Eating Oatmeal Every Day Does Your Body Good

When you think of oats, you think of them as an ingredient in breakfast cereals and oatmeal, and maybe delicious oatmeal cookies. Over the past decade, oats have become extremely popular health food.

Helps Control Weight: When it comes to losing weight, there are times we can always use a little help. So if you eat oatmeal, you might be able to control your weight. A study that was published in 2009 in an issue of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research gives evidence of this claim. The study concluded that a compound found in oatmeal known as β-glucan can reduce one’s appetite by increasing the hormone cholecystokinin. Plus oatmeal is full of fiber which is something that keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Not only that PUBMED says oatmeal has beta-glucan which is another thing that can make you feel fuller than normal. Which means no trips to the vending machine for snacks once you get to work. Not that you’re guilty of that. No, not you.

Reduces Blood Pressure: Heart disease is one of the top causes of death in North America, so anytime we can lower our blood pressure, we will reduce the risk of developing heart disease. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a high whole-grain diet is just as effective as taking anti-hypertensive medication to lower your blood pressure. Remember that Beta-glucan we talked about at the last point? Well, turns out studies published in PUBMED show that this can also help reduce the bad LDL cholesterol and regular cholesterol levels that can increase your risk of heart disease.

Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels: Everyone has experienced a sugar crash at some point in their life. With oatmeal, this won’t happen as often. Because of its high fiber content, the sugar is released more slowly into the bloodstream, which means that it has a low glycemic index. A study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that a low glycemic diet was associated with less insulin resistance and lowered the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Oats can possibly help with insulin sensitivity as well. When our bodies stop responding to insulin it can cause a whole bunch of health issues, and insulin resistance is extremely common. Any defence against insulin resistance will help your body out in many ways.

Digestion: According to reviews that were published in a supplement issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, oats can play a vital role in improving satiety, digestive, and diet quality. When you feel fuller, you give your body time to digest the food quicker. So, many times people often overeat because they don’t have that full feeling.

Colorectal Cancer: Britain and Netherland's researchers published evidence in BMJ that covered almost 2 million people and evaluated whether or not a high fiber diet is linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer. They found that an extra 10 grams of fiber per day can reduce someone’s risk of developing colorectal cancer by 10%.

Promotes Antioxidant Activity: As we’ve mentioned at the beginning, oatmeal is loaded with antioxidants called avenanthramides. These can inhibit inflammation and also boost the production of nitric oxide, which prevents hardening of the arteries. Antioxidants also protect your cells from free radicals. Free radicals increase the risk of cancer and heart disease. A study published in Nutrition and Cancer found that avenanthramides in oats actually decrease the spread of colon cancer cells.

They’re An Easy Breakfast Option: All science aside, eating oats in the morning is just an easy way to be healthy. Oats contain lots of fiber and protein, which are two things many of us don’t get enough daily.