Todd Moody said:
>>If I'm not mistaken, oats are edible raw.  I think they are also
said to have a libido-enhancing effect, from which the sayings
about "sowing one's oats" is derived.
>>Can anyone confirm that they are edible raw?  The reason why I
think so is that I used to know someone who made his own "trail
mix" consisting of (I think) raw oats, hazel nuts, and raisins.
This would make them paleo, I suppose.

Rachel's Rely:
Unbeknownst to most people, rolled oats (be they thick, old fashioned,
regular or quick cooking) are not truly raw.  They have been put through a
steam roller.  The steam partially cooks them, which is why they cook far
more quickly than steel cut oats or whole oat groats.  So, technically, a
granola or muesli made from rolled oats you have not cooked, is not really
raw.  It has been lightly cooked via the application of steam.

If one is going to eat cereal, or feed it to family members who are not
eating a grain free diet, rolled oats are more nutrient rich, far more
economical, and better for the body than "cold" cereals, which have been
heavily processed and usually extruded at very high heats which denature the
vitamins and give them a very high glycemic rating, like that of pure
glucose, even if the label does not say s-u-g-a-r.

As a child, when visiting my father (considered a health nut at the time), I
often enjoyed Swiss Bircher Meusli (Familia brand) which my father had
learned of on previous trips to Switzerland.  After exposure to it I recall
finding this expensive boxed cereal in the gourmet section of supermarkets
and eating it from time to time (alternated with typical sugary stuff).  It
is similar to what some have described---rolled oats, or rolled oats with
other rolled grains, chopped hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, date pieces, all
soaked in yogurt (for 1/2 hour or overnight) to soften, then mixed with
grated apples, pears, and sliced banana.  I recall enjoying it immensely.
While giving a tour in a local natural foods store recently, I noticed a
2-pound box of Familia Meusli (with sugar and without).   It's definitely
the healthiest cold cereal on the market (better than other brands of meusli
which contain ingredients not found in the original meusli).

Rambling,

Rachel