Lifestyle
Start the Day with Oatmeal, a Magical Food!
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Jan 28, 2008 - 12:01:14 AM

Oatmeal, a Magical Food!

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - "Start Early" with breakfast and when we have the time, I can't think of a better food to begin our day with than oatmeal! Oatmeal is always on my list of the top ten healthy foods to be enjoyed all year long, but I think it's a great food to discuss now because it sure is cold outside (in NYC, that is). I call it a magical food because of the health benefits we get from eating it. While many of us have come to love this grain, many more of us don't. In fact, it has been estimated by the USDA that only about 5% of the world's oat crop is consumed by us humans. So, let's take a look at how nutritious and versatile oats and in particular oatmeal can be!

Oatmeal's Magical Benefits include:
It Lowers cholesterol: Oatmeal contains soluble fiber which binds to bile that is excreted. Less bile, less fat and cholesterol absorbed! Then the liver makes bile from our stored cholesterol to compensate for the lowered absorbed amount, lowering our cholesterol levels further. Lower serum levels of total cholesterol are associated with lower rates of heart disease. Of course if we eat too much fat, let's say on one of those high protein diets with steak and bacon, eating our magical food won't make as much magic. I think this is a great time for us to start our day with oatmeal since next month, February is Heart Healthy Month and "Go Red", a campaign for us women to take care of our hearts (see link below).
Cancer Fighting Properties: Grains contain a phytochemical called "phytic acid". This phyto binds to certain minerals thought to cause free radical production especially in our colon which is eliminated then instead.
Weight Control: Low in fat, and a "stick to your ribs food", oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that has a low glycemic index.This means it is turned into a simple sugar very slowly. What does this do? It raises our blood sugar slowly by staying in our stomach longer, then decreasing our hunger and cravings created by those other simple carbohydrate foods (we all know which foods I'm referring to). End result, more sustained energy, and less junk food cravings. Don't forget that our brain which uses only sugar as its source of fuel, gets fed from this complex carb food too! Oatmeal is also a great carbohydrate for diabetics.
Nutrient Density: The nutrients in fortified oatmeal include all the B vitamins including the heart healthy Folate which lowers homocysteine levels (another heart disease risk factor). It also contains iron, calcium, Vitamin A, protein and more. All this plus fiber, virtually no fat, low sodium and no cholesterol (this is for the plain oatmeal, not the flavored!). At about 140 calories per cup, I consider this an all around good deal. Choose oat bran oatmeal and we've got even more fiber.
Oatmeal, the magical healthy food can also be a versatile food (yes, I said versatile). We can add lots of different toppings to it such as fruit (berries perhaps?), dried fruit, applesauce, yogurt, a teaspoon of maple syrup, and we can even top it with other cereals such as low fat granola. How about we make our own low fat granola using oats! Toast uncooked oats in an oven, add some bran cereal, chopped walnuts, dried fruits and voila, we've made our own. We can even make our own muesli cereal, oatmeal pancakes (look for this recipe on my site soon), and then there are muffin and cookie recipes available everywhere. Want to try a favorite oatmeal breakfast of mine? Check out again my recipe tip page on Wednesday by clicking on my link below. I also like to suggest that a half cup of oatmeal makes a great snack. Yes, snack! Any food can be a snack, any time of day.

So, if we want to eat a food that can help us to start our day with long lasting energy, warm us as we head outside, help us to control our weight, lower our heart disease risk, and give us lots of other nutrients, let's start early with oatmeal. It really is a "Magical Food" for man and animal alike.

Here's to our Health, with Oatmeal!

June M. Lay M.S.
www.junefit.com

Look for my oatmeal recipe to be posted Wednesday 1/30 at my recipe tip page.
Get ready for "Go Red Day" by visiting http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Junefit ranks top 10 at Google for "fitness tips" search out of millions of results!

Junefit is included in Google's top ranked women's health resources http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women's_Health/Resources/

June is Lifestyle Editor at www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/index.shtml

Check out a great site AmericanTowns.com - A source for local community events, news, real estate, restaurants and more (and where you'll find my tips under community health, of course!).

(c) junefit 2008

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