Amazing Health Benefits Of Oats You Don’t Know

Oatmeal is a very well known source of complex carbohydrates in the fitness world. There are lots of health benefits of oats you should definitely know. Oats are one of the healthiest grains in the world. It is very nutritious and very tasty as well.

There are so many studies has shown a lot of health benefits of oats. So many of you may have oatmeal to lose weight but there are so many other oats benefits you don’t know.

The good thing is it is a gluten-free whole grain. That means anybody who is gluten intolerant can have oatmeal. And it can be a very good option for breakfast for everyone.

What Are Oats And Types Of Oats Available

Oats are a type of grain. Raw oats look like wheat. But before it comes to the market, it is processed and categories into mainly three types of packaging.

One is steel-cut oats, which is made by just cutting the oat groats into small pieces. It is the less processed type of oats in the market. These oats take time to cook because it is less processed and almost the raw form of oats.

To reduce the cooking time and to enhance the taste there a next level, which is called rolled oats. It is quicker than steel-cut oats to cook. Rolled oats are made by pressing the oat groats under the roller, as it sounds.

And you will get a flat version of oat groats. These are easy to chew because they are flat. The last type of oats is instant oats. These are the most processed form of oats.

It is very quick to cook. And it is specifically made for quick meal preparation. Instant oats are also looking flat. There is another type of oats called masala oats which is not healthy at all.

I always recommend to my clients to have steel-cut oats or rolled oats because it is the less processed or the unprocessed form of oats available in the market. That is why most of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals are present in it.

But in quick oats, it is fully processed. A lot of fibers, vitamins, and minerals are eliminated from it. To make it easy and fast to cook. If you don’t have much time to cook try rolled oats.

But remember, on the label of the packaging it should contain only oats, nothing else.

Oats Nutrition

Oats are a very nutritious grain with balanced carb and fibers. In 100g of oats contain almost 389 cal. 66.3g of carbohydrate of which 10.6g fiber. Almost 17g protein and 7g fat.

It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Vitamins in 100g of oats

Thiamine- 0.8 mg (51% of DV)
Folate- 56 mcg (14% of DV)
Pantothenic- 1.3 mg (13% of DV)

Minerals in 100g of oats

manganese-4.9 mg (246% of DV)
phosphorus-523 mg (52% of DV)
Magnesium-177 mg (44% of DV)
Copper- 0.6 mg (31% of DV)
Zinc -56cal 4 mg (26% of DV)
Iron- 4.7 mg (26% of DV)

[source]

Benefits Of Oats for Diabetic Patient

These days type-2 diabetes is a common health problem among the people. They have a significant amount of elevated blood sugar level. Studies have shown that consuming regular oatmeal with a balanced diet can actually improve in type-2 diabetes.

Foods that have a high Glycemic Index, digest very quickly which cause a quick elevation of blood sugar. To control this high level of sugar in the blood, body release insulin. And the insulin spike occurs.

Oats are low GI (Glycemic Index) food. That is why carbs present in oats digest slowly and doesn’t elevate the sugar level in the blood. Fibers in oats also help to regulate blood sugar level. [1]

There is another study among a subgroup of 298 overweight type-2 diabetic patients. They were fed 50g of oats and 100g of oats for short and long-term. And in both short term and long term oat intake had significant control in raising blood sugar levels. [2]

High In Fiber Called Beta-glucan

Oats groat is a great source of complex carbohydrates with a lot of fiber. Almost 11g of fiber in 100g of oats.

The fiber presents in it is a soluble fiber, called beta-glucan. As it is a soluble fiber it partially dissolves with the water and creates a thick form like gel in the gut.

This reduces the level of releasing glucose in the blood and prevents insulin spike.
That thick form will make you feeling of fullness in your stomach.
Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber which helps to reduce the LDL Cholesterol level.
It helps to increase the growth of good bacteria in the stomach and digestive tract. [3]

Oats Benefits For Weight Loss

In the fitness industry, there are many myths regarding weight loss. One of those is to cutting off carbohydrate from their diet. So many people think and follow that to lose weight they need to cut their carb intake off.

It is not completely true. Cutting down your carb intake at very low may cause many side effects. you will not get enough strength in the gym, experience lack of focus, mood swings, irritation, etc.

Rather than cutting the carbs off, you need to focus on healthy carbs, which is complex carbohydrate.

