Nowadays, every other famous person who cares about his/her fitness or is trying for weight loss is eating oats Yes, you heard it right.
These “famous” people who are eating this are eating it for many reasons and the most obvious and important one of them is that it helps in weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight. Even I used to eat it which helped in my weight loss! Today in this post, I will discuss these reasons and how exactly this super-food is able to do this magic!
Nutritional values in oats
I think, before discussing this super-food we must know the nutrients and calories present in it. So around 80g of oats (which is around 1 cup) contain –
- 8.5 g of dietary Fiber
- 53g of Carbohydrates
- 13.5g of Protein
- 5.52g of Fat
- 2 mg of Sodium
- 343 mg of Pottasium
- Many antioxidants are also present in oats such as phytic acid, phenolic compounds, and avenanthramides
The calories present in 80g of dry oats is around 311 kcal
How actually does this “magic-food” help in weight loss ?
As we can observe that oats have a large quantity of fiber in them. ( You may think that what’s in 8.5g. Well, 8.5g of fiber covers around 1/4th daily intake of fiber for men and 1/3rd daily intake of fiber for women.)
And this fiber is the main reason why oats are always associated with weight loss or just maintaining our healthy weight.
I think you must be wondering how does fiber help in weight loss. Ok, let me help.
See ‘fiber’ has a trait in it which help in weight loss. And that trait is its ability to not get digested easily due to its molecular structure. As it takes longer time to digest, our body always feels fulfilled or if I put it in more simpler way, you no longer feel hungry for the time fiber is in your stomach. And as a result, we tend to consume lesser calories in a day than the calories in a day where we had not eaten such “fiber-rich” food. Thus, we tend to lose weight by remaining in a calorie deficit.
But wait! Don’t think that you would lose weight automatically if you just eat oats. There is a whole process behind that. ( TIP: Don’t feel daunted, it is easy if you have the commitment) Check out this post of mine to know how to lose weight –
Now, let’s discuss what are the other major benefits of eating oats –
What are the other benefits of oats other than weight loss?
- It helps in lowering high cholesterol levels
- Helps in controlling blood sugar
- Oats help in skincare and that’s also the reason why they are included in various skin-care products
- Helps in constipation
- It helps in increasing many gut-friendly bacteria which further improves our digestion
- It boosts the immune system which is very essential
- Helps in reducing the risk of diabetes
Conclusion
So, as you can see that’s why oats are called a “superfood”. It has tons and tons of benefits. But hey, there is a catch. Don’t eat masala oats. When you eat them, don’t think that you are availing all the amazing benefits of oats. You will end up getting quite the opposite results because there are lots of sugars, oil, and fat present in those.
I hope you will start including it in your diet, just increase its intake little by little so that you eat it at least once a time a day. Initially, eat it with milk or yogurt but afterward try to include less milk and more water as it will help reduce your calories. And if you don’t like the taste of oats, try adding cinnamon powder to it and it will taste just right!! If you want more taste, there are tons of oatmeals on the internet. so you can check them out. You can even make your favorite muffins from oats!
Precautions to be taken before consuming oats –
See, there are some precautions to be taken while eating oats for some people with medical conditions. These precautions are listed in this post on WebMD –
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Oat bran and whole oats are likely safe when eaten in foods during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Celiac disease: People with celiac disease must not eat gluten. Many people with celiac disease are told to avoid eating oats because they might be contaminated with wheat, rye, or barley, which contain gluten. But in people who haven’t had any symptoms for at least 6 months, eating moderate amounts of pure, non-contaminated oats seems to be safe.
Disorders of the digestive tract including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines: Avoid eating oat products. Digestive problems that could extend the length of time it takes for your food to be digested could allow oats to block your intestine.
