When I think of a quick simple breakfast, nothing beats oats for a hearty meal. Oats has been a regular item on my breakfast menu since I was a kid. Even when rushing off to school, there was still time to gulp down a bowl of warm oats porridge. A slice of bread dipped in the porridge made it quite filling and I loved it. My mother also made sure we had a spoonful of cod liver oil to go with every breakfast. That took a bit of getting used to. But oats was comfort food then. Nothing has changed in all the years on oats being a regular item on my breakfast menu. I didn’t know it as a kid, but I know now that oats have been delivering an important nutrition boost with each bowl.
In 440 B.C., a Greek physician, Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food.” Nothing has changed in how we should view the role of nutrition in our diet and wellbeing. These days, there’s ample information available to allow us to take good and beneficial decisions on our food choices. It’s only us humans who can exercise a choice on what we consume. Good food intake is a wholesome mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber through natural foods.
Let’s discuss the humble oats, shall we? The humble oats makes up the list of Superfoods. Oats has been cultivated for more than 4000 years and is one of a variety of whole grains that mother earth endows us. It is minimally processed when it gets to our breakfast table. Cooking oats is easy and quick. Some of the vitamins and minerals it contains are:
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Phosphorus
- Copper
- Biotin
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
The soluble fiber in oats, called beta-glucan, supports the heart’s health by its proven ability to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and high blood pressure. But beta-glucan has a long list of other benefits too.
Beta-gluten fiber increases the viscosity and volume of digested food in the gut, by its absorption of water. This slows digestion gives a feeling of fullness or satiety, and thus potentially lowers weight gain issues. A reduction in LDL cholesterol and weight gain helps promote health and longevity. Beta-gluten also helps the diabetic person – as it helps prevent the sharp rise of blood sugar and insulin levels after a meal. The fiber further helps in preventing constipation, as the increased water content of stool helps in bowel regularity. Plant chemicals in oats act as antioxidants, to reduce the damaging effects of chronic inflammation. It’s important fact that more than 50% of all deaths in the world today are attributable to inflammation-related diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.
There is lots of recent research on the correlation between gut health and general mental wellbeing. The gut-brain axis, as it is called, refers to the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and gut microbiota. Mental illness, including depression, and gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome have been associated with the gut microbiota. The breakdown of beta-glucan in oats fiber has been reported to nourish and restore the diversity of healthy intestinal bacteria.
Superfoods is mostly a marketing term to promote health-giving foods. Such promotions have created a billion-dollar industry. Oats, on the other hand, is a cheaper add-on to your diet. It remains a good source of carbohydrates, plant-based protein (around 11-15%), and amino acids. It also contains a higher level of unsaturated fats (the good kind). A bowl of oats, an hour before any physical exercise, ensure steady blood sugar levels through a workout to keep you going. Oats is the timeless superfood, and maybe my mother knew it all along.
Resource Info:
https://www.livescience.com/34693-superfoods.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0675-0
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-oatmeal#2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5808284/
https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/news/5-top-foods-to-nourish-your-gut-bacteria
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/bowl-oatmeal-day-key-longer-life-major-study/story?id=28027624
https://www.drjennamacciochi.com/blog/2019/2/6/move-over-chia-and-quinoa-hail-the-humble-oat-the-original-natural-superfood
https://www.eatthis.com/breakfast-food-for-longer-life/
