Oats – Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

When you hear the words "healthy breakfast," muesli or oats are one of the first things that come to mind. It is a full breakfast that is also good for your health in many ways. Oats are the best cereal, and you can eat them for breakfast, in porridge, and in baked goods. We all know that oats are one of the healthiest and least heavy foods. It doesn't have gluten, helps you lose weight, lowers your blood sugar, and is easy to stomach. In the last decade or so, oats have grown in popularity as a "health food."

What are oats?

Oats are full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre. It is called Avena Sativa in the plant world, and it can be used as a food in many ways. People eat muesli and rolled oats, which are both made from this healthy whole grain. It has a lot of fibre, which can help you lose weight and make you feel full. It is also one of the simplest dishes to make. Even if you don't know much about cooking, you can boil it and have your breakfast ready in no time. There are 8 different kinds of oats, including:

Whole Oat Groats

Rolled  or Old-Fashioned Oats

Steel Cut / Irish Oats

Scottish Oats

Oat Bran

Oat Flour

Quick Oats

Instant Oats

Health benefits of oats:

Oatmeal and oats are both healthy foods that you should eat. Oats are good for your health in many ways that help your health as a whole. It's a "go-to" food for people who want to lose weight. Avenanthramides, which are strong antioxidants that help lower blood sugar and blood pressure, are also found in oats. It also helps with digestion.

Good for expecting moms

Oats are good for pregnant women because they have a lot of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. You can combine this whole grain diet with another meal that is high in nutrients, such as fruits and vegetables.

Good For Digestion

Oats have a lot of beta-glucan fibre, which is good for digestion. A diet high in fibre encourages normal bowel movements and helps people who are constipated. It works like a natural cleanser and helps with stomach problems. Beta-glucan is a type of fibre that dissolves easily in the digestive tract. It also makes it easier for good bacteria to grow in the gut, which makes digestion easier and reduces problems with digestion.

Good for the skin

Oats are good for your skin because they keep the skin wet. Its nutrients help treat acne and cut down on the amount of oil that the face makes. Since oats are full of vitamins and can stop inflammation, they help keep skin healthy and firm. It also helps clear up pimples and works as a natural scrub. You can use its husk as a scrub to get rid of dead skin and make the face look healthy. It also helps get rid of allergens and itching. It is one of the main parts of the traditional cleaner "Ubtan," which gives the skin a fair colour.

Helps you lose weight

We all know that muesli is the most effective food to eat when you're trying to lose weight. It has a lot of the soluble fibre beta-glucan, which makes you feel full and makes you eat less. Oats also make you feel full with less energy, which helps you lose weight. It also has the YY peptide hormone that encourages people to eat fewer calories and makes it less likely that they will gain weight. If you want to lose weight by eating oats, cook them with water and a pinch of salt. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. It tends to fill you up quickly and make you less hungry.

Immunity Booster

Oats are good for your immune system because they contain many nutrients. The beta-glucan fibre assists neutrophils fight off illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses.

Improves Sleep

Oats are an excellent source of melatonin and help increase serotonin, both of which help people fall asleep and sleep better. It gives the brain tryptophan, which makes you sleepy. 

Good for the health of your heart

Oats are very good for your health and are full of powerful vitamins. Also, it has a lot of polyphenols. Avenanthramides are the most important antioxidant in oats. Antioxidants have been shown to protect the health of the heart and lower the chance of many heart diseases. Antioxidants get rid of free radicals and raise the amount of nitric oxide gas, which helps blood vessels open up. It helps the blood move smoothly, which lowers the risk of coronary artery disease and makes the heart stronger.

It also helps drop LDL cholesterol, which is the bad kind, and total cholesterol, which is good for the heart.

Helpful for Diabetes 

Individuals with type 2 diabetes can benefit from eating oats. It brings down the body's high blood sugar levels. Its soluble fibre beta-glucan turns into a thick gel in the gut, which slows the digestion of glucose after a meal. This whole grain additionally has a relatively low glycemic index and a medium glycemic load, which reduces insulin resistance and keeps blood glucose levels steady.

Ways to consume oats:

1. We can eat oatmeal or oats in many different ways every day. Because of how healthy they are, they are an important part of our daily breakfast. You can eat muesli or oats in different ways:
2. Porridge ranks as one of  the most common breakfast foods, and it's also very easy to make. You don't have to be a great cook to make porridge. Use rolled oats, water, milk, and salt to taste to make it. All you have to do is boil both of them until they get soft and mushy, and your nutritious breakfast is ready.
3. You can also make oats spicy by cooking them with different veggies.
4. It can be cooked or boiled with dried fruits, fresh fruits, and spices like cinnamon.
5. Aside from recipes you make at home, oats are a big part of  cookies, baked goods, and bread.

Did you know?

1. Pure oats don't have gluten, but most commercial types are made in factories that also make wheat, rye, and barley, which do have gluten. If oats are cultivated too near wheat crops, they can also get contaminated. It is hard to know how much gluten got into an oat product through cross-contamination. The Food and Drug Administration lets products with less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten use the regulated word "gluten-free" on their own. Since the term "gluten-free" is not required, some types of oats may be gluten-free even though they are not labelled as such. But people with celiac disease or an intolerance to gluten may want to choose oats that are marked "gluten-free."
2. Oats are often used in facial masks and occasionally utilised to treat skin diseases like eczema that cause inflammation.

 Side-effects of oats:

Oats are seen as a nutritious food with few or no bad effects. Since they are made of carbs, they can give some people indigestion, gas, or other pain. The amount also affects this side effect. So, if you are allergic to carbs, you shouldn't eat oats or too much muesli. If you only eat muesli, you also won't get as much protein. People on crash diets tend to only eat oatmeal that keeps them full but gives them little nutrition, which is bad for how your body works. So muesli is a good food to eat if you also eat healthy. It affects your ability to pay attention and move quickly.