Breakfast as we know is the most important meal of the day and that’s why nutritionists and Doctors recommend Oats all the time. You may ask, why oats?, well, here we go..

Oats (Avena sativa) is an edible grain rich in nutrients, protein packed, fiber rich, commonly eaten in the form of Oatmeal or rolled oats. If everyone start their day with oatmeal it would have significant impact on overall health.

A bowl of oatmeal contains a wealth of minerals like copper, manganese, iron and B vitamins. However the real benefit of oat meal comes from the soluble fiber present in the oats called Beta-glucan. Beta-glucan feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut which in turn helps our immune system, lowers cholesterol, and protects against inflammation and cancer.

Oats has two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble

The insoluble fiber in oats consists  of cellulose and hemicellulose and lignin, these compounds gives the rigid structure of plant cell walls. The insoluble fiber obtained from oats is not broken down and does not absorb water, but aids in stimulating regular bowel movements.

Diets rich in insoluble fiber promotes digestive system health, and lowers the risk of disorders like hemorrhoids, constipation, intestinal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease and colon cancer.

Soluble fiber such as Beta-glucan from cereals and pectin in fruit forms a thick gel paste in our gut, which helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol as well as boosting the excretion of bile salts.

Oats Reduces Cholesterol

Studies¹⁾https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21631511 have found that eating 3 grams of Beta-glucan a day, which is roughly what you would get in a 70 gram bowl of oats, will reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol by around 7%, that is almost same as the the results you might get from taking a Statin.²⁾https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statin.

Oats Eliminates the Risk of Heart Disease

If everyone ate oatmeal we would significantly cut the rates of heart disease and possibly also bowel cancer, unlike a statin, oats have no side effects. 14 years study from Harvard University that looked to the health of a hundred thousand people found that those who ate the most whole grains such as oatmeal seemed to be protected from many illnesses including heart disease.

Scientists found that for each 28 grams of whole grains eaten a day, the risk of all death was reduced by 5%. ³⁾https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2087877

You must eat traditional oats as opposed to the instant oatmeal that you can buy in individual packets, this is because regular oats have a much lower glycemic index and so are released slowly into our blood stream leading to a small release of insulin, avoiding spikes in blood sugar. Regular oats contain more Beta-glucan then the instant oatmeal packs.

Protects from Fatty Liver Disease

Oats are found to possess drug-like activities like lowering blood cholesterol, blood sugar and boosting our immune system. The evidence is clear that oatmeal consumers have lower rates of disease, randomized trial with overweight and obese men and women shows that almost 90% of the real oatmeal treated subjects had reduced body weight, slimmer waist, 20% drop in cholesterol levels and improvements in liver function.⁴⁾https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23371785

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease meaning a fatty liver caused by excess food rather than excess drink is now the most common cause of liver disease, which leads to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and death. Studies consistently find associations between whole grain intake and a reduced risk of obesity and related diseases.⁵⁾https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23762052

Oats Recipe

Here is a simple recipe if you are seriously considering to start your day with oats.

Oats Breakfast Ingredients

• Oats – 1/2 cup
• Milk – 1-1/2 to 2 cups
• Sugar – 1 Tbsp ( we recommend you to use alternatives like sweeteners or honey )
• Walnuts – 7-8
• Fig – 1-2
• Dates – 2
• Apple – 1/2
• Banana – 1 small sized (Optional)

Time to Make: 10-15 mins

Method:

1. first cut all the dry fruits like walnuts, fig and dates into smaller pieces. Cut the fresh fruits you want to go with oats like apple and banana into cubed sized pieces.
2. cook the oats with 1 cup of milk and sugar for about 3-5 minutes. If you are using honey, you must add it after allowing the mixture to cool down.
3. transfer the cooked oats to a serving bowl and leave the mixture to cool for 3-4 minutes.
4. finally add all the cut fruits, dry fruits and add more milk to the serving bowl with cooked oats if necessary. Mix all the ingredients well and taste it.

We will come with more recipes in future, and we will discuss on what happens to your body if you start eating oats regularly.