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Updated March 27, 2021

I’d started fantasizing about oats. Now, this is worthy of mention because in terms of culinary delights, I have never in my life been rendered to drooling stupefaction by the thought of anything involving oats. I mean, I like the wee flakes, but obsession?

I’m a big fan of listening to your body and if my body wanted oats, there would be a good reason for it. Whether it was my slightly elevated cholesterol or cantankerous lower gastrointestinal system, something within needed what is in the oats. Specifically fibre.

Quick oats wouldn’t do it, my body wanted something more substantial. When looking at videos and recipes, the oat-obsessed inner voice jumped excitedly up and down whenever I came upon recipes for overnight oats and muesli in particular. And for those, old-fashioned oats are recommended.

Old-fashioned oats are, however, almost impossible to find in stores these days. And since I have a nut allergy, the bulk store is out due to the concerns of cross-contamination.

It was during the search for nut free oats that I found No Nuts About Us, a Canadian website dedicated to products that are free of nuts, as well as often a number of other allergens. There, I found Libre Naturals portion-sized oatmeal that wasn’t chock full of sugar and bought a few. In addition to unsweetened coconut flakes and nut free pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

The oatmeal (and everything else) was delicious. But the inner voice was not satisfied.

I could buy old-fashioned oats directly from Libre Naturals, which sells in bulk, but I was looking for a somewhat smaller package. No need to buy a ton of oats if this was just a phase. But no luck. And then Libre Naturals announced they were discontinuing their old-fashioned oats.

Which is why I now have 10 pounds of oats in my livingroom.

And good news: old-fashioned oats are back at Libre Naturals due to the pandemic, so now you, too, can have a stash!

I’ve always been a big fan of muesli and have been extremely sad that everything you could buy in a box contained nuts. But now, I make my own. I riffed off of the recipe for a simple breakfast muesli by Healthnut Nutrition (a fellow Canadian!) and the end result was oaty, chewy, and oh, so satisfying.

I also heard from my Australian friend Gill Stannard, who is a naturopath, that soaking grain, nuts, and seeds overnight will make their nutrients more easily absorbable. So there’s that.

And sure, it sort of looks like a dog’s breakfast once you get it into the bowl, but the taste is divine. And more than that, it keeps my stomach happily occupied for hours. Which is what I think this was all about. Not my cholesterol or cantankerous lower gastrointestinal tract, but the vat of acid located in my stomach, caused by decades of rheumatoid arthritis meds. Feed the beast and it stops eating your stomach lining. Cool.

An extra blessing came about a year later, when I discovered that my obsession with oats had helped my cholesterol. Blood tests showed that my good cholesterol has increased and! my “bad” cholesterol was now back to normal.

Was it a phase? Nope. Two years, I’m still happily eating this in the morning. Not only is my GERD and acid indigestion generally feeling much better, but the rest of me is, as well. Most significant, a substantial increase in energy to the point where I no longer need my evening hour of rest, the one I’ve had trouble shaking after the medical adventure two years ago. Every few weeks, I can even skip my mandatory rest period for a day or so. For the first time in 15 years.

Coincidence? Maybe. But I’m not messing with something that works.

My recipe below.

Nutfree Muesli

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup mixed seeds (I use sunflower and pumpkin seeds)

In a medium-sized bowl, mix ingredients thoroughly. Place in airtight container.

Note: this is my starting base for this muesli, but you could add whatever you want. I have a bag of dried blueberries in my cupboard that’s going into the next batch combined with the raisins.

 

Overnight Oats:

Place 1/3 cup of muesli in a mason jar. Top with milk of your choice (cow’s, soy, almond, etc.). Refrigerate overnight.

For breakfast, place contents of mason jar in a bowl and heat for 45 seconds in the microwave or eat cold. Your choice. You can eat it as is or add fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit compote (very yummy), sprinkle with more seeds or shredded coconut. You can also add yogurt or chia seeds. Although, if you have GERD or acid indigestion, chia seeds can add too much bulk in your stomach and make you feel unwell.

Note: play with the amount to find out what’s ideal for your breakfast. Too much in your stomach might make it unhappy or send you back to bed for a digestive nap. Too little and you’ll get the munchies before lunch.

Yum!