Looking to add more fiber in your diet? Want to lose weight? Lower your risk of heart disease? Or do you just want more healthy food in your meals and snacks? If you’re looking for nutritious food to help you lead a healthier life, you can’t go wrong with oats. Yes, there are many trendy diets that promise a myriad of health benefits. But unlike new diets, oats have long been proven to have significant benefits to many aspects of your health. Rediscover these oats benefits here. It all begins with fiber…
Oats Benefits: Packed with Nutrition
Oats, or Avena sativa, are a whole-grain food. Whole grains are, as the name suggests, eaten whole; all 3 parts — bran, germ and endosperm — are consumed. In contrast, refined grains such as white rice or white flour have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the carbohydrate-rich endosperm.
In whole grains, the bran and the germ are rich in nutrients like fiber. And oats are no exception. Aside from fiber (including soluble fiber), oats are a rich source of phosphorus, thiamine, magnesium and zinc. It also contains Beta-glucan, a soluble fiber with many important health benefits.
Where Can I Get Oats?
In the Philippines, we know oats primarily from instant oatmeal. But there are many other forms of oats, such as:
- Groat oats – the most whole form of oats
- Oat bran – contains the most fiber in the oat groat
- Rolled oats – formed into flakes
- Steel oats – cut with a blade into two to three pieces
- Instant oats – rolled into thin pieces for easy cooking
While the different varieties of oats have similar nutritional content, more whole forms of oats take longer to digest. And digestion time can have an effect on blood sugar levels.
Oats are commonly eaten as a breakfast food and boiled with water or milk. They are also added to many baked goods such as cookies or granola bars.
Oats Benefits: A Source of Soluble Fiber
Oats are a great source for soluble fiber, a kind of dietary fiber that dissolves in water. It contains Beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that is linked with improving heart health.
In addition, research has shown that Beta-glucan has a number of significant health benefits:
- It reduces cholesterol levels.
- It reduces blood sugar levels and improves insulin response.
- Beta-glucan aids weight loss by providing a feeling of being full.
- It helps the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract.
Oats Benefits: Lower Cholesterol Levels
Oats have long been associated with improving heart health. Many studies have found that oats reduce total cholesterol levels as well as LDL cholesterol levels (or “bad” cholesterol). However, research on how beneficial oats are for heart health is not as clear. Some studies say that whole grains like oats can reduce the risk of heart attack by as much as 25% while other studies have less significant results.
Oats Benefits: Better Blood Sugar Control
Because oats are a whole grain, they take longer to digest, while still having high nutritional content. These oats benefits contribute to better blood sugar control. In addition, Beta-glucan helps to delay absorption of glucose into the blood.
Oats Benefits: Weight Loss
Oats are simply filling. This feeling of satiety, the sensation of being full, can help those who are trying to lose weight. Beta-glucan also releases the satiety hormone, YY (PYY), and when you feel full, you eat less, leading to reduced intake of calories.
Oats Benefits: Better Digestion
Because of the high amount of fiber in oats, they are also beneficial for digestive health. Studies have found that oats reduce constipation in older adults. Beta-glucan, meanwhile, has been reported to increase the diversity of gut microbiota.
