Oats are very healthy for you, as they are gluten free and contain soluble fiber which is good for lowering your cholesterol, especially LDL Cholesterol, the kind that is very bad for your health and heart.
When looking at oats, as an extra bonus, what is the best food for your body that reduces inflammation?
The answer is Fibers!
Those are the best Anti-Inflammatory foods you can have. And oats are loaded with fiber.
One cup of oats contains 154 calories, 27g of carbs, 4gm of fibers, & 4 gm of protein.
Oats are a complex carbohydrate, so they’ll keep you feeling full longer than simple carbs. And get this: oats have twice the protein as brown rice. They also offer iron, thiamin, zinc, magnesium, and selenium.
Oats are also an important source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They will also help you reduce weight.
Looking to buy oats? The best oats to buy are steel-cut or rolled oats. The main difference is how they are manufactured: both are whole oats and are rich with fiber-rich bran, the endosperm, and the germ, which is the home to vitamins & minerals, antioxidants, and healthy oils. From there, the oats are either rolled or steel-cut.
Now, one thing to watch out for:
Oats contain phytic acid, an antinutrient that is known to interfere with the absorption of the vitamins and minerals from oats into your body. So, you need to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet to make up for the possible nutritional loss.
Are fast food oats unhealthy?
A McDonald’s “fruit and maple oatmeal” contains 290 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 32 grams of sugar.
Now compare this to a regular package of Quaker’s plain instant oatmeal which has 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of sugar.
When we add brown sugar, chocolate chips, or dried fruits, we add more calories and fat, all of which makes you gain weight.
Some places like Starbucks, who offer 3 different versions, add some of the above ingredients and make their oatmeal unhealthy.
For example, they offer a nut medley, which packs on an additional 100 calories and 9 grams of fat. Nuts sound healthy right? But those extra calories and fat aren’t serving you.
Remember those fast food places are very clever–they sell you oats as a “healthy” option and make you think you are making a good choice.
Be smart and get educated so you make good choices versus getting influenced by the clever marketing of big giants fast food whose interest is not your health but their business.
When you buy your oats and fix them at home, you can control what goes into them, and make sure that you take in all the healthy benefits, without any of the negatives.
Do you have a favorite way to incorporate oats into your diet? Comment below.