The Magic Grain: Oats
With the colder winter months settling in, I have noticed myself leaning more towards warm cooked breakfast meals such as oatmeal. This sparked the idea of this post, because you might have heard that even though oats are quite a popular ingredient or addition to our meals they are actually very healthy for us to eat.
Today we will be exploring the origins of what we consider to be oats, their nutritional profile, the health advantages they bring to us as well as sharing some ideas on how to include more oats into your diet.
I hope you enjoy this one 💛
WHAT ARE OATS EXACTLY?
Oats are the seed part of the Avena sativa plant which have been grown for a long time, both for our consumption and for livestock feed. Oats are gluten free for those who suffer from Celiac disease and are also very cheap and versatile in their uses.
Types of oats:
Whole oat Groats
Steel Cut / Irish Oats
Scottish Oats
Rolled / Old-Fashioned Oats (we will be discussing this type)
Quick/ instant Oats
NUTRIENTS FOUND IN ROLLED OATS
As mentioned before, oats are very healthy for us and one of the reasons for why that is, is due to their nutritional profile which is rich and varied.
100g of rolled oats has the following nutrients:
Energy: 380 kcal
Protein: 13.2 g
Fats: 6.5 g
Carbohydrates: 67.7 g
Fibre: 10.1 g
Sugars: 0,99 g
Calcium: 52 mg (5 % of daily recommended intake)
Iron: 4.3 mg (50% of daily recommended intake for men, and for women it is 30%)
Magnesium: 138 mg (Roughly 40% of recommended intake)
Potassium: 360 mg (12% of recommended intake)
5 MAIN REASONS WHY OATS ARE GOOD FOR YOU
Fibre Powerhouse and Effective For Weight-loss
One of the main reason why nutritionists advocate for oats so much is because they are extremely rich in good soluble fibre, specifically the type called beta glucan.
This soluble fibre partially dissolves in water and when we consume it, it forms a gel like consistency in our gut which actually keeps us feeling full for longer periods of time - effectively helping those people who would like to loose weight since they are less hungry and are more likely to stay within a calorie deficit.
Additional health benefits of beta glucan include, improving our insulin response (since fibre slows down the release of sugar into our bloodstream), decreasing levels of LDL cholesterol, as well feeding probiotic bacteria in our digestive tract which keep our bowel movements healthy.
Improve blood Sugar Regulation
Type II diabetes is commonly categorized by having elevated blood sugar levels for consistently long periods of time, which is a result of poor insulin sensitivity - Essentially our cells being less sensitive to the insulin hormone, meaning that the excess glucose in our blood can not be up-taken by our cells.
Some studies have shown that oats have been show to not only lower our blood sugar levels, thanks to their fibre rich profile, but also improve our insulin sensitivity - Helping to combat type II diabetes.
Better Blood Cholesterol Management
The before mentioned beta glucan is also suspected to help with deceasing levels fo LDL (unwanted) cholesterol in our blood.
The mechanism behind this is still being debated, but it is proposed that beta glucan encourages the release of bile by our gallbladder which contains some cholesterol and by being released is able to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol which circulate around within your blood.
Furthermore, certain compounds in oats have been shown to protect against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which helps protect us agains developing heart disease.
Rich In Antioxidants That Lower Blood Pressure
In general, oats are rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, but more specifically they are rich in a unique source of a group of antioxidants called avenanthramides.
Studies have shown that avenanthramides have the power of lowering blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide which helps to widen out blood vessels and ensures healthy blood flow.
Furthermore, these aventhramide molecules have beneficial anti-inflammatory properties which could help with offsetting various chronic conditions caused by high inflammation, such as heart disease.
Lowers Chances Of Developing Colon Cancer
Colon cancers develop in the large colon part our digestive system, where more and more studies are showing that eating about 90g of whole grains per day can significantly lower your chances of developing this cancer.
A fibre rich food such as oats can do just that, and the way this is done is by various proposed ways. Firstly the fibre in oats helps with reducing insulin resistance as we have discussed, where high levels of blood sugar are a risk factor for colon cancer.
Furthermore, oats keep you regular which prevents the chnaces of cancer causing mutations to occur within that part of the gut.
Lastly, oats are also a viable source of anti carcinogenic compounds such as vitamin E, selenium ,copper and zinc, which protects against cancers.
WAYS OF EATING MORE OATS
Now that we know whyoats are good for us, below you can find some ideas of how to include more oats into your diet in delicious and convenient ways
Cooking oatmeal/ porridge (can be sweet and savory) and adding any toppings you like fruit, jam, nut butters, chocolate, nuts, yogurt etc.
Making your own granola or muesli mix at home with various ingredients (nuts, dried fruit, honey, peanut butter, seeds, chocolate chunks, coconut etc.)
Try blending oats into oat flour with a food processor: Use this flour for various baked goods (banana bread, muffins, cakes, cupcakes), pancakes or even bread
Blend inside smoothies
Use to make energy bars/ balls together with dates
Sprinkle on top of toasts (both sweet and savory work)
I hope that with this article I was able to convince you into trying to add more of this great fibrous and delicious grain into your diet. Oats are cheap and very versatile so I urge you to try different recipes and see what you like as well as experince some of the mentioned health benefits we discussed.
Thanks again for reading, I always appreciate it.
