Oatmeal Nutrition Facts
Oatmeal is low in fat, high in soluble fiber, full of vitamins and minerals. It is basically the perfect food to have.
Some would argue that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and oatmeal has to be the best breakfast there is..
• What you eat in breakfast will more than likely affect your energy levels and your mood. Oatmeal is the food that can help you begin your day with ongoing energy, fight against diseases, lose weight, stay relaxed and calm.
• If you have some type of cereal allergy, oatmeal is easily tolerated by almost anyone. It is a complete food that is full of nutrition and it does not go through any form of refined processing.
• Oatmeal is cheap! You can grab a 1 pound packet of rolled oats to 40-45 cents and make porridge in a couple of minutes, add some nuts, some dried fruits, perhaps a little bit of honey… you have the perfect breakfast!
• You may have porridge from oatmeal or mixed cereals with oatmeal for breakfast, your sandwich with oatmeal bread, an oatmeal snack barduring the day or oat cakes with cottage cheese on top.
• Oatmeal is an integral whole grain food and a complex carbohydrate and full of dietary fibre, however it is estimated that only 5% of the world’s total oat crop is eaten by humans.
Oatmeal Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
• Being a complex carbohydrate, oatmeal breaks down gradually in your body, keeping your blood sugar stable, and giving you slow energy release.
• The phytochemicals and fibre in oats may have cancer-fighting properties.
• Fiber in oatmeal helps with weight loss by being low in calories- less than 150 calories per serving, by making you feel full and easily passing food through your body due to high fiber content.
• Bad cholesterol causes your arteries to get clogged and that can be very exhausting for your heart. Oatmeal can eliminate your bad cholesterol without affecting your good cholesterol. Oatmeal sticks to the bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it out of your body.
• ‘Getting rid of bad cholesterol’ is not the only way oatmeal leads to ahealthy heart. It has a high content of vitamins- A and B vitamins and minerals- iron and calcium, high fiber and is very low in fat.
• Oatmeal is great for diabetics, soluble fibre helps stabilize the blood glucose levels by decreasing the absorption of sugar in the blood.
• Have mood swings? Several studies have proven that foods rich in soluble fiber helps smooth out blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of sugar into the blood. It is also rich in B vitamins that is important for proper nerve function. This means oatmeal may help if you find yourself cranky all the time. It is certainly a food for a better mood , as it acts as a tranquilizer for your body.
• Being rich in vitamins, protein, magnesium, silicon, selenium, zinc, potassium, especially iron and calcium, oatmeal may help with buildingstrong bones and teeth.
*For me oatmeal is one of those super foods, that is high in nutritional value and that offers plenty of health benefits. It gives me slow and ongoing energy every morning that lasts for hours.
Oatmeal and Glycemic Index
Oatmeal is generally rated medium in glycemic index, however GI value depends on the type of oats: instant oats- high or rolled oats- low to medium GI.
Try adding nuts to your porridge in the morning. As they are high in protein content they are digested slowly and will help lower the overall GI value.
Please add very little sugar or syrup in your oatmeal. Honey or dried fruits are better substitutes, this will also help lower the GI value. Most other breakfast cereals are loaded with sugar.
Oatmeal Serving Tips
• Have your porridge with milk or low fat yogurt instead of water or mix water and milk / yogurt. Yogurt will add smooth and creamy texture to the porridge.
• Choose jam and plain yogurt over flavoured yogurts as they are full of sugar and you can control how much jam you can add.
• If you wish to make it sweeter without adding sugar, you may trysweetener although this is not the best option or you may try honey.
• Add berries or dried fruits– sultanas, raisins, dried cherries, dates or some low sugar muesli.
• What about some chopped nuts like almonds and walnuts?
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References:
Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986. PMID:15210.
Fortin, Francois, Editorial Director. The Visual Foods Encyclopedia. Macmillan, New York 1996.
http://www.healthandnutritiontips.net/ oatmeal_nutrition/ oatmeal nutrition .html.
http://www.lifescript.com/Body/Food/Good-foods/4_ Oatmeal Nutrition _Facts_You_Need_to_Know.aspx.
