Oats are one of the healthiest grains, and there is nothing more delicious like a bowl of oatmeal mixed with fresh fruits and delicious nuts.
A warm bowl of oatmeal, whether it is cooked with milk or blended with fresh fruits, oats provide your body with many benefits. Oats have become a popular ‘health food’ and are usually eaten as porridge and as an ingredient in breakfast cereals and baked products such as oatcakes, oat cookies, and oat bread.
According to the health experts, “The fuller you feel, the less likely you are to snack and add up calories. Oats are also high on beneficial plant components called polyphenols. Moreover, a unique group of antioxidants called avenanthramides is found only in oats”.
Some of the beneficial reasons for consuming oatmeal are;
Weight loss
Eating oats will help to reduce your extra kilos. Your choice of breakfast cereal could help you eat less later during the day and maintain weight, according to the research published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, a leading international peer-reviewed journal for sharing information on human nutrition, metabolism and related fields.
High-fiber content
Oats are filled with fiber and it provides about 4 grams of fiber per cup. Fiber is responsible for a variety of health benefits, including reducing your levels of cholesterol, stabilizing your blood sugar, and so on. Serving oats every day helps to facilitate daily bowel movements and prevent constipation.
Prevent craving for food
Oatmeal keeps you full for longer. According to the “Journal of Clinical Nutrition”, “when compared to breakfast foods such as donuts, croissants, eggs, high-bran cereals, and whole-grain bread, oatmeal had the highest satiety index, twice as high as white bread and 25 percent higher than eggs and high-brain cereals. And it is also totally delicious and healthy”.
Protection from heart disease and cancer
Oatmeal, like many whole grains, contains plant lignans, which are converted by intestinal flora into mammalian lignans. One lignan, called enterolactone, is thought to protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease. A Harvard study on 21,000 participants over 19 years found that men who enjoyed a whole grain (but not refined) cereal bowl daily morning had a 29 percent lower risk of heart failure.
Stabilizes blood sugar
The high fiber and complex carbohydrates slow down the conversion of this whole food to simple sugars. The high levels of magnesium nourish the body’s proper use of glucose and insulin secretion.
Oats Are Gluten-Free
Oats are naturally gluten-free but check the package of oats thoroughly to ensure that the products are gluten-free, as it triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine. Always purchase gluten-free products by reading food labels carefully.
If you don’t eat oatmeal, you miss out on a delicious opportunity to add fiber and nutrients to your body. Whether consuming with milk or serving with fruits, oatmeal is just too delicious and healthy.
