Let’s face it, making new good habits isn’t limited to the New Year! You can choose to eat healthier foods all year long, and oats can certainly help you achieve this goal. This cereal has a great nutritional track record which, in turn, provides several health benefits. That’s why we chose to share three good reasons for integrating oats into your lifestyle!
1. Oats contain a lot of protein
Let’s begin our biology 101 course with proteins, the main ingredient behind cell structure. Proteins are made of amino acids, which hangout together to form our DNA, organs, bones, skin, hair, cells, etc. In a nutshell, it’s pretty important stuff!
Raw oat bran contains on average 17.3 g of protein per 100 g. [1] Therefore, it’s one of the top cereals in terms of protein content! For this reason, you might want to add oats to your training ritual: about 30 minutes after exercise, eat an oat bar or try our hearty oatmeal breakfast bowl recipe. These high protein snacks will help your muscles make a swift recovery!
2. Oats can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
Moving on from protein, we continue our biology 101 course with beta-glucan. This soluble fibre is one of the non-digestible carbohydrates that aren’t absorbed by our small intestine. Oats contain an impressive quantity of beta-glucan, leading to slower digestion, increased fullness and appetite suppression. [2] [3]
Many studies have shown that a daily intake can significantly lower your blood cholesterol level. [4] In turn, a lower blood cholesterol level can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [5] Crazy, isn’t it?
The quantity of beta-glucan contained in oats also helps reduce sugar absorption in the blood during digestion, which can help to manage type 2 diabetes. [6] Our Almond Butter & Cherry Overnight Oats, with only 3 g of sugar per 40 g, is a great alternative to sugary breakfast cereals for people with diabetes.
3. Oats make it easier to absorb certain vitamins
Last but not least, vitamins! Fat not only contributes to the energy supply contained in food, but it also allows your body to better absorb vitamin A, D, E, K and carotenoids. We’ll spare you the detailed explanation of this last substance, which could also be the name of a robot, but feel free to use it during your next Scrabble game.
Going back to oats, they supply 7.03 g of fat per 100 g, which is three to ten times more fat than most cereals. [1] Plus, oats are filled with many vitamins and minerals like manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Oats are clearly an asset when it comes to a balanced diet made up of different types of cereals. Other than breakfast, oats can be used in several desserts, such as in this chocolate bark recipe, this decadent chocolate cookie recipe or this berry crumble recipe.
This text, which could have been written by a hybrid of Jamie Oliver and David Suzuki, brings together many good reasons to adopt oats as a valuable ally for eating healthy. Since oats are a complex food, it should be noted that they can act in synergy, in opposition or in complementarity with other foods in your diet and that several health benefits are still being studied to better understand the mechanisms involved. Either way, it’s a delicious, versatile and environmentally friendly cereal that is worth savouring!
Sources
[1] USDA FoodData Central. Oat bran, raw. [Online]
[2] Rebello CJ, Johnson WD, Martin CK, Xie W, O'Shea M, Kurilich A, Bordenave N, Andler S, van Klinken BJ, Chu YF, Greenway FL. Acute effect of oatmeal on subjective measures of appetite and satiety compared to a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal: a randomized crossover trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2013;32(4):272-9. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.816614. PMID: 24024772. [Online]
[3] Clark MJ, Slavin JL. The effect of fiber on satiety and food intake: a systematic review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2013;32(3):200-11. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.791194. PMID: 23885994. [Online]
[4] Lia A, Hallmans G, Sandberg AS, Sundberg B, Aman P, Andersson H. Oat beta-glucan increases bile acid excretion and a fiber-rich barley fraction increases cholesterol excretion in ileostomy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Dec;62(6):1245-51. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/62.6.1245. PMID: 7491888. [Online]
[5] Whitehead A, Beck EJ, Tosh S, Wolever TM. Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Dec;100(6):1413-21. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.086108. Epub 2014 Oct 15. PMID: 25411276; PMCID: PMC5394769. [Online]
[6] Wood PJ, Braaten JT, Scott FW, Riedel KD, Wolynetz MS, Collins MW. Effect of dose and modification of viscous properties of oat gum on plasma glucose and insulin following an oral glucose load. Br J Nutr. 1994 Nov;72(5):731-43. doi: 10.1079/bjn19940075. PMID: 7826996. [Online]
[7] Aschner M, Dorman DC. Manganese: pharmacokinetics and molecular mechanisms of brain uptake. Toxicol Rev. 2006;25(3):147-54. doi: 10.2165/00139709-200625030-00002. PMID: 17192121. [Online]
[8] Takeda E, Yamamoto H, Yamanaka-Okumura H, Taketani Y. Dietary phosphorus in bone health and quality of life. Nutr Rev. 2012 Jun;70(6):311-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00473.x. PMID: 22646125. [Online]
[9] Blaszczyk U, Duda-Chodak A. Magnesium: its role in nutrition and carcinogenesis. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2013;64(3):165-71. PMID: 24325082. [Online]
[10] Prasad AS. Impact of the discovery of human zinc deficiency on health. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Jun;28(3):257-65. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2009.10719780. PMID: 20150599. [Online]