If there was one carb you had to eat for the rest of your life that would improve your health and help you to lose weight, it would be oatmeal. The list of nutritional benefits that come from a bowl of oats goes on-and-on, and there’s a lot of healthy things that happen to your body when you eat oatmeal.
Plus, oatmeal is an incredibly versatile ingredient! Along with being the star player in our list of overnight oat recipes, you can also use it as a way to boost the nutrients in all kinds of recipes—like cookies, pancakes, and even smoothies! but there is something about oatmeal that makes it ‘not-so-healthy’ for us to consume. No, we don’t disapprove of its health benefits or how it helps facilitate weight loss, keeps heart healthy, and is an excellent source of healthy carbs and fibre. The tricky thing is to know which kind of oats, or oatmeal, possess all these qualities, and which ones are just unhealthy.
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Improve Immunity
The beta-glucan in oatmeal can enhance your immunity levels. A majority of immune cells in your body have special receptors that are designed to absorb beta-glucan. This kicks up the activity of the white blood cells and protects against disease. Oats are also rich in selenium and zinc that play a part in fighting infections.
According to a Norwegian study, the beta-glucan in oats is far more potent than echinacea (a North American flower popular for its healing properties). The compound can accelerate wound healing and make antibiotics more effective in humans.
Intake of beta-glucan was also found to enhance immunity following exercise stress. This compound also helps offset respiratory infections post exercise stress. Beta-glucans also improve the ability of macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells – making them further effective in fighting against a wide range of microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Beta-glucans are also used to improve immunity in individuals suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or physical or emotional stress. They also improve immune levels during intense treatments like chemotherapy or radiation.
The early introduction of oats is also associated with a reduced risk of asthma. Another study reveals that babies that are fed porridge can be protected from asthma. The risk of childhood asthma can be reduced by two-thirds if the babies are fed oats within the first five months of birth. This can be attributed to the anti-inflammatory properties of oats.
Aid In Acne Treatment
Oatmeal can soak up the excess oil on your skin and help treat acne. You just need to boil half a cup of oatmeal in one-third cup of water and allow it to cool. Apply the thick paste on the affected areas on your face. Leave it on for about 20 minutes, post which you can rinse with warm water. You can also make this mask with tomatoes or egg whites or onions. This is nothing but an oatmeal face wash that you can prepare right at your home.
An oatmeal scrub can also work well in treating acne. The scrub removes dead skin cells and polishes your skin. It also reduces spots and softens your skin. For the scrub, you need one tablespoon each of finely ground oatmeal, finely ground brown sugar, raw honey, and organic jojoba oil. You can also add a couple of drops each of lavender or geranium essential oil. Stir all the ingredients. Apply a small amount of this scrub on your wet face and massage in small, circular motions. You can leave it on for about 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water. Pat dry.
An oatmeal soap can help too. You can either purchase a pre-made soap or make your own (melt an unscented bar of soap, mix oatmeal, and allow to cool). The soap acts as a natural exfoliant and absorbs the excess oil without overdrying the skin.
Oatmeal contains zinc that reduces inflammation and kills the acne-causing bacteria. Zinc supplementation might also help reduce acne lesions.
However, certain reports state that oats can aggravate acne. Consult your dermatologist before using oats for treating your condition.
In order to minimize cooking time, other types of oats are processed to a greater extent. For instance, a steel tool is used to cut steel-cut oats into extremely small pieces. As the grains turn smaller, it becomes very easy to make oatmeal.
Rolled oats are created using another type of processing. Firstly, they are steamed, following which they are leveled through squashing. These oats are then dried up, after which they can be stored in your kitchen over a long period. This level of processing ensures that the cooking time is reduced.
Scottish and instant oats are two other types of oats. In the case of Scottish, oats are basically made into a meal, while the latter is developed by subjecting the groats through steaming and leveling process. Moreover, they are also slightly cooked to enable you to enjoy oatmeal without any hassles.
Although these aspects are all quite interesting, it is important to not determine the oats that you must consume merely on the basis of the processing involved. At the end of the day, regardless of the variant you choose, you would still be consuming whole grains. The nutritional aspects of every type of oats are quite similar.
