Oats are a traditional and commonly used food item in our kitchens – many of us eat porridge made from oats or consume oatmeal or oats in granola, muesli, etc. If you do reach for oats when having your morning breakfast or as a snack when you feel peckish during the day, you’re actually doing yourself a favor. Oats are great for health and there are many reasons to include them in your diet plan. Here is how oats make for a healthy diet.
1. Source of dietary fiber
Oats are a great source of soluble or insoluble fiber. They help improve digestion, prevent constipation and keep the digestive system in good health.
2. Fights heart disease
Several studies have demonstrated the positive impact that oats have on heart disease. Oats are known to help improve cholesterol levels because of their soluble fiber content. This in turn is known to help reduce risk of heart disease.
3. Helps in controlling weight
A meal of oats will help you feel fuller for longer. This can help those looking to control calories and to lose weight. Studies have shown that children who eat oatmeal regularly have a lower risk of childhood obesity.
4. Offers sustained energy release
Oats are made up of complex carbohydrates that not only make you feel fuller for longer, they give the body a slower, more sustained release of energy as against sudden spike that comes from consuming simple carbs.
5. Helps fight depression
Certain vitamins contained in oats are thought to promote the secretion of serotonin. This is thought to improve depressive symptoms and help a person sleep better.
6. Could help with longevity
Oats contain certain fatty acids that are seen to be linked with a longer and healthier life.
7. Could lower diabetes risk
Since oats prevent sudden spikes in blood sugar and help control obesity, they can help cut down a person’s overall diabetes risk.
8. High in nutrients
Oats don’t just contain fiber they are also rich in other nutrients that help maintain bone health, shore up the immune systems and keep connective tissue in good health.
9. Delicious
Quite simply oats are delicious. They can be consumed in various different forms and cooked many different ways so pick those that you enjoy most.
10. Convenient
Oats are available in a variety of different forms – as porridge, breakfast cereals and many others. Given the many different forms you can consume oats; it can be quite easy and convenient to make them a part of any healthy diet.
