1. Lower Your Cholesterol With Beta-Glucan
Countless studies over the years have shown that oats are a powerful force in lowering your cholesterol and fighting heart disease. Oats contain a soluble fiber known as beta-glucan, which absorb and sweep out cholesterol from your digestive track before it can be absorbed into your blood stream. Starting your day with a warm bowl of oatmeal will provide you with 3 gm of soluble oat fiber, enough to have a noticeable effect on your cholesterol levels! You can also bake bread or cookies with rolled oats, oat flour or oat bran.
2. Stabilize Your Blood Sugar
The insoluble fiber in oats is also useful in lowering your blood sugar and controlling diabetes, especially if you eat whole oat groats, steel-cut oats (also known as Irish or Scottish oats) or even thick rolled oats instead of instant or quick oats. Whole oats, steel-cut oats and thick oats are all less-processed forms of oats, and therefore take longer for your body to break down into sugars. They also take longer to cook--about 45 minutes for whole oat groats, 20 minutes for steel-cut oats, and 5 to 10 minutes for thick rolled oats. Thick rolled oats are simply a slightly chewier version of regular oatmeal, whereas whole oat groats and steel-cut oats will have a different texture altogether. Both steel-cut oats and whole oat groats make a great warm porridge in the morning, but they can serve as the base of many savory dishes when used in place of rice.
3. Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants and More
Oats are an awesome source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps maintain bowel health, improve digestion and relieve constipation. But there's more to oats than fiber! Oats are also an excellent source of selenium, manganese, tryptophan, phosphorus and thiamin. They're also high iron and are a good source of low-fat protein. Oats contain an antioxidant called avenanthramides, found only in oats, that help protect you against heart disease.
4. Fight Cancer With Oats
A diet rich in whole grains like oats is a vital part of lowering your risk for cancers, especially colorectal cancer, thanks to their generous amounts of fiber, as well as healthy doses of vitamins, antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Oats in particular are rich in lignin--also known as phytoestrogen--which may contribute to a decreased risk of hormone related cancers, particularly breast cancer, but also ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.
5. The Skinny on Oats
The same soluble fiber that lowers your cholesterol and helps maintain your blood sugar can also help you lose weight. This fiber thickens and becomes viscose in your intestines, making you feel fuller longer--if you have a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, you're far less likely to indulge in an unhealthy mid-morning snack later in the day. This health benefit isn't just for adults, either--children who regularly eat oatmeal have a lowered risk of obesity later in life.
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