Hovis Hearty Oats

Last month, in honour of Hovis Wholemeal Breakfast Week, I blogged (here) about the scary truths Hovis had uncovered about overstretched Mums skipping breakfast and working their little socks off before they even headed out of the door in the morning. I said on that blogpost that just a couple of slices of wholemeal toast in the morning would be a much healthier start to the day (even if I admit I rarely make time to do it myself !!). Well, if you don't like the taste or the texture of wholemeal bread, Hovis have come up with an interesting alternative.

The latest loaf to be added to the Hovis bread range is Hearty Oats. As the name would suggest, it is made from 50% supergrain oats and been approved by the UK ’s cholesterol charity HEART UK. Hovis explain, "Hearty Oats bread is the only bread available from a major bread brand where 50% of flour has been replaced by oats. Two slices provide a third of your daily suggested intake of beta glucan (3g), which can help maintain normal cholesterol levels as part of a diet low in saturated fat and a healthy lifestyle." Beta glucan is a soluble fibre found naturally in oats, which can help maintain normal cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the bloodstream and increasing the amount of cholesterol removed from the body.
It also contains no artificial preservatives or flavourings and is low in saturated fat.

Taste-wise, it reminds me of the Mighty White bread that my mum used to buy in the 1980's ! It's very light brown in colour and is basically like white bread with extra oaty bits in. For those who don't like the gritty, grainy texture of wholemeal or granary bread, it's a much smoother texture. Sophie, aged 8, and Juliette, aged 5, both like it whereas they turn their noses up at bread with obvious grainy bits in. It works great as toast and can also be used for sandwiches but be warned, it's slightly crumbly if you try to fold it over so make sure your sandwiches don't fall to bits !

Switching over from normal white bread to Hovis Hearty Oats is one of those sneaky changes that you can make for a healthier lifestyle that nobody in the family but you will ever even notice. If you'd like to try it out for yourselves, you can sign up to the Hovis Hearty Oats community where you may be eligible to join in with the testing and receive a free loaf of bread and a bag for life.


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