Mary woke up in the morning and her raw oats was the first thing that came to her mind.
She cannot miss it for anything, not even when she has heard of the health benefits of raw oats.
Before we share her experience with uncooked oat which our health coach recommended, let’s share a little about this kind of oatmeal.
Oat is the popularly cultivated species of Avena Sativa L.
It remains an an important cereal crop consumed by many in places like Africa and other developing world nations.
Raw oats have received wide attention for several reasons. One of such is its high content of dietary fibres, phytochemicals and nutritional value.
Nutritionally, raw oats are also believed to possess various health benefits. These are derived from its hypocholesterolaemic and anticancerous properties.
In Nigeria, for instance, people often boil their coat. But that could actually affect nutrient level.
However, there is one way that to keep the nutrients intact.
Common Knowledge: Most of the nutrients in a food could diminish you cook it.
This is why the method of preparation of steel cut oats in the form explained in this article is a good practice. At least eat it that way once in a while.
Preparing your oats in this form ensures that the nutrients are intact as you consume them.
Before we talk of the health benefits, let us look at the method of preparing this type of oat meal.
How To Prepare Raw Oats
Before she retired to bed at night, she added her preferred healthy milk of choice to a jar.
Then, she added some spoons of instant oats, depending on the amount she needed to consume in the morning.
She added little water, ensuring that the oat was covered.
As recommended, she added chia seeds. You can add chia or other nutritious grains that you can eat raw or even fruits.
These will bring in more vitamins and minerals.
To give your raw oats meal a great taste, you will need a natural sweetener like date or honey.
After putting everything in the jar, she placed it in her refrigerator overnight.
She must have dreamt of it, being the last thing she did before bed. The way she rushed to her fridge in the morning also proved she craved for it.
She reached out for it, brought it out and it was ‘ready to eat’.
Interestingly, this process allows you to eat the oat in its whole grain form.
Health Benefits Of Oats
Adopting this process preparing oats, gives you the needed nutrients that are in the oat. These nutrients were emphasised in a 2015 study (1).
“Whole grain oat contains considerable amount of valuable nutrients such as proteins, starch, unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fibre as soluble and insoluble fractions.
“It also contains micronutrients such as vitamin E, folates, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, carotenoids, betaine, choline, sulphur containing amino acids, phytic acid, lignins, lignane and alkyl resorcinols,”the study stated.
These are nutrients that make it a great meal to have, with the under listed health benefits loaded in it.
1. Boosts Immune System
One other thing that Beta Glucan does is that it helps boost the immune system.
This compound can prevent oncogenesis due to the protective effect against potent genotoxic carcinogens.
As immunostimulating agent, it can inhibit the growth of tumor in promotion stage too.
2. Good For Diabetics
One other great thing about taking whole grain oat is that it contains Beta Glucan.
As a result of this compound, people with type 2 diabetes can eat raw oats as a meal. The good thing is that it helps them control blood sugar level.
All they need to do is take it with healthy milks like almond milk.
The fibre in it also helps ensure that there is no case of sugar spike after eating oats.
3. Promotes Heart Health
Another function of Beta Glucan is the lowering of cholesterol.
People who are watching their weight can depend on oats to lose weight.
High cholesterol level in the blood is often associated with health diseases, but consumption of oats will help lower this and make sure that you stay healthy with a weight that is within your body mass index.
Also, oats are known for the presence of a unique group of antioxidants reported among cereals known as avenanthramid.
These antioxidants help in controlling blood pressure, because they produce nitric oxide which dilates the blood vessels.
If you know anyone that is hypertensive, give then raw oats to take following the preparation process above.
4. Raw Oats Provide Your Body Energy
We are moving beings and we all need energy to carry on with our daily activities.
Oat is a great source of lipids.
The lipids in it are higher than other cereals, Lipids are excellent sources of energy and unsaturated fatty acids.
Also, they aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and insulate your body. They also provide the essential fatty acids that you need to stay healthy.
Essential fatty acids are a type of fat that your body cannot make.
5. May Protest Against Cancer
Free radicals often find their way into our body from the air we breathe and the food we eat.
But oat is rich in vitamin E which is a form of antioxidant that protests the body from damaging free radicals.
It plays an important role in prevention of diseases such as cancer.
Oats also possess other antioxidants – tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytic acid, flavonoids and non flavonoid phenolic compounds such as AVAs – which help protect the body against free radicals.
6. Raw Oats Can Help In Weight Control
Oat is a fibre-rich food and that makes it a great meal for persons who are trying to lose some kilograms.
Fibre makes you feel full and that reduces the quantity of food that you would consume.
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However, oat contains about 60% starch, but there is a difference about this starch which you should also know. s.
The starch in oat is mainly a constituent of endosperm.
There is a considerable difference observed between the physicochemical properties of oat starch and other cereal starches.
The starch in oat belongs to the Slowly Digestible Starch (SDS) and Resistant Starch (RS).
According to research, slow rate starch digestibility is important for human health to maintain balances blood glucose levels.
Oat contains a significant amount of resistant starch which is a functional fibre. This makes it an amazing way of increasing fibre intake.
Studies say raw oats contain nutrients that play a good role in digestive physiology.
Also it is gluten free and people with gluten intolerance will benefit from it.