Oatmeal is a product made by processing oats.

In North America, oatmeal means any crushed oats, rolled oats, or cut oats used in recipes such as oatmeal cookies. The porridge made from this is also called oatmeal or oatmeal cereal. However in other parts of the English-speaking world, oatmeal means coarsely ground oats (i.e. oat-meal, cf cornmeal, peasemeal, etc.).

Breakfast cereal

There has been increasing interest in oatmeal in recent years due to its beneficial health effects. Studies have shown that daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol. After reports found that oats can help lower cholesterol, an "oat bran craze" swept the U.S. in the late 1980s, peaking in 1989. The food fad was short-lived and faded by the early 1990s. The popularity of oatmeal and other oat products again increased after the January 1997 decision by the Food and Drug Administration that food with a lot of oat bran or rolled oats can carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease, when combined with a low-fat diet. This is because of the beta-glucan in the oats. Rolled oats have also long been a staple of many athletes' diets, especially weight trainers', given oatmeal's high content of complex carbohydrates and fiber which encourage slow digestion and stable blood-glucose levels.

Some of the items added to oatmeal porridge to enhance its flavour include salt, sugar, butter, milk, and raisins. It is not uncommon among bodybuilders to add protein powder to oatmeal as an easy (and palatable) way of increasing dietary protein, as is also true of peanut butter.Breakfast cereal

There has been increasing interest in oatmeal in recent years due to its beneficial health effects. Studies have shown that daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol. After reports found that oats can help lower cholesterol, an "oat bran craze" swept the U.S. in the late 1980s, peaking in 1989. The food fad was short-lived and faded by the early 1990s. The popularity of oatmeal and other oat products again increased after the January 1997 decision by the Food and Drug Administration that food with a lot of oat bran or rolled oats can carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease, when combined with a low-fat diet. This is because of the beta-glucan in the oats. Rolled oats have also long been a staple of many athletes' diets, especially weight trainers', given oatmeal's high content of complex carbohydrates and fiber which encourage slow digestion and stable blood-glucose levels.

Some of the items added to oatmeal porridge to enhance its flavour include salt, sugar, butter, milk, and raisins. It is not uncommon among bodybuilders to add protein powder to oatmeal as an easy (and palatable) way of increasing dietary protein, as is also true of peanut butter.