I tried savory oats inspired by centenarians in the US Blue Zone, Loma Linda. I would make one key tweak to the recipe. (2024)

The vegan, savory oatmeal recipe contains lots of whole foods

Blue Zone diets emphasize minimally processed, whole foods, such as fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, and legumes. They also tend to be high-carb and high-fiber diets.

That means this oat recipe — which contains kale or spinach, carrot, avocado, pumpkin seeds, paprika, salt, and pepper — fits in perfectly. Oats are mostly complex carbohydrates and fiber, while kale, for example, is rich in antioxidants, which can help to reduce inflammation, while avocado has been linked to lower cholesterol.

But the real question was if it was going to taste good.

The recipe was easy to follow, but one of the ingredients was a little hard to source

Most of the ingredients are pretty standard grocery store fare. However, the nutritional yeast (known as "nooch" to the initiated) did slightly best me — it's not something that the small grocery store nearest me in inner city London, nor the bigger Lidl that I usually shop at, carried. I had to instead venture into a slightly more gentrified area near me, where people are apparently more likely to need nooch.

Once I had secured the nooch, I returned home and set about cooking my oats. All I had to do was simmer a grated carrot in water with a cup of steel-cut oats on the stove, add the kale, salsa, and nooch, and then serve, topped with the other ingredients.

It was pretty straightforward to cook, the only hurdle being that I accidentally bought reinforced steel-cut-oats, meaning they took about 15 minutes instead of five to soften.

Overall, the oatmeal was edible, if not a little bland. If this oatmeal is going to help me live as long as Loma Lindans, I'm going to need my food to taste better.

The oatmeal had a cheesy aftertaste from the nutritional yeast but tasted mostly of salsa, which is great if you love salsa.

However, I do not. I don't mind salsa, but I prefer it as a condiment rather than a main flavor. The salsa was the ingredient that unsettled me mentally the most before trying the recipe, and it turned out that my gut feeling was correct.

If I were to make this again, I would definitely use less salsa, and also stir the salt, pepper, and paprika seasonings through the oatmeal, rather than just sprinkling them on top, to make it taste less bland.

I probably won't make these savory oats again, but it's a great way to eat more whole foods

Although this recipe wasn't my favorite, it wasn't bad, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves salsa. The fact it contains So. Much. Fiber. is great too. Insider previously reported that very few Americans get enough fiber in their diets, so this is an easy way to help increase your intake in one single dish.

Overall this recipe was a 5.5/10 for me, and although I won't be making it again, it has opened up my eyes to the world of possibilities that is savory oatmeal, which I will be jumping into with an open mind and a healthy gut.