3 reasons to eat more oats

Oats may remind many people of school mornings, and with the current obsession with cutting carbohydrates (not a great idea if you’re active), they’re falling out of popularity and out of people’s shopping basket. Here are 3 reasons why they should be in yours:

Fibre

Oats are a rich source of fibre, and fibre is one of the biggest missing links in modern diets. Oat fibre can help improve blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol. In addition, oat fibres can have a “prebiotic” effect, meaning that beneficial species of bacteria in your gut use the fibre from oats as their energy source, which allows them to increase populations and improve your gut health.

Beta-glucans

Beta-glucans are a very specific type of fibre that boost your immune system. Beta-glucans stimulate the immune system to boost the activity of different immune system cells, which then fight off viruses and bacterial infection.

Appetite Control

When it comes to trying to drop some weight, hunger is Public Enemy No.1 Enter oats. The fibres and beta-glucans in oats, when combined with water, creates a very thick, viscous matrix in the digestive system. This slows the time it takes oats to travel through the digestive system and the time for the perception of fullness to reach the brain. In doing so, oats maintain fullness for much longer, and the net result: weight loss success!

Add in the Oats

Oats are easy to add and don’t even need cooking. As we’re coming into hotter days, here’s an overnight oats recipe from ‘The Food Medic’, Dr Hazel Wallace: The Food Medic