Many variants of oats can be used to prepare breakfast. Usually, breakfast is prepared by cooking oats in either milk or water, to obtain the desired consistency. Needless to say, you can add other components such as fruit, yogurt, and nut butters for added flavor. However, we are merely talking about the actual oatmeal in this article.
We will first begin the discussion by assessing the positive aspects. In the year 2018, Professor Shengmin Sang of A & T State University in North Carolina stated to the Time magazine, “Based on the existing evidence, eating whole grain oats is definitely good for our health.” Sang also pointed out that the consumption of oats can ensure that an individual regulates their levels of diabetes and cholesterol.
The question that may arise is why oats are especially good to deal with these specific issues pertaining to health. To begin with, beta-glucan fiber is prominent in abundance in the grain. “Fiber is good for so many things throughout the digestive tract,” stated Minnesota University’s Professor Joanne Slavin, who is an expert in the field of nutrition and food science.
Moreover, in comparison to other grains, oats contain a higher amount of beta-glucan fiber. This is probably why they are also believed to be good for your gut health. How exactly does it work? Harvard’s The Nutrition Source website stated that because of this grain, bile acids that are rich in cholesterol are attracted and thus, they are passed easily.
Needless to say, these deductions have resulted in the increased levels of association between the consumption of oats and decreased levels of cholesterol levels. According to the Nutrition Source, the proof that substantiates these ideas are not substantial. While many studies have established that the cholesterol level decreases with the consumption of beta-glucan, other studies have stated that there were no exhaustive results to evidence these claims.
However, there are many advantages to consuming beta-glucan. Firstly, it ensures that your digestive system does not function at a rapid pace. Consequently, the speed at which our body processes nutrients also decreases. Therefore, it is not possible for an individual to enjoy a sudden upsurge of energy followed by a rapid fall by consuming oats, as it is possible with the consumption of a chocolate bar.
This fiber also tends to slow down the digestion process as it tends to absorb water while it passes through the gut of the person. Consequently, the food that is consumed becomes thicker. This process has two specific advantages- it slowly releases energy and it ensures that you do not feel hungry over a long period.
There are questions about the fact that oatmeal is a product that is often recommended to people who are trying to lose weight. Moreover, a new trend in dieting called the “oatmeal diet” is quickly catching on. People who follow such a diet are initially asked to only eat oatmeal for all three meals. However, dieticians do not recommend this diet because it is low in calories and is extremely restrictive.
The bottom line is that since oatmeal tends to make sure that your digestion process slows down, an individual may feel much more satiated. Therefore, there is a lower likelihood of individuals wanting to consume snacks that are unhealthy in nature. This is how oats have been helping people across the globe keep their waistlines in check.
Oatmeal also offers other health benefits. Firstly, it can assist in a body’s battle against diabetes. This is an especially positive aspect because, in the year 2017, it was announced by the CDC that more than 100 million U.S. citizens are suffering from diabetes or are pre-diabetic.
Moreover, it was also advised by the CDC that among the 30 million people who are suffering from diabetes in the U.S., the majority (27 million) are dealing with type 2 diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the body of the patient is not equipped to cope appropriately with glucose. Thus, an individual with type 2 diabetes must be extremely cautious, when consuming foods that are capable of shooting up their blood sugar levels.
In many cases, it is easy to determine which food item has excessive sugar. This includes food such as white chocolate, candy, cakes, or desserts. Interestingly, the sugar that naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables must also be taken into consideration by the patient. Moreover, they must also be wary of consuming foods rich in carbohydrates, which come with high glycemic loads.
You may be wondering what entails a glycemic load. To begin with, it helps you understand the pace at which your sugar levels will rise when you consume carbohydrates. Therefore, any food with high glycemic loads tends to increase the sugar level very quickly. Therefore, oats do seem to be a useful alternative
Although most oats contain high levels of carbohydrates, the glycemic load of steel-cut oats is significantly low. In other words, even people with diabetes can consume these oats as the beta-glucan fiber is capable of putting a rest to the increases in the levels of blood glucose. However, it is advised by the Nutrition Source website to not consume instant oats.
