Oat vs. Wheat

Main Difference

The main difference between oat and wheat is that oat is an Avena genes crop and wheat is a Triticum genus crop.

Difference Between Oat and Wheat

Comparison Chart

Oat vs. Wheat

Oats are a source of soluble fiber. Wheat is a source of insoluble fiber. The scientific name of Oats is Avena sativa. They are one of the popular cereal species which is grown to harvest its seeds. The scientific name of wheat is Triticum spp. It is a kind of grass. Oat is produced almost everywhere and has become one of the staple foods that is currently being used to make flours for bread, cakes, and pastries. Wheat has become widely commercialized throughout the world and is ranked as the third most-produced cereal-like product. Oats can be eaten by humans and animals also. Two common animals that consume this product are horses and cattle. Nowadays, oats are being incorporated in the foods of certain domesticated animals, like cats and dogs. Wheat products are not only limited to baking but also beer production because this grass is highly fermentable. The environmental importance of wheat is also very much as this grass is used to harness natural fuels, termed as biofuels. Wheat is also used in the realm of construction as its straw is used as thatch for roofing. Oats have many uses; they are crushed into oatmeal for cooking, oats can be ground into oat flour, oatmeal is eaten as porridge. Oat flakes are mainly used for muesli mixtures or granola, and oat flour is used for baking and frying. Wheat is one of the world’s most famous staple foods, as it has a high nutrition value and a low price, plus it gives a lot of options for cooking.

What is Oat?

Oat (Avena sativa) is a very famous cereal. Oatmeal and Oat Bran are great sources of dietary fiber. Oats or Avena sativa is a species of cereal grain that is grown for its seed, also known with the same name. Oats is a widely consumed food for a large part of the world’s human population. Oat feed is also used as a food for animals such as horses, cattle, and domesticated animals such as cats and dogs. As oats can lower the harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood, the oat diet is highly recommended to cardiovascular disease risk. Due to their many healthy properties, Oats have become a popular breakfast grain. It is also be ground into flour, which can be used in porridge, oatcakes, oatmeal cookies, and oat bread. Oats are used for brewing beer In some European countries. They have many health benefits and are also known to soothe skin condition. Moreover, oats are an excellent source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber. Oats play an important part in lowering the body cholesterol levels, preventing heart failure, stabilizing blood sugar, enhancing the immune system, etc. Oats are found in a few cosmetics, as well as used for medicinal purposes. Oats belong to the same classification as rye, wheat, barley. They grow in temperate regions and have a lower summer heat requirement. There are various types of oats based on how they are packaged and milled.

Types

• Rolled Oats
• Quick Oats
• Instant Oats
• Oat Groats/Scottish
• Oat Bran

What is Wheat?

Wheat (Triticum aesativum) is a worldwide known crop. Wheat belongs to the Triticum genus and the Plantae kingdom. It is also a member of the grass family and is considered a cereal grain. It is cooked properly for eating because raw wheat is indigestible for people. Wheat contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, vitamin B, folate, calcium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and starch. It also has health benefits such as it helps reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, lessens chronic inflammation, helps prevent gallstones, provides protection against breast cancer, controls weight, etc. Wheat is a cereal that is cultivated on more land area than any other commercial food crops. Almost any national cuisine has something cooked from wheat, and hundreds of recipes are based on wheat flour. Wheat is the leading source of protein in the human diet. It is a principal food used to produce flour for leavened bread, biscuits, cookies, cakes, breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles and for fermentation to make beer, other alcoholic beverages. Worldwide, Wheat is used in various applications, and its most common usage is the use as a staple food such as flour and bread. After the refining and polishing process of wheat, the remaining endosperm contains carbohydrate. The white flour is the product of this process, and bran and germ are by-products. It is also used as construction material, mulch, fermentation of distilled alcoholic beverages, and animal bedding. There are different kinds of wheat species.

Types

• Einkorn Wheat
• Wild Wheat
• Common Wheat

Conclusion

Oat and wheat both are valuable cereals. They have been used for nutrition purposes by people for many centuries and have some distinct and some similar health benefits.