I am currently obsessed with oatmeal (baked oatmeal to be exact)! I’ve always enjoyed oatmeal but the 5x5 packs
of flavored instant Quaker oatmeal just don’t do it for me anymore. Nonetheless, I am still upset that the cookie
dough flavors were discontinued (90s kids would remember these)!
I’ve been on a huge oatmeal kick lately so I started reading about
the benefits of oatmeal. Many of these benefits I have known for a while and I
feel many of you will have heard of some of these benefits. However, I learned
quite a bit about just how health promoting the tiny whole grains can be!
1.
Lowers cholesterol
Oatmeal is a good source of soluble,
or fermentable, fiber. Soluble, means that this fiber is soluble in water; it
makes a gel like substance when mixed with liquids. Because of this, it can
soak up not only cholesterol that is ingested with food, but it also binds up
bile acids which are compounds needed for digestion of fats. Normally, bile
acids are recycled in the body but when they are bound up and eliminated with
the fiber the body must make new bile acids – from cholesterol. The body is
forced to pull cholesterol from its stores to break it down to make new bile
acids. This process can be continuous
with cholesterol constantly being broken down and eliminated in the form of
bile acids. This type of fiber is also fermented (why it’s also called
fermentable fiber) by gut bacteria into short chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA
have beneficial properties in and of themselves. One SCFA, propionate, is a competitive
inhibitor of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, the all-important enzyme needed for cholesterol
synthesis! This is the same enzyme that all statins (Lipitor, etc) target in
order to lower cholesterol. Yep, soluble fibers can be natural statins! For every 1g of oat bran fiber consumed daily,
you can lower your risk for heart disease by about 3%. This is significant
since just a single ½ cup serving of oats has 4 grams of fiber (2 soluble and 2
insoluble).
2.
Promotes regularity
The insoluble fiber in oats promotes
bowel health via various mechanisms. Mainly, the fiber adds bulk to stool since
it can’t be digest and absorbed. Additionally, the fiber soaks up water to make
stool heavier and softer. The fiber from
oats is also considered a PRE-biotic. Prebiotics are what PRO-biotics (good
bacteria) consume in order to proliferate. I’m sure you’ve all seen the various
commercials touting various dairy products that are high in probiotics and that
probiotics promote bowel health. Well, oats (and other fiber) only help the probiotics
do their job, rooting out disease causing bacteria and encouraging regular
bowel movements (this may be too much for some but just FYI – the majority of
stool weight comes from bacteria; the more good bacteria you can grow, the
larger and more frequent your stools).
3.
Boosts immune system
Beta-glucan, one type of soluble fiber in
oats, has been shown to increase killing activity and cytokine production
(chemical messengers) of neutrophils and macrophages (two innate white blood
cells that fight infections).
4.
Protects against or helps manage diabetes
As the fiber in oats creates a viscous
mix when it mixes with liquids in the small intestine, it slows down digestion
and absorption of nutrients. This helps curb the rate at which sugar is
absorbed into the blood stream. The spikes in both glucose and insulin that
occur after meals are attenuated and made more predictable by this slower
process. High fiber diets have been shown to decrease fasting glucose levels by
10% or more. This means lower average blood sugars for diabetics. Moreover, consuming a high fiber diet from
whole grains (and fruits and veggies) has been shown to lower the risk of even
developing diabetes in the first place.
5.
Anti-inflammatory effects
Just like any other plant, oats contain
antioxidants. One special class is called avenanthramides. Avenanthramides
are thought to be the compound that provides the anti-itch, anti-inflammatory
effect when oatmeal is used on skin irritations. Likewise, this phytochemical
can quench free radicals that can harm HDL (good) cholesterol and cause
inflammation in blood vessels. Keeping HDL levels high protects against heart
disease.
6.
Protects against cancer
Oats help protect against colon cancer and
most hormone related cancers (breast, prostate, endometrial). In regards to colon cancer oats provide the
fiber that decreases transit time of the gut, ensuring that toxins have as
little time as possible to interact with the gut wall and cause cancerous
changes. The soluble fiber also binds up toxins like a sponge so they don’t
even have the chance of instigating harm. Finally, one of the SCFA produced
from soluble fiber by gut bacteria, butyrate, is very nourishing for colon
cells and actually causes cells with cancerous changes to undergo programmed
cell death.
In regards to hormone related cancers, oats
reduce risk by the same way they reduce cholesterol. They simply bind up and
cause elimination of hormones in the gut, effectively lowering the ‘food supply’
for cancerous cells that rely on hormones to grow.
7.
Promotes weight loss
Oatmeal can aid in weight loss in many ways.
First, the viscous solution and slowed gut motility produced in the small
intestine when oats are ingested keeps fat and carbohydrate molecules in
contact with satiety receptors for longer periods of time. Essentially, you
feel full longer. The modulatory effect on blood glucose also ensures that you
don’t have any crashes where you feel so hungry you could eat a dozen cookies –
and you do. Finally, the oats also soak
up fat and other nutrients in the gut, thereby lowering total calorie
absorption. Eat 2,000 calories, but only absorb 1,800! It’s simple, no calorie-counting weight loss!
So my advice is to add oats to your diet. You don’t have to eat
oatmeal to do it. Here are other ways:
1.
Try oat flour in place of all-purpose or whole
wheat flour. You can simple grind whole oats in a food processor to make your
own oat flour to use in pancakes, waffles, pastries, cookies or other baked
goods.
2.
Add whole oats to almost any baked goods
recipe, especially cookies (besides cookies, you may have to experiment to get
the right consistency or ratio)
3.
For meat eaters, put oats into beef patties
when making burgers or into meatloaf (soaks up fat, cholesterol and carcinogens
in the meat and adds volume so you use less meat for the same size patty/loaf)
4.
Buy or make granola
5.
Make smoothies thicker by adding a Tbsp or two
of instant oats
But since I am currently obsessed with baked oatmeal here are some
of my favorite recipes:
Single servings:
Banana
bread baked oatmeal for one:
Buttermilk
chocolate chip pancake oatmeal for one:
*In
these recipes I use a ‘flax egg’ (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water) for
the egg or I use an extra ½ banana for the egg. For the buttermilk I made my
own by placing ½ tbsp vinegar (could use lemon juice) in the measuring cup
before measuring enough soymilk to fill it the rest of the way. Let the mixture
sit for a few minutes before you use it so the acid can make the milk ‘buttermilk.’
If you don’t want it vegan than you can just make the recipes as they are.
**The
healthyfoodforliving website has multiple other flavors for single serving
baked oatmeal. I just haven’t had a chance to try them all yet!
For 2+ people:
Strawberry,
banana, chocolate chip baked oatmeal
Discover the diet supplement that gives you the effect of a mini gastric bypass without surgery. A new and exciting way weight loss. Roca Labs gastric bypass no surgery formula is a diet supplement gives you a full feeling for 10-16 hours.
ReplyDelete