Benefits and harms of oatmeal: a great all-purpose breakfast or a calcium “killer”?

Oatmeal is one of the most popular and inexpensive cereals. Hercules porridge is necessarily fed in kindergartens and school camps, as it is a healthy and satisfying dish, ideal for baby food. And those who do not like oatmeal simply do not know how to cook it deliciously or do not know its amazing properties.

But can everyone eat oatmeal? Is this cereal capable of doing harm? Who better to give up oatmeal, and who, on the contrary, should include it in their diet regularly? You will find detailed answers to these and other questions about oatmeal in our article.

Oats, oatmeal, rolled oats

Let's first understand the terminology. Oatmeal (aka oatmeal) is obtained from oats, an annual plant in the cereal family. Each grain is an oblong whole grain that is hard to the touch. To obtain cereals, oats are peeled and steamed. Previously, porridge was cooked from cereal grains.

Oatmeal or rolled oats have been introduced with the advancement of technology. The groats were grinded, additionally steamed and rolled. Thin flakes cooked faster and saved the housewives' time. And they boiled well and turned into a viscous porridge. By the way, "Hercules" was originally a trade name for oatmeal, but gradually became a household name.

Interesting fact! Today, rolled oats are the largest oat flakes that have undergone minimal processing. They are considered the healthiest and most satisfying.

Oatmeal composition

Oatmeal contains a lot of nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which can be found here, 100 g of whole oatmeal contains:

Oatmeal is the richest in these vitamins and elements. But it also contains a lot of valuable substances that are useful for the normal functioning of the body.

BZHU and GI

According to the same USDA, 100 g of whole oatmeal contains approximately 17 g of protein, 7 g of fat and 66 g of carbohydrates. Therefore, oatmeal will not add extra pounds, but only if you cook it in water, without salt and sugar.

The glycemic index of whole oatmeal is 40-50 units. This is an excellent indicator because foods with a low GI are absorbed more slowly, which means they stay full for longer. Also, a glycemic index of less than 55 units contributes to a gradual, rather than a sharp increase in blood sugar levels, which also has a beneficial effect on the endocrine system.

The GI of oatmeal is higher and depends on their thickness. The thinnest flakes that you don't even need to boil have a glycemic index of about 62-65 units. Such a porridge with fast carbohydrates will satisfy hunger, but will cause a sharp jump in blood glucose. And very soon you will be hungry again.

Gluten

He's a sticky protein. It is found in many cereals, but oats are an exception. True, gluten still gets into oatmeal during processing, so people with celiac disease can theoretically only eat unpeeled oats. Only no one will do this, so oatmeal is actually excluded from the diet of those who are gluten intolerant.

Sometimes you will see oatmeal in stores with the label “gluten free” on the packaging. This means that the oats were grown in separate fields and did not come into contact with other cereals. At the same time, cereals were processed on dedicated equipment so that sticky protein did not get there. Such rolled oats will cost more.

Why is oatmeal good for you?

Breakfast porridge is a great start to the day. And oatmeal in the morning is almost an ideal breakfast option.... Why?

There are four main reasons:

1. The calorie content of oatmeal (energy value) is 379 kcal per 100 g. Moreover, there is not a single gram of cholesterol in it. These are healthy calories that are spent on physical activity and mental work.
2. Gently envelops the stomach and does not irritate the intestines. This is a good prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, as well as their treatment. It is not for nothing that oatmeal is the first thing that is introduced into the diet of operated patients.
3. Another plus for the gastrointestinal tract is the high content of fiber, which actually scrapes all waste from the intestinal walls.
4. The high percentage of protein helps build muscle mass.

The health benefits of oatmeal are obvious. And if you cook it correctly, the dish will also turn out delicious. And here everything already depends on the preferences of the person: some like a thinner porridge, others, on the contrary, thicker. You can also vary the hardness of cereals (flakes): if you cook for longer, you get a softer porridge. If you reduce the cooking time, you get something like a cereal.

If you're not on a diet, add whatever your stomach wants to your oatmeal. The option with sweets is more preferable: fruits and dried fruits, candied fruits, honey, jam, condensed milk. But you can also try oatmeal with cheese: small pieces are stacked on top of the freshly cooked porridge and melted. After that, you can collect them with a spoon, scooping up the porridge. Porridge with a little cinnamon or vanilla sugar is no less tasty.

About the dangers and contraindications of oatmeal

Even vitamins can be poisoned if you do not know the measures and use them uncontrollably. The same story with healthy hercules. Oatmeal oversaturation should not be allowed, as it contains phytic acid... It is able to accumulate in the body and flush calcium from the bones. In small doses, phytin is harmless: acid is broken down by enzymes and excreted with toxins. Therefore, a plate of oatmeal in the morning is normal. But girls who practice oatmeal diets should think about it.