Especially for those with type 2 diabetes, this news is delightful. Although this condition is quite serious, by following a careful diet and workout routine, it is possible to reverse this problem. However, before you undertake any measures that change your lifestyle, it is important to note that you must consult a medical professional.
There are a few more benefits associated with oats. Anyone who has been reading the article carefully would know the first benefit. The advantage is that your gut health can improve with oats. According to the Nutrition Source, regular consumption of oats can help an individual excrete their wastes more easily.
The high fiber content of oats is the reason for this benefit, as the level is higher than that found in vegetables or fruit. Moreover, in a digestive system, the microbial population can be improved with the beta-glucans in oats. Consumption of oats does not merely impact the insides of a human body.
There are a pair of chemicals in oats that offer great advantages and are called phytoestrogens and phenolic compounds. Though they sound excessively technical, all you need to know is that your skin can be improved through their usage.
Through the use of these plant-based chemicals, it is possible to reduce the inflammation of organs that is often a result of diabetes and other conditions. SFGate, in a study conducted in 2013, deduced that oats can be potentially helpful in battling various signs of aging that is usually demonstrated by the skin. Clearly, there are many benefits associated with consuming oats. However, is it only advantageous to consume?
As you may have expected, most of the research responds in the affirmative to this question. However, it is important to take this answer with a pinch of salt. There are certain suggestions one must go through before they grab a sack of oats at the grocery store.
In case you are allergic to gluten, you might want to be aware of the possibility of your oats being contaminated by gluten. Typically, oats are free of gluten. However, Ronald Fritz- a researcher- pointed out to the Time magazine that there is a possibility of oats getting contaminated on the way from the field to the store.
According to Fritz, “Oats can be contaminated with gluten containing kernels of wheat, barley, and rye at the field during storage or during transportation.” While this may seem like a superficial issue to many, it is a serious problem for those suffering from celiac disease, as gluten is harmful to their guts. Apart from that, people who are sensitive to gluten are also affected.
Even if an individual does not have celiac diseases, their stomach may not be tolerant of gluten. Scientists are still unsure of the reasons for this reaction, but it is a pertinent problem among those with the condition. When choosing your oats, another thing must be considered.
The question is the way in which they must be prepared. While all the aforementioned benefits sound great, it is important to note that they cannot be enjoyed to their optimum if you prepare them using a lot of sugar and additives. According to dietitians, instant oats are quite harmful to the body.
In 2017, a surprising statistic was revealed by The Independent. It reported that in a single pot of Quaker Oats So Simple’s golden syrup instant porridge that the U.K. consumes, there are over four teaspoons of sugar. This amount is equal to half the amount of recommended sugar intake of an adult in a day.
Moreover, these high levels of sugar can be detrimental to any individual suffering from type 2 diabetes. However, if you remain wary, it is easy to handle these issues. You can opt for the “original” flavor of Quaker’s instant oatmeal range, which does not contain any added sugar.
You can regulate your sugar intake by preparing your oatmeal at home. The method is quite simple and very straightforward. In fact, there are an array of ideas available to prepare your oatmeal. Here, we will discuss two specific methods that can help you enjoy healthy, balanced breakfasts that use everyday ingredients.
Firstly, in order to prepare oatmeal, make use of the instructions that are present on the back of the oats that you chose. Typically, instructions recommend preparing oats using milk, water, or both. After the completion of oats, you can add some more healthy components including fruit, seeds, or nuts. While rolled oats require five minutes of preparation, steel-cuts oats tend to take longer to cook. Instant oats are cooked very quickly.
In case this sounds exhausting, you can make use of overnight oats for your diet plan. All you have to do is place your oats in the liquid of your liking along with any other components you want in a bowl or any other container. Once you mix it, put it in the fridge after covering it up. Do not prepare your instant oats in this manner.
The question then is, is oatmeal actually a good breakfast to have every day? Definitely! It is especially good if you are following any weight loss programs. There are an array of benefits offered by each type of oats. All you have to do is make sure that it does not include gluten or any added sugar.
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