Benefits of Oat | Oats for health benefits | Oats nutritional facts

Oats and its benefits:

Oats:

Oats are species of cereal grain which is mainly grown for its seed. The scientific name of Oats is called Avena sativa. They are grown in the Poaceae grass family of grass. Oats are usually eaten in the form of porridge and other forms of oatmeal. Oats are loaded with different types minerals, vitamins and fibers etc. therefore they are considered to be very nutritional and have different health benefits.

Where are oats grown/ cultivated?

Oats are mostly cultivated in temperate regions because they have lower summer requirement and also have greater tolerance to rain as compared to other cereals. Thus they are cultivated in regions like Russia, Iceland, Canada, Australia, Finland etc.

Oats cultivation (Source: Wikipedia)

Oats are consumed as rolled oats or as oatmeal, as oat flour, overnight oats, oats risotto etc. Today, mostly oats are ate in the form of porridge or even baked products like breads, biscuits, cookies. Indians have incorporated oats even into rotis or chapatis etc.  

Fact: Did you know that the first oat bread was manufactured in Britain where the first oat bread factory was established in 1899.

If see overall qualities of oats, it is extremely useful for human beings because the oats extracts are useful for skin problems and oat grass is also considered to have medicinal properties. It has been very helpful in balancing the menstrural cycle problem for women, weight loss, urinary tract infections etc. Let’s dig deep and check the different benefits of Oats:

Oats are rich in following:

• ·        Phosphorous- Which plays an crucial role in how our body will use the fats and carbohydrates in our body. It is essential for our bones as well.
• ·        Fiber( insoluble and soluble)- It is important for our digestive health.
• ·        Zinc- It is mainly found in cells in our body and helps our immune system to fight the different bacteria and viruses.
• ·        Magnesium- It is important for having a good immune system, muscle function, healthy heart and also for managing blood glucose levels.
• ·        Iron- It is important for managing the hemoglobin levels in the body. Hemoglobin is extremely essential for our body because they carry oxygen from lungs to different parts of body.
• ·        Copper- they help in strengthening our immune system, maintaining bone health, blood vessels etc.
• ·        Vitamin B1(thiamine)- This vitamin helps our body to use carbohydrates as energy. Thus they are important for glucose metabolism.

Oats with milk for breakfast

Benefits of Oats:

• ·        Heart related issues:

Around 17.9 million people die every year due to cardio vascular diseases. It is about 31% of all deaths worldwide. The major cause in different cardio vascular ailments is high levels of cholesterol. Oats have beta-glucan fiber which is effective in reducing the total cholesterol and also the ldl cholesterol i.e. low-density lipoprotein which transports the fat molecules in the body through extracellular water. This fiber reduces the absorbption of cholesterol in the blood stream.

• ·        Lowering the blood sugar levels:

Diabetes is a health condition related to how our body uses or produces insulin. Oatmeal helps to regulate or control blood sugar. It is mainly useful for people who have type 2 diabetes.

• ·        Oatmeal helps to reduce and maintain weight:

Oatmeal is quite filling and thus it avoids untimely hunger issues. Thus, once we have our oatmeal we won’t much upon other unhealthy or junk stuff for satisfying our stomach. This helps in maintain weight. Oatmeal consist of very few calories which is a plus point that helps in controlling weight.

• ·        Oats benefit our skin as well:

Never thought of it right? But it is true that oats help in many skin issues like for dry, itchy and irritated skin. Colloidal oatmeal is used for using it on skin. It is made by grinding oats into fine powder. It has been in use for skin care since many centuries. It boasts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that benefit our skin.

• ·        Oats benefit in blood pressure control:

Oats contain different antioxidants, mainly avenanthramides. It is important for maintaining the blood sugar.

Fact: Did you know Oats are also used for brewing beer in England?

There are different variety of Oats available in India:

• ·        Whole grain oats: These are the minimal processed oats which are also called as oat groats. They take the maximum time to cook.
• ·        Steel cut oats: They are popularly called as Irish oats. They are called as steel cut because they are chopped into small pieces with help of metal blades. They cook faster as compared to whole grain oats.
• ·        Instant oats: These are partially cooked oats and this take very less time to cook.
• ·        Scottish oats: They are well known as oatmeal. These oats are stone grounded into irregular bits. This is a method originated from Scotland thus they are called as Scottish oats.
• ·        Rolled oats: These oats are first steamed and then rolled. Thus they are called rolled oats. These oats cook within a span of 10 minutes.

rolled and steel cut oats

If we see overall oats have a very good impact on our health. They are not only tasty but also healthy.

Fun fact about oats:

• ·        Samuel Johnson’s dictionary in 1755 defined oats as “a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” To this the Scottish people responded as “ That’s why England has such good horses and Scotland has such fine men”.
• ·        Did you about the Oatmeal festival in Texas? Yes, Oatmeal Festival is celebrated in Bertram Texas. It was first celebrated in the year 1978.

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