Oats or oatmeal contains a lot of complex carbs. Slowly decrease your carb intake for a healthy weight loss experience. You may ask about the keto diet, but you can not follow this diet for a long time.

So, for a healthy effective weight loss experience, you should not focus on short term programs. Change your lifestyle in a healthy way and you will achieve a healthy life and a better weight loss experience.

Adding oatmeal in your daily lifestyle will give you the feeling of fullness through a long period of time which eventually make you eat less. Because oats contain a lot of fiber.

Oats Helps In Constipation

Elder people often experience constipation. They experience an irregular bowel movement with difficulty to pass, infrequent bathroom trip, the stomach gas, etc.

But these days constipation is a common health problem that most of the people are experiencing whether they are elder or young aged.

This is because of their unhealthy lifestyle, consuming lots of junk foods, sleeping disorder and lack of fiber in their diet.

Fibers in your diet will increase the volume of your stool. Whole oat bran is rich in fiber. The outer layer of the whole oat is a great source of healthy soluble fiber which may help relieve constipation.

Read Also: 14 Best Source Of Healthy Fats You Should Not Avoid

Oatmeal Helps To Lower LDL Cholesterol

High cholesterol causes a huge number of heart-attack all over the world. The reason for high cholesterol is an unhealthy lifestyle and foods.

When LDL cholesterol and free radicals reacting together, the oxidation of LDL occurs. This is a big reason for increasing heart diseases.

The consequence is inflammation in arteries, damages tissues and increases the risk of a heart attack.

antioxidants in oats (avenanthramides and phenolic acids) and vitamin c works along to resistance the oxidation of LDL. (4)

Lack of fiber is also one of the major reason for increasing unhealthy cholesterol (LDL). Beta-glucan is a powerful soluble fiber which significantly reduces the level of LDL cholesterol in our body. This beta-glucan is highly presented in whole oats.

Benefits Of Oats On Skin Care

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory property of oats is very beneficial to prevent itchy skin and dry skin. Many skincare products use oatmeal in their products by the name of “colloidal oatmeal”. (5)

Colloidal oatmeal is nothing but ground oats. oatmeal powder or oats flour works well on your skin too. Mix the oats flour with hot water and make a thick paste. Then apply on your skin.

Leave it for 15 min then rinse it with regular water.

Benefits of oats in skincare are huge. I generally prefer to use it in summer. In summer you will definitely get a great benefit by using it.

Benefits Of Oats In Improving Immunity

Beta-glucan in oats is helpful to improve your immunity strength. Oats are also rich in zinc that plays an important role to fight with infections.

Studies have shown that beta-glucan is able to enhance immunity after exercise stress. (6)

Early introduction of oats can prevent the child asthma problem. Not every child is a victim of child asthma but many of them face the problem.

Some studies have shown that oatmeal can significantly reduce the amount of child asthma if the babies are fed oats within the five months of birth. This is because of the anti-inflammatory properties of oats. (7)

Better Sleep At Night

The high-quality carbs in oatmeal help to release the serotonin which also known as “feel-good” hormone. Benefits of oatmeal at night is it reduces the amount of stress in your body and makes you feel better which leads to quality sleep. (8)

It also presents vitamin B6, which helps in reducing stress. So, it can be a great bedtime food for everyone.

Read Also: 24 Best Source of Protein- Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian

How To Eat Oats

Oats are most famous as a breakfast meal. But there is no thumb rule to have it at breakfast. You can eat oatmeal at any time. There are plenty of recipes of oats are available. It is also easy to cook.

I am just sharing a very simple and easy recipe you can try

Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
Some nuts (peanut, almond, etc)
Pinch of salt if you like
cinnamon

How to Cook

In a pot mix the oats with 1 cup of water and boil it until it becomes softer. Then mix milk with that boiled oats. Add some nuts, a pinch of cinnamon and salt if needed.

If you are dairy intolerance you can try almond milk, soy milk, etc.

Conclusion

Benefits of oats and oatmeal are huge. It is also very cheap and available everywhere. Oatmeal is very tasty and easy to cook.

You can add oatmeal in your diet no matter you follow a weight loss program or muscle-building program. Even those who don’t follow any diet plan like elders, children’s everybody can have it. it is very nutritious for everybody.

I highly recommend you to add oatmeal in your lifestyle. But remember to buy steel cut oats or rolled oats without any flavor.