If you're spending fewer mornings chowing down bacon and eggs and more nourishing yourself with foods such as oatmeal and yogurt, you're doing your body a big favor. The traditional bacon and egg breakfast should be regarded more as an infrequent indulgence than a source of sustenance, because of the fat, cholesterol and sodium inherent in such a meal. Oatmeal and probiotic foods such as yogurt, on the other hand, offer benefits for your cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
Probiotics Foods
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria. Certain foods are created via a fermentation process that involves these bacteria. Probiotic foods that are unpasteurized maintain their live bacteria content and allow you to send these beneficial microbes into your intestines, where they do good things for your digestive tract. Yogurt is the most well-known probiotic food, but other fermented dairy products such as kefir and cultured buttermilk can also offer probiotic benefits.
Oats
Several forms of oats can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Popular instant oats can be prepared in minutes. The website Eat More Oats notes that instant oats are more processed than other forms, and with their ease of preparation comes a decrease in nutritional benefits compared to more time-intensive varieties including steel cut oats, rolled oats, whole oats, oat groats and oat flour.
Effects of Probiotics
Probiotics help you maintain a healthy digestive system by colonizing your intestines with beneficial bacteria that can reduce lactose intolerance, alleviate various forms of diarrhea and aid in the treatment of peptic ulcers, according to USProbiotics.org. Probiotics are helpful for those whose natural intestinal flora has been depleted during a course of antibiotic therapy.
Benefits of Oats
Oats appear to have a protective effect on your cardiovascular system. Eating oat bran and oatmeal has been linked to decreased blood cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. Soluble and viscous fibers found in oats may help lower your blood pressure and decrease your risk of myocardial infarction.
The health benefits of oats extend beyond your cardiovascular system. Substances called beta-glucans in oats can enhance immune activity and may be helpful in decreasing inflammation associated with arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation. The increased fiber intake associated with oat consumption may also decrease your risk of diabetes mellitus -- Type 2 -- by regulating blood glucose levels.
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