People often talk about the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, especially when promoting a particular diet. But, have you ever noticed that those same people don’t always boast about certain grains like oats?
The thing is, oats – and oatmeal, in particular, offer a whole host of fantastic health benefits. They’re delicious and can get consumed by people of all ages, and eaten whether they’re on a diet or not. Let’s explore some of oatmeal’s brilliant health advantages in detail:
1. Oatmeal is very nutritious
The first thing you should know about oatmeal is that it’s packed full of nutrients to keep your body feeling healthy and strong. For a start, it’s worth pointing out that oatmeal is a good source of carbohydrates and fiber. They’re loaded with protein as well.
Oatmeal also contains a variety of vitamins. Did you know, for instance, that it contains around 191% of the recommended daily intake of manganese? In case you wondered, manganese has many health benefits, such as reducing inflammation.
2. Lower blood pressure
If you’re a person that experiences high blood pressure, you likely have medicine prescribed to you from your doctor to help control it. The thing about high blood pressure is that many things can affect it, such as environmental factors, weight, and, of course, stress.
Oatmeal is one of nature’s solutions to help tackle high blood pressure. That’s because oatmeal contains avenanthramides – antioxidants that help to lower blood pressure. Avenanthramides promote better blood flow by increasing nitric acid to dilate blood vessels.
3. A useful weight-loss tool
Did you know that oatmeal can be a great way to help you lose weight? When it comes to oatmeal and losing weight, you should know that it’s quite filling and so it enables you to fight off the urge to snack or eat high volumes of food to satisfy your appetite.
When used as porridge, oatmeal makes a delicious breakfast food that will keep you energized and feeling fuller for longer. Whether you’re at work or doing stuff from home, you’re less likely to stop for elevenses before lunchtime.
Aside from slowing down the digestion process, oatmeal is also low in calories. That means you can treat yourself to a large bowl of porridge for breakfast, for example, and not worry about breaking a calorie limit in your diet!
4. Improved blood sugar levels
It’s no secret that one of the biggest problems people face in the Western world is their addiction to foods that are high in sugar. The thing about sugar is that it’s cheap to buy, and food manufacturers use a lot of it to make their products more appetizing.
Sadly, the downside of consuming high levels of sugar is the onset of diabetes. Some people are born with type 1 diabetes, of course. But, type 2 diabetes usually happens when a person has an unbalanced diet and always consumes food rich in sugar.
5. Constipation relief
Do you find that you often have problems with constipation and feeling bloated? The trouble with resolving that problem is doctors will usually prescribe you laxatives to help things along when you go to the toilet.
Of course, the last thing you want to do is rely on medicine to help relieve you of your bowel complaints. Aside from eating fewer things that are stodgy or don’t get digested quick enough, you could always eat oatmeal for constipation relief.
As you know from point one of this blog post, oatmeal is a good source of fiber. And when you need to have better toilet experiences, foods like oatmeal that are rich in fiber are the perfect alternative to medicines like laxatives.
6. Natural skincare benefits
Last but not least, have you ever noticed that ground oats get listed as a key ingredient in many skincare products? That’s because oatmeal in a finely-crushed form (colloidal oatmeal) offers a plethora of natural skincare benefits.
For a start, they have proven to help ease the symptom of eczema, and where skin feels dry and itchy. It’s capable of doing so due to the avenanthramides antioxidants as described in point two in this blog post.
Conclusion
Oatmeal, both consumed as food and applied to the skin, offers many amazing health benefits. If you aren’t incorporating oatmeal in your diet and lifestyle, now’s the time to start!
What other health benefits do you think eating oatmeal has? Let me know in the comments below!
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