| Six Health Benefits of
Eating Oatmeal Eating a bowl of oatmeal each
morning is the perfect way to start your day off right. This
article will explain the six benefits of eating oatmeal and
ways to make it taste delicious.
The benefits of oatmeal are due to the fact that it's
made from oats and oats are a good source of both soluble
and insoluble fiber.
According to the American Cancer Society:
1. Insoluble fiber's cancer-fighting properties are due
to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing
their toxicity.
2. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without
lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.
3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch. This
may be beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down
the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your
blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.
4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are
less likely to develop heart disease, a disease that is
currently widespread in the United States.
5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have
cancer-fighting properties.
6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including
vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and
magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.
The difference between insoluble and soluble fiber,
besides the foods that they come from, is what they do in
your body.
Insoluble fiber's main role is that it makes stools
heavier and speeds their passage through the gut, relieving
constipation. Soluble fiber breaks down as it passes through
the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some
substances related to high cholesterol, thus reducing the
absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.
Oatmeal has a pretty bland taste, which makes it hard for
the average person to consume every morning. Here are ways
you can make it taste better:
1. Make the oatmeal with milk instead of water. This will
also add calcium and more protein.
2. Add Stevia powder to the oatmeal. It will
naturally sweeten up the taste without adding sugar.
3. Stir in your favorite-flavored protein powder to it
after it's been cooked. This gives the oatmeal a pretty good
taste plus it adds protein. Combine this with using milk and
you'll have a meal that is high in fiber, calcium and
protein!
4. Add fruit such as blueberries / raisin to the oatmeal.
You should aim to eat roughly 1 cooked cup of oatmeal
each morning for optimal health benefits. And play around
with the above preparation suggestions until you find a
taste that you fall in love with.
Your heart and body will thank you for it.
RESOURCES:
The Oat (Avena sativa)
is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant.
They are used for food for people, and also as fodder for
animals, especially poultry and horses. Oat straw is used as
animal bedding and also sometimes used as animal feed. Oats
are often served as a porridge made from crushed oats or
oatmeal, and are also baked into cookies. As oat flour or
oatmeal, they are also used in a variety of other baked
goods and cold cereals, and as an ingredient in muesli and
granola. Oats may also be consumed raw, and cookies with raw
oats are quickly becoming popular.
Read more...
Oatmeal is a product made by
processing oats. In North America, oatmeal means any crushed
oats, rolled oats, or cut oats used in recipes such as
oatmeal cookies. The porridge made from this is also called
oatmeal or oatmeal cereal. However in other parts of the
English-speaking world, oatmeal means coarsely ground oats
(cf cornmeal, wheatmeal, peasemeal, etc.).
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