Oats are one of the most valuable foods in the basic nutrition of the being human. It is a cereal that preserves all its properties from its harvest and provides more amount of Vitamin E, linoleic acid, proteins, soluble fiber and B vitamins than other cereals.
It is quick and easy to cook. Oatmeal flakes can be eaten alone or mixed with oat bran to make meatballs or soups and stews. You can also make puddings by adding fruits to make them more delicious.
The advisable portion to ingest oatmeal in the daily diet is 15 grams raw or cooked, but to lower cholesterol and maintain the level of blood sugar you should ingest 50 grams per day of flakes or flour oats. Also, if you want to lower cholesterol quickly, you can consume 75 grams and then return to the normal 50 grams. And always these amounts must be respected because excess oatmeal tends to limit the absorption of Calcium, Iron and Zinc from other foods, since it generates acid phytic, directly responsible for the mineral decline.
Therapeutic properties
Oats, unlike other cereals, have medicinal properties that have a direct impact on the health of the body:
• Lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood: In a diet of low fat content including a small portion of oatmeal or oat bran it has been found that there is a drop in the level of total cholesterol by more than 3% and in “bad” cholesterol by 14%.
• It acts as a sedative: For example: if you want to stop smoking but there is much anxiety, ingesting oat extract, the nerves calm and the anxiety decreases.
• Its fiber helps to counteract the speed of digestion: Oats reduces the absorption of Carbohydrates to maintain the balance of the
blood sugar level, especially in people with diabetes.
• Does not have gluten: Most people with celiac disease have an intolerance to gluten and can eat oats without problems since it does not have it.
• Relieves constipation: By having an important fiber content, it relieves the digestive tract without causing constipation
