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Oats and Oatmeal Guide: Health Benefits, Risks, and Recipes
Oats, also known as "Avena Sativa," is one of the healthiest breakfasts in modern days. In modern times, oats were also considered healthy, even in the pre-historic "Stone-age" periods when paleolithic hunters gathered wild oats. Wild Oats had various species, such as "Avena Sativa," "Avena Byzantina," and "Avena Strigosa," amongst which only Avena sativa is now available at grocery stores. In contrast, the others are used for animal feed.
Oats are rich in dietary fibers like e β-glucan, vitamins B and E, valuable proteins, minerals like zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, carbohydrates, and even phytochemical components.
Depending on different processes, oats are converted into oatmeal. Some of them are listed below.
Steel-cut Oats − Also known as pinhead oats, it is an Irish oatmeal that is chopped using steel blades into 2-3 pieces. Steel-cut pieces are used to make porridge traditionally. They take longer, around 30 minutes, to cook. They are even used to make oatcakes and are considered tastier than other types of oats.
Stone-ground Oats − They are the original form of oatmeal produced in Scotland. They are produced by passing the oat kernels in-between two large mill stones. Stone-grounded contains oat oils that were extracted during grinding and thus produced a unique, surprising taste.
Rolled Oats − Rolled oats are streamed for softening and then are passed through metal rollers to make them thin and flat. They take less time to cook as compared to traditional oats.
Quick Cooking Oats − Quick cooking oats are made even thinner, almost half the width of rolled oats. They could be cooked and prepared within 5 minutes.
Instant Oats − Instant oats are pre-cooked oats. They are rolled thin for instant oatmeal. They are cooked oatmeal and are dried again. You need to add hot water, and the oatmeal is ready again.
Health Benefits
There are several health benefits of oatmeal. Six of the essential health benefits are listed below.
Oats are quite nourishing − Oats are rich in beta-glucan, an excellent source of protein fiber. They establish a proper balance of all the required amino acids by the human body and are an excellent source of high-quality protein. Eight grams of fiber, 5 grams of fat, 13 grams of protein, and 51 grams of carbohydrates are included in half a cup of dried oats.
Plenty of antioxidants − Oats have high amounts of polyphenols, known as antioxidants which are plant chemicals and are considered healthy. Avenanthramides, exclusively present in oats, may reduce blood pressure by boosting nitric oxide generation. More significant blood flows are possible, which helps in widening arteries due to the presence of these gas molecules.
Powerful soluble Fibre − Beta-glucan, present in oats, is a form of fiber found in oats that helps to reduce cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure and boosts the proliferation of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract.
Weight Reduction − The beta-glucan helps to increase your sense of fullness by delaying the time it takes for your stomach to empty after meals. This satiety hormone has been shown to make you consume fewer calories, which may reduce your chance of becoming obese.
Skin Quality Enrichment − The term "colloidal oatmeal" refers to the finely ground oats used by the products' producers. Oat-based skin enrichment products help to lessen the painful eczema symptoms.
Reduced chance of asthma in kids − Asthma is a severe yet common chronic disease among children. Early exposure to foods like oats, for instance, may protect kids from developing asthma. According to research, giving oats and oatmeal to kids before they are half a year old may reduce their likelihood of acquiring asthma.
Risk Factors
Oats can cause mild stomach bloating, which is uncommon in healthy people. Changing one's diet abruptly—for example, moving from eating little fiber to eating a lot of oats—can cause this impact. In this instance, the swelling may also result in cramping and gas in the stomach area. To avoid such problems, we should initially take small amounts of oats in our diet and gradually increase the quantity per our requirements.
Who Must Not Consume Oats?
People suffering from Diabetes, Anaemia, Celiac disease, and patients suffering from intestine-related problems are recommended to avoid Oats. Allergy to oats creates disturbances due to unwanted reactions in the immune system as the intestine cannot digest the proteins available in the oats and treats them as antigens. Thus, the body produces histamine and type E immunoglobulins against the allergy, affecting the digestion system with pain, bloating, irritation and mucosa.
Recipes
Overnight Oats − It's like eating dessert in the morning with this dish. This quick, easy, and delectable overnight oats recipe involves soaking rolled or quick-cooking oats in milk, water, or yogurt. After that, it is afterward topped with fruits or nuts.
Oats Upma − A 30-minute simple recipe is oats upma. Here is a delicious and simple yet light breakfast recipe for the workday's busy mornings. Made with nutritious vegetables, it takes just 30 minutes to prepare with quick-cooking oats and deliciously mixed vegetables.
Oat porridge − This oats porridge dish can help you if your mornings get too busy. It provides a quick, on-the-go breakfast. It takes 5 to 6 minutes to cook an oats-based porridge, making it a speedy meal. The author has never eaten oats in his life.
Oatmeal Pancakes − Mix all the ingredients in a blender and prepare a frying pan with oil for heat. Fry the pancakes for two minutes, flip them, and cook them for two more minutes. Top them with bananas and honey.
Oatmeal muffins − Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. In a bowl, pour 1.5 cups of blended oat flour, combine all the dry ingredients, and set it aside. Combine the contents of the two bowls. Scoop your mixture into the cupcake liners, then top with some dried fruit. Bake the muffins for 25 minutes.
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