Oats:Natural Weight Loss Food
Recently I attended a workshop on blood group diet, where I got to know that people with B blood group should not eat too much wheat or corn. Now wheat is a staple food in a north Indian diet, how could I leave it? I love my breads . But suddenly after the lecture, I became over conscious and was mentally calculating my health every time I had a roti.
Eating rotis became difficult and being without one made me cranky. So I started searching for other options and probing my nutritionist friends. Most of them suggested I switch to oats and I decided to learn more about it.
I spent hours digging for nutrition based books on oats in the library, kept hovering over my dieticians, and read a lot of articles about it (Yup, I am a crazy girl), and suddenly I was like- why do we have wheat in the first place? Oats should be the staple diet :p . It is very healthy ingredient that can replace your wheat flour and is great for people with cholesterol problems. Here are some main benefits of adding oats to your diet.
Lowers cholesterol level
Have you ever picked up the masala oats packs and seen the label. It is very clearly mention that it helps lower cholesterol. My mom has cholesterol problem, so I added oats in her diet. When we got the recent reports then we could clearly see the difference. While earlier, the cholesterol level was high, it is now within the normal range.
Oats are a rich source of soluble fibre which basically reduces the absorption of cholesterol. It helps in removing the bad cholesterol by binding it together with the insoluble fibre and then eliminates it with the body waste. When the cholesterol levels are controlled then it also helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Aids digestion and weight loss
If you have constipation problem or suffer from indigestion then again oats can be very good. People with such problems should have high fibre diet. A bowl of oats can give you about 3 gram of fibre. It has both soluble and insoluble fibre. When you eat oats then the soluble fibre form a gel that fills the stomach for a longer time and makes you feel full. This controls your hunger pangs and helps with weight loss. The insoluble fibre absorbs the waste and eliminates it from the body and thus regularises the bowel movement.
Regulates blood sugar level
When I introduced oats in my mom’s diet then I observed a drop in her blood sugar level as well. She is dependent on insulin and her sugar levels are high. But since she started eating oats, she can feel the difference. This is because oats have a relatively low GI. The gel that’s formed after digestion, delays the absorption of carbohydrate in the blood stream because of which the blood sugar level is maintained. My mom is now able to control her sugar level and feels more energetic.
Apart from this, studies have shown that oats help in promoting general health and strengthen your immune system. They are a good source of vitamins and minerals and have certain phytochemicals that reduce the risk of cancer.
I have always loved oats but don’t see a lot of oat based products around me. So I decided to look for recipes and do my own experiments. Initially the only knew how to make oats porridge but now I have managed to get some recipe.
I have started using oat flour in my cake recipes, added it to the wheat dough for the roti and used oat bran as well. It tastes amazing and is good for my health as well. In the next few posts, I’ll be sharing how you can also prepare oats and include them in your diet.