Oatmeal can be very harmful for people with celiac disease - the inability to break down gluten. For such people, oatmeal is contraindicated in any form. You can take the risk of trying a special gluten-free cereal, but there is no guarantee that dangerous sticky protein did not get into it during processing.

Instant porridges packed in small portioned sachets are not recommended for diabetics... They contain not only sugar, but also flavor enhancers with preservatives. They are not recommended even for healthy people. Better to buy good old rolled oats. And to save time, you can fill it with water in the evening - in the morning the flakes will swell and you get a ready-made porridge, which you just have to warm up.

Features of oatmeal and its properties

Why is oatmeal recommended for all segments of the population? It's simple: everyone will find special benefit in it.

For men

Zinc contained in oatmeal is essential for men to prevent genitourinary problems and diseases.... And fiber and protein are a source of physical strength. Of course, someone will say that there are more of these elements in meat, but after all, a steak for breakfast is inappropriate. But a plate of oatmeal is nutritious, satisfying and healthy. Only the flakes should be coarsely ground: it is not without reason that they are named after the Greek strongman Hercules.

For women

In addition to the trace elements and vitamins listed above, oatmeal also contains antioxidants. They fight toxins by removing them from the body. And if you eat oatmeal for breakfast for at least a month, you will notice how the skin on your face will become smoother, acne and acne will go away. Oatmeal also contains tocopherol (vitamin E), essential for beautiful skin and hair.

Some women also use oatmeal for external use. They wash themselves with oatmeal water and make a scrub from ground flakes. This has a beneficial effect on the condition of the facial skin.

For pregnant

Group vitamins B, folic acid, iron - these elements are necessary for a woman during gestation... And almost half of the daily intake of these substances is in oatmeal. And fiber will help avoid constipation, which expectant mothers often suffer from. But remember that you cannot eat more than one small bowl of porridge a day. Otherwise, phytin will accumulate in the mother's body and begin to wash out calcium, which is important for the baby.

For losing weight

We have already talked about the dietary properties of coarse oatmeal. These are complex carbohydrates that keep you feeling full for a long time, but do not contribute to weight gain. So oatmeal in water and without additives is the perfect breakfast for those on a diet.... But the oat mono-diet is harmful.

For people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases

Oatmeal for an organism exhausted by gastritis or other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract is just a godsend. There is no other dish that has all the necessary properties:

• viscous, envelops the walls of the stomach;
• neutralizes the increased acidity of gastric juice;
• gives a sick person strength, saturates the body with useful substances.

People with exacerbated gastrointestinal diseases usually have poor appetite due to stomach discomfort. But oatmeal in the water is very easy to eat - it has almost no taste, so it does not increase nausea. As a last resort, you can prepare oatmeal jelly from flakes ground into dust.

Can oatmeal be given to children?

Previously, there was no baby food, so babies who did not have enough mother's milk were fed with oatmeal. Of course, it was not a thick cereal porridge, but a thin drink made from ground oatmeal. But that doesn't mean all newborns can be given oatmeal. Children with allergies, for example, are not recommended to feed it for up to a year. Pediatricians advise healthy babies to gradually introduce oatmeal from 7-8 months.

Note! Boil oatmeal initially in water and give the child no more than 1 dessert spoon. If there is no reaction (urticaria, loose stools), you can gradually increase the portion, and add milk when cooking. Pediatricians advise giving full-fledged milk oatmeal only from 1 year.

Due to the phytic acid content, it is recommended to give oatmeal to children not every day, but no more than 3 times a week. In this case, so much phytin will not accumulate in the baby's body so that it can wash out calcium, precious for children. In addition, the child will simply get tired of eating the same porridge every day. Therefore, it will be optimal to diversify your morning breakfast with buckwheat, semolina or other cereals useful for baby food.

A rare child will eat porridge without whims. Children are skeptical about this dish, especially today, when advertisements for "perfect baby breakfasts" in the form of chocolate balls, yogurt or milk slices are constantly running on TV. But parents can cheat and add sugar or other goodies to the porridge. And of course, you need to set a personal example: if dad eats sandwiches in the morning, and mom just drinks coffee, the child will quite reasonably begin to refuse oatmeal.

Summing up

A plate of hot, aromatic oatmeal is one of the ideal breakfast options for a kindergartner, schoolchild, and healthy adult. To learn to love oatmeal, it is enough to understand how useful and energetically valuable product it is. And then find your own recipe for making liquid or thick porridge with fruit or cheese and enjoy it every morning.

Watch the video: Weight Loss and living Healthy with Dr. Berg (November 2024).