10 Health Benefits of Oats

Last updated on February 1st, 2024

When you hear the word “healthy breakfast”, one food that shines through all is oatmeal or oats. It is one fulfilling breakfast with multiple health benefits. Oats are the healthiest cereal, part of a healthy breakfast, and porridge and baked food products. We all are familiar with oats as one of the lightest and most beneficial foods. It is gluten-free, helps in weight loss, lowers sugar levels, and is easy to digest.

What are Oats?

Oats are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Its botanical name is Avena Sativa, and it is used as a multipurpose food. This healthy whole grain is consumed as oatmeal and rolled oats. It is full of dietary fibers that benefit in losing weight and satiate the appetite. It is one of the easiest recipes to make, too. If you are not a kitchen pal, you can still boil it and prepare your porridge in no time. Oats are available in 8 forms, including:

• Whole Oat Groats
• Steel Cut / Irish Oats
• Scottish Oats
• Rolled / Old-Fashioned Oats
• Quick Oats
• Instant Oats
• Oat Bran
• Oat Flour

What is Oatmeal?

In our kitchen, oatmeal is a popular and tasty breakfast option. Oatmeal is a dish made from oats that can be eaten boiled or steamed. It is a porridge made with water and various types of oats, such as milled, steel-cut, or rolled oat grains, as well as salt to taste. It is available in the market and known as a whole grain cereal breakfast. You can also eat it with milk for healthier reasons if you are not checking your weight. It is easy to make and delicious to have.

Also Read: Indian Vegetarian Diabetic Diet

What is Porridge or Daliya?

We all know that when we feel discomfort in our stomach or constipation, our mothers cook porridge or daliya. It is rich in fiber and other nutrients. Porridge is also an easy food to digest. As a result, doctors recommend porridge or daliya as light food during fevers or other illnesses. It is made of oatmeal, water, and salt. After boiling them together, you can have this healthy diet.

Also Read: Best Diabetes Reversal Program in Delhi

Nutritional Value of Oats

A half cup of oats is a nutritional powerhouse. Oats contain beta-glucan fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds. It is a bowl of good health to add to your diet. The nutritional value of half a cup of oats is:

This table represents several nutrients and their amounts present in 100 g of oats, as per USDA:

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of Oats

Oats are full of fiber and nutrients. It is also regarded as a good food for lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The Glycemic Index of oats is 55, which falls under the low category, whereas its Glycemic Load is 10.8, which is medium.

Also Read: Coconut Milk for Diabetes Patients

Health Benefits of Oats

Oatmeal or oats are a healthy food to include in your diet. Oats have several health benefits that benefits with overall health. It is regarded as a “go-to” food for those wishing to lose weight. Oats also contain avenanthramides, which are powerful antioxidants that help lower blood pressure and sugar levels. It also benefits digestive health.

Good for Digestion

According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health, oats are rich in beta-glucan fiber which supports digestive health. A fiber-rich diet promotes regular bowel movements and relieves constipation. It is like a natural laxative that helps in indigestion. Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber and easily dissolves in the gut. It also promotes the gut environment to grow good bacteria in the digestive tract and helps in reducing digestion-related problems.

Also Read: Cloves Benefits and Glycemic Index

Good for Heart Health

Oats have immense health benefits, and they are rich in many powerful antioxidants. It is also a good source of polyphenols. The key antioxidant that is found in oats is Avenanthramides. As per Harvard, oats are found to have numerous heart health benefits. Antioxidants are known to support heart health and reduce the risks of many cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidants reduce free radicals and increase nitric oxide gas, which aids in blood vessel dilation. It promotes smooth blood flow, which reduces the risk of heart disease and strengthens the heart.

It also helps lower LDL, bad cholesterol, and total cholesterol, which promotes heart health.

Good for Diabetes

According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, oats are good for people with type 2 diabetes. It reduces the increased blood sugar levels in the body. Its soluble fiber beta-glucan forms a thick gel in the stomach and delays glucose absorption after meals. This whole grain also has a low glycemic index and medium glycemic load that leads to reduced insulin resistance and maintains blood glucose levels.

