January is National Oatmeal Month — appropriate since more oatmeal is eaten this month than at any other time of year. This whole-grain goodie, packed with nutrients and fiber, is available in various forms:

• Rolled. This is the type of oatmeal most commonly found in grocery stores. It’s made by steaming whole oats and pressing them flat between rollers. Rolled oats are further processed into “old fashioned” thin flakes, “quick” small pieces that cook faster, or “instant,” which are precooked.

• Groats. Oat groats are the whole kernels as they’re harvested. They have the highest nutrition value of all oat types and are quite filling, but they take up to an hour to cook.

• Steel-cut. Also known as Irish oatmeal, steel-cut oats are groats cut into smaller pieces. This shortens the cooking time, but keeps all the nutrition value of the whole grain.

• Scottish. Not to be confused with Irish oatmeal, Scottish oats are steamed, steel-cut oats ground into a meal to allow a shorter cooking time. Some manufacturers toast the oats to create a richer flavor.

Incorporate oatmeal into your diet for an extra dose of nutrition that will also warm you up from the inside out. You can also find tons of delicious, healthy recipes on Dr. Preston Maring’s Farmers Market and Recipe site.