Stay Healthy, Eat Oats
A major social media group related to health and food had an interesting post a few months ago. Members were asked to indicate what their breakfast menu was. The idea was to find out what people ate the most often for breakfast. It is very interesting to note that oats was way top on the list of more than 80% of those who replied. Amazing indeed as the whole list consisted of more than 20 foods. So what is so healthy about oats and why, should you try to include oats in your food plan. To begin with we would like to clarify that, none of the information presented here is supposed to replace any medical advice that has been given by your family physician.
Whole oats or rolled oats high in fiber and we all need fiber in our diet. The importance of fiber to keep you healthy cannot be over emphasized. It helps with digestions, reduces of eliminates constipation and also works to keep your health and digestive system healthy. There are two types of fiber soluble fiber and insoluble fiber, while both these are good for health, soluble fiber is more beneficial to your health. Beta-glucan is a type of soluble fiber that is present in oats.
When carbohydrates accumulate in the bloodstream, the body is encouraged to produce and store more fat. This pushes up the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and this is the beginning of various heart related problems. The beta-glucans present in oat, slows down the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. This might seem quite simple but, it plays a big role in keeping you healthy. The slow release of carbohydrates means that, the sugar levels in the blood do not make a quick surge. So the health benefits of eating oats, include regulating sugar levels and reducing LDL levels.
It is important to understand that the ability of oats (through beta-glucan) to regulate blood sugar levels and help control LDL cholesterol levels, have already been tested and verified. In 1997 the FDA (U.S Food And Drug Administration) approved the claim that, the soluble fiber beta-glucan in oats helped reduce blood cholesterol levels and thereby, lowered the risk of coronary heart disease. The European commission was slower (2011) to admit that, eating oats helped regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Other Health Benefits Of Oats: Research into the health benefits of oats is ongoing, medical experts generally take a long time to confirm any benefits. The idea is to do thorough research and make sure that claims are verified and tested. While we wait for those results to be published, here are some areas being researched that have already, shown good promise.
It is very likely that regular consumption of whole grains (which include whole oats), would reduce the chances of getting colorectal cancers. It is the fiber in whole grains that is believed to be the helpful ingredient. There is a strong indication that, regular consumption of whole grains, helps reduce blood pressure. By helping digestion and giving the eater a feeling of being 'full' for a longer period of time, oats can help control obesity. We should mention here that, an overall improvement in lifestyle is what is called for - it is not advisable to rely solely on food to improve your health.
Tips To Eat Oats:
1) Oatmeal porridge is the most popular way to eat oats, this is generally eaten for breakfast. Add 1 cup of water or milk to half a cup of oats, combine the ingredients well. Put on medium heat and keep stirring until the ingredients come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and keep stirring for a few minutes, the oats should become soft. Take the oats off the heat and allow to cool. You can add fruits, nuts or even yogurt to the cooked oatmeal.
2) You can also cook whole or rolled oats like rice, keep in mind that oats will cook much more easily as compared to rice. Put one part of oats and one part of water in a pot, heat on low heat until the oats absorb the water and soften. You can add a little more water, if you prefer a softer consistency.
3) Do a search on the internet and you will come across a number of recipes and videos, teaching you how to make healthy oats bars. You can vary the ingredients to suit your requirements and try a few recipes. Stay with the one that works best for you. Just make sure that you do not load the bars with sugar and fat, too many resins can also be unhealthy.
4) Wholegrain breads can be found in many bakeries and some of these, do include oats as one of the ingredients. If you enjoy cooking and baking, look for a simple recipe to make your own wholegrain bread. Try to experiment with the proportion of ingredients and let oats dominate. True wholegrain breads can never have the soft and spongy texture of conventional white breads. As you include more wholegrain bread in your diet, you will develop a taste for this type of bread. Don't be surprised if you find white bread to be insipid and sticky after that.
Caution: For those of you who happen to be on medications related to cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar, discuss about a regular oats diet with your medical adviser. We now know that, oats can help lower blood pressure and regulate levels of sugar and cholesterol in the blood. Your doctor will monitor the effects of eating oats and decide whether, adjustments in medication doses are called for.