it could be that rare food that's both tasty and good for you at the same time.