Oatmeal diet

Oats and oatmeal are the only whole grain food that the FDA recognizes as helpful in lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Oats were used by ancient peoples north of the Roman empire in what is now Switzerland, France and Germany.

The Scots, who made oat meal a sort of national dish, did not really begin to use until the 17th and 18th centuries.

Eating more protein and fiber including the soluble fiber found in oats, can help to achieve weight loss goals. Eating oats keep the person fuller for longer and make less likely to snack in sugary and fatty snacks after eat them.

Whole grain like oatmeal are the nutritional powerhouse. Like wheat, oats contain the highly nutritious bran – the outer casing, which in the case of oats is high in soluble fiber.

Oatmeal is made from whole grain oats that have been stripped of their coating, steamed, rolled flat then thinly sliced. Steel cut, rolled or quick cooking oats all contain the same amount of fiber.

Rolled oats are used in breakfast food, cookies, breads and granola which is a mixture of rolled oats, honey, nuts, raisin, or dates.

Cold oat breakfast cereals contain much less fiber which is about 2 g per serving. Dry oatmeal contains about 14% protein, but cooked oatmeal is only 2 percent protein.

Study by Penn State University stated that a bowl of oats can help the person maintain an even level of energy throughout the day. That because oats are loaded with extra soluble fiber, which slows down the release of sugar into the bloodstream.

Oats not only provides protein, but also vitamin E, selenium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese and magnesium.
Oatmeal diet

Oatmeal for Your Heart

Oatmeal for Your Heart
In recent years, clinical studies have affirmed the ability of oatmeal and oat bran to reduce blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and generally reduce the long term risk of hart disease.

In recognition of these well-established benefits, in 1996 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted manufacturers/packagers of oatmeal the right to make specific health claim about this food, stating that diets high in oat meal or oat bran may reduce the risk of heart disease.

It was the first permissible health claim ever accorded to a food by the FDA, an agency that generally has favored drugs over natural substance.

In 1995, researchers at John Hopkins, in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that people who regularly consumed even a modest portion of oatmeal (one ounce cooked daily) had lower blood pressure and cholesterol readings than those who never ate oatmeal.

The study was based in the evaluation of 850 men, 17 – 77 years old living in China; their oatmeal consumption was 25 – 90 g daily.

The researchers stated that “the higher the oats intake, the lower the blood pressure,” regardless of other factors such as age and weight or alcohol sodium, or potassium intake, which are known to affect blood pressure.

According to researcher, it is oatmeal’s high content of water soluble fiber (beta glucan) that can produces the heart benefits.

A six-year study involving 22,000 middle-aged Finnish males showed that consuming as little as 3 g daily of soluble fiber (from the beta glucan fiber component of oats, barley or rye) reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 27%.
Oatmeal for Your Heart