“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” you may have heard your parents say, and wonderful things can happen to your body if your breakfast includes oatmeal. This complex carbohydrate and super grain is a healthy source of nutrition and has some amazing health benefits.
For thousands of years, humans have harvested oats as a food source and also for different types of medicine. Oatmeal has been used to heal the skin, to improve digestion and alleviate intestinal illness, to help certain nervous system issues, and uterine complaints, and many others.
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU EAT OATMEAL EVERY DAY:
Nutritional Benefits Of Eating Oatmeal Every Day
One small cup of oatmeal contains 26 grams of protein, and just one tiny quarter-cup serving of this whole grain gives you near to 100% of your recommended daily need of manganese.
Oatmeal contains many very healthy antioxidants; vitamin E, selenium, tocotrieonols, phenolic acids and phytic acid. Not only does oatmeal provide complex carbohydrates, but being a whole grain it is more nutritious than refined grains such as corn flakes and white bread.
Whole grains contain more fiber, as well as B vitamins and other important and valuable nutrients that the body needs which are lost during grain processing in factories. Some of these healthy nutrients found in oatmeal are Vitamin B1, Biotin, Copper, Molybdenum, Phosphorus and Magnesium, as well as many . other phytonutrients.
Changes You Can See In Your Body When You Eat Oatmeal Every Day
One of the greatest health benefits that comes with eating oatmeal as part of your breakfast is its great potential to prevent obesity and weight gain. Oatmeal is a grain that when added with water and consumed, gives a feeling of satiety, that feeling of satisfaction of your hunger.
Oatmeal causes you to feel full faster than other foods, and helps you to to feel full for longer periods of time. The body takes longer to break down complex carbs, and during this process excellent amounts of low-level energy are delivered to your body, helping sustain you for the day’s activities. The slower digestion means that this energy will last, helping you avoid hunger cravings as the fiber helps to keep your stomach feeling full for a longer period of time.
The oatmeal we eat in the morning has a low-glycemic impact (GI), providing a good source of energy for the early hours of our day, without a dramatic increase or drop in blood sugar. Maintaining lower blood sugar levels for extended periods of time can help our bodies to regulate insulin usage.
Oatmeal’s low GI naturally helps to avoid cravings due to a drop in blood sugar. When we experience less cravings, we are less likely to reach for our favorite, and often less than healthy, comfort foods.
One of the biggest points to note about choosing to eat oatmeal daily is the amazing daily caloric impact it can have for you. In a study comparing high-GI breakfast foods to low-GI breakfast foods, oatmeal was discovered to prevent people from over-consuming calories during their later meals, leading to a daily caloric reduction of up to as much as 81%. The natural dieting effects of eating oatmeal can be powerful, simply because we feel less hungry throughout the day after eating it.
Most of the low calorie and low fat diet foods that people eat when dieting do not help us to feel full, but rather leave us still feeling hungry. But oatmeal can bring that warm, satisfied, content and not-hungry feeling that has our stomach signal to our brain that we are all set on food, and causing us to eat less throughout the day. This daily decrease in cravings and the body’s need for calories will result in surprising and healthy natural weight loss and fat reduction in your body.
Quaker makes a trusted and delicious organic oatmeal that can be found here.
Other Health Benefits Of Eating Oatmeal Every Day
Slimming down is great, and there are even more wonderful health benefits that come with eating oatmeal for breakfast. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods.org, a non-profit with over 35 million followers who uses science based only health data for recommending foods, here are other research based benefits that come with eating oatmeal:
* Lower cholesterol
* Less risk of cardiovascular disease
* Lower risk of heart failure
* Improved immune response
* Stabilize blood sugar and reduce risk of type 2 diabetes
* Excellent source of fiber which protects against breast cancer
* Whole grains protect against childhood asthma
* Safe grain alternative for celiac disease sufferers or those who are avoiding gluten in their diets
* Extend life expectancy
What You Need To Know About Oat Processing
Whole oats are processed in different ways before they become our morning healthy goodness that we enjoy for breakfast. Instant oatmeal packets tend to come with added sugars, while oatmeal that comes in larger bags tend to be sugar-free. Many of us already have too much sugar in our diets, so by choosing plain flavored oatmeal you can control how much sugar you consume with your daily oatmeal. Add your own amount of sugar, fruit, or even better, stay natural and add some honey to it for a wonderful flavor.
As with all foods, those with specific health conditions may not receive the benefits of oatmeal, such as people who have gout. If you have current health concerns, speak with your health care professional before making changes to your diet.
As for oatmeal processing, instant oatmeal often also contains extra sodium as well as food additives which keep the oatmeal lasting longer on the shelves, but as any chemical goes, is not healthy for the body to consume. While instant oatmeal will still give you all of the amazing health benefits listed above, here is a list of the different types of oats that can make your daily breakfast of oatmeal even better:
Here is some useful information about oat processing:
Oat groats: unflattened kernels that are good for using as a breakfast cereal or for stuffing
Steel-cut oats: featuring a dense and chewy texture, they are produced by running the grain through steel blades that thinly slices them.
Old-fashioned oats: have a flatter shape that is the result of their being steamed and then rolled.
Quick-cooking oats: processed like old-fashioned oats, except they are cut finely before rolling
Instant oatmeal: produced by partially cooking the grains and then rolling them very thin.
Oat bran: just the outer layer of the oat grain that resides under the hull.
Any of these choices can make a wonderful meal, but as we all know with food, the less it is processed, the higher nutritional value and less chemicals it has.
Steel-cut oats is a great place to start for a healthy and balanced oatmeal breakfast.
Look for creative ways to enjoy adding oatmeal to your breakfast. Many people add different types of fruit such as blueberries or strawberries instead of sugar to make it extra delicious.
Also try adding oatmeal to a shake or a smoothie combined with your favorite yogurt.
Oatmeal can also be added to your regular baking recipes, such as muffins, bread and cookies.
Oatmeal can substitute as the grain in just about any meal you cook, so now that you’ve learned all of the amazing health benefits that come with eating it daily, consider adding it to your daily diet as much as you can. Enjoy the benefits of eating oatmeal daily and enjoy seeing how grateful your body becomes as well.
You are loved.