We recently presented three great Oatmeal recipes to help you conjure up flavoursome dishes from a rather neutral-tasting food. Perhaps you have integrated one or two recipes into your everyday life and now want to know what positive effects oatmeal has. We'll tell you how healthy this superfood actually is and why you should eat oatmeal regularly. Let's get started!
The superfood par excellence: this is how healthy oatmeal is
The fact check
Oat flakes are, as the name suggests, made from oats. The end product is always made from the whole grain. During production, the oats are treated with steam and heat for several hours, giving the end product its classic, slightly nutty flavour. Because oat flakes are very natural compared to other cereal products, they contain many healthy nutrients. On average, oat flakes provide the following nutrients per 100 grams:
- 13.5 g protein
- 58.7 g carbohydrates
- 7.0 g fat (unsaturated fatty acids)
- 10.0 g dietary fibre
These ingredients sound all well and good, but why is oatmeal so ultra-healthy? Here are the most important points!
1. oatmeal contains a lot of fibre
As already mentioned, 100 g of rolled oats provide a whopping 10 g of fibre. This is precisely why oats are one of the cereals that contain the most fibre. One of these fibres is also quite special: it is called beta glucan. Several scientific studies have already shown that beta glucan has positive effects on our health. These include lowering cholesterol levels, reducing blood sugar levels and promoting intestinal health. Well, if that's not a reason to eat oatmeal more often!
2. oatmeal contains high amounts of micronutrients
In addition to healthy fibre, oatmeal is also rich in micronutrients. These include vitamins, minerals and trace elements, which are very important for various bodily functions. Oatmeal contains the following micronutrients per 100 grams:
- 51 % of the daily requirement of vitamin B1
- 14 % of the daily requirement of folic acid
- 26 % of the daily iron requirement
- 44 % of the daily requirement of magnesium
- 52 % of the daily phosphorus requirement
- 26 % of the daily requirement of zinc
As you can see, oatmeal provides a wide variety of important micronutrients. They even contain so much of some vitamins and minerals that you can cover your entire daily requirement by combining them with one or two other foods. Pretty impressive, isn't it?
3. oatmeal is rich in antioxidants
We all know them, we all love them: Antioxidants. How great that, in addition to fruit, vegetables and other foods, oatmeal also contains antioxidants that have an anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effect. Oatmeal is particularly rich in so-called avenanthramides. These have a positive effect on health by inhibiting inflammation and strengthening the immune system. Conversely, this means one thing above all: the antioxidants they contain make oatmeal a real superfood!
Conclusion
Oatmeal has very good nutritional values due to its high content of micronutrients, fibre and antioxidants and has a positive effect on health. It is precisely these factors that clearly speak in favour of regularly including oatmeal in your diet and, ideally, combining it with other healthy foods such as fruit, seeds and nuts. Not only do you conjure up delicious breakfast dishes that keep you full for a long time, you also cover a large part of your nutritional requirements with just one meal. Now if that isn't superfood!