Oatmeal: A healthy whole grain

Oatmeal is an almost globally beloved breakfast food. If there ever was a nutritious comfort food, oatmeal would fit the bill.  Oatmeal is one of the healthiest grain based foods on earth and has the nutritional muscle to back up the title of ‘superfood.’  Generally used as a hot breakfast cereal here in the United States, nourishing oatmeal is better known as ‘porridge’ in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a common term for a breakfast cereal that is cooked.

Oatmeal is a whole grain food known scientifically as Avena sativa. Unprocessed oatmeal straight from the field is not edible. The hard husk found on oats must be removed before cooking and consumption.  When the husk is removed, what’s left is the oat’s groat – which is the entire bran, endosperm, and germ, the three components that constitute a whole grain. The most intact and whole form of oatmeal is oat groats, but they take much longer to cook.  This is why most people prefer rolled, crushed, steel-cut or instant oats since they require a shorter cook time.

When you buy oatmeal at the grocery store, here are the more common forms you will see oats available for purchase:

·      Rolled oats – Groats that have been steamed and smashed flat

·      Quick cooking and instant oatmeal – Typically rolled oats that have been further flattened, steamed, or precooked to cut down on prep time

·      Steel-cut oats – Groats that have been sliced up into small pieces instead of being rolled.

This whole grain food is naturally gluten-free however it is possible for oatmeal to be contaminated with gluten.  This is because they may be harvested and processed using the same equipment as other grains that contain gluten. 

Health benefits of oatmeal

Over the years, oatmeal has grown to be recognized as having a number of key health benefits.  These benefits include weight loss, lowering blood sugar levels, reducing heart disease, curbing appetite and lowering cholesterol. 

The nutrient composition of oatmeal is outstanding and is why it is always included in a list of the top healthiest foods to eat.  Here are some of the nutrients it is particularly rich in:

One cup of cooked oatmeal contains:

·      Manganese – 2.9 mg or 147% of the daily value (DV)

·      Iron – 3.4 mg or 19% DV

·      Thiamin – 0.4 mg or 25% DV

·      Magnesium – 112 mg or 28% DV

·      Phosphorus – 332 mg or 33% DV

·      Selenium – 23.4 mcg or 33% DV

·      Cholesterol – 0 mg

·      Fiber – 8 grams or 33% DV

·      Protein – 11 grams

Here are other health benefits oatmeal provides:

·      Can lower cholesterol levels

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, elevated cholesterol is a main risk factor for cardiovascular disease.  Heart disease is a leading cause of death globally with blood lipid levels being the main cause.  Many studies have shown the type of fiber found in oatmeal called beta-glucan is effective at reducing both total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) a “bad” cholesterol levels.  LDL cholesterol can deposit plaque in the body’s arteries that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.  Consuming soluble fiber-rich food such as oatmeal is an effective way to reduce elevated cholesterol levels.  Soluble fiber forms a sticky gel in your digestive tract that grabs and clears cholesterol from your body. 

·      Reduces appetite which could lead to weight loss

Keeping weight loss sustained can be challenging if appetite isn’t under control.  The same compound, beta-glucan, that fights blood cholesterol levels can also help control appetite by increasing the hunger-fighting hormone cholecystokinin.  A 2013 study found that oatmeal when compared to the most widely sold ready-to-eat breakfast cereal was better at appetite control and increasing satiety that was attributed to the viscosity and hydration properties of its beta-glucan content.  Choosing oatmeal as a food to eat first thing in the morning, can be a great way to start the day feeling full and better able to control hunger cues.

·      Reduces colon cancer

Each year almost 56,000 adults will die from colon cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.  One way to fight colon cancer back is to consume foods rich in antioxidants.  Antioxidants help reduce colon cancer by fighting cancer-causing compounds known as free radicals.  Oatmeal is rich in a class of antioxidants known as avenanthramides which a 2010 study showed may help reduce colon cancer risk. 

·      May help reduce blood pressure

Oatmeal contains a unique antioxidant called avenanthramides, which are mostly found solely in oats.  Avenanthramides may help lower blood pressure levels by increasing the production of nitric oxide.  This gas molecule helps dilate blood vessels and leads to better blood flo