Also Read: Gestational Diabetes Symptoms and Preventions

Helps in Weight Loss

We all know that oatmeal is the best food choice for diet food. It is rich in soluble fiber beta-glucan, which gives a fulfilling feeling that decreases appetite. Oats also fill you with fewer calories, leading to weight loss. According to the Frontiers, it also contains the YY peptide hormone, which promotes low-calorie consumption and lowers the risk of weight gain. If you want to know how to eat oats for weight loss, prepare them with water and a little salt. You can have it for your breakfast or even for your dinner. It can fill you fast and will reduce your hunger.

Boosts Immunity

Oats benefit in boosting immunity because of the presence of multiple nutrients. According to the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, oats help modulate the immune system. Its beta-glucan fiber helps neutrophils fight off various bacterial and viral infections.

Improves Sleep

Oats are a good source of melatonin and benefit increased serotonin, which helps in inducing sleep and improves sleep quality and duration. It provides tryptophan in the brain that induces sleep.

Also Read: Health Benefits of Almonds

Anti-Cancer Properties

According to AARP, studies suggest that oatmeal or oats reduce the risk of colon cancer. Its rich fiber property helps people to lower the development of colon cancer as compared to those who do not eat a rich-fiber diet.

Good for Skin Health

Oats are good for the skin by retaining moisture the skin. Its nutrients help to treat acne and reduce extra oil from the skin. Since oats have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, it helps to provide healthy and firm skin. It is also good for acne treatment and acts as a natural scrub. Its husk can be used as a scrub to remove dead skin and gives radiant skin. It also helps to remove itching and other allergies. It is one of the major ingredients of the traditional cleanser “Ubtan” that gives a fair complexion.

Also Read: Glycemic Index of Ajwain

Reduce Asthma in Children

According to a study published in Cambridge University Press & Assessment, oats help reduce the risk of asthma development in children if fed to infants. Its inflammatory properties help in lowering the symptoms of asthma.

Good for Pregnancy

Since oats are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it is good for pregnancy. You can incorporate this whole grain diet with another nutrient-dense diet like fruits and vegetables.

Also Read: Benefits of Metformin.

Way to Consume Oats

Oatmeal or oats can be used in a variety of ways in our daily diets. They are a vital part of our daily breakfast because of their nutritional facts. You can have oat or oatmeal in various ways:

• Porridge: This is one of the most popular breakfast serves and is very easy to prepare as well. To prepare porridge, you don’t need to be a smart chef. You can make it by using rolled oats, water, or milk and salt to taste. All you need to do is boil them together until they get soft and soggy and your healthy breakfast is ready.
• You can also cook oats with different vegetables and give them a spicy flavor.
• Prepare or boil it with dry fruits, fruits, and added flavors like cinnamon and cardamom.
• Apart from homemade recipes, oats are significantly present in oat bars, cookies, baked food items, and bread.

Side-Effects of Oats

Oats are regarded as a healthy food with few to no side effects. Since they are a carb food, they can cause indigestion, gas, or discomfort in some people. This side-effect also depends on the quantity. So, if you are carb-allergic, you should avoid having oats or excess oatmeal. Another side-effect is reduced nutrition if you are eating oatmeal only. Crash dieters tend to eat only oatmeal, which keeps them full but results in low nutrition, which negatively impacts your body’s function. So oatmeal is good food if you are also following a healthy diet. It has an impact on your concentration and reflexes.

Also Read: Sabja Seeds for Diabetics

Can a Diabetic Eat Oats?

This is one of the best diabetic-friendly foods because of its nutritional profile. Oats are good for people with type 2 diabetes. It reduces the increased blood sugar levels in the body. Oats are soluble fiber beta-glucan forms a thick gel in the stomach and delay glucose absorption after meals. This whole grain also has a low glycemic index and medium glycemic load that leads to reduced insulin resistance and maintains blood glucose levels.

Conclusion

Oats are nutrient-dense food with an abundance of fiber, protein, vitamins, plant compounds, and minerals. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, and cancer. This popular breakfast food promotes heart health, skin health, digestive health, and arteries health. It helps in reducing blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight. These multipurpose qualities of oats make it one of the lightest, most easily digestible, and most fulfilling breakfast diets.

Read More: Best Homeopathic Medicines For Diabetes

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