The Benefits of Oatmeal in Your Diet
Looking for a great way to get your day started in the right direction? A good breakfast can play an important role on how you go about the rest of your day. A bowl of oatmeal every morning can do you wonders. Oatmeal is packed full of nutrients and is an excellent source of protein. There are plenty of reasons why the benefits of oatmeal should be part of your everyday life.
1. Fiber intake is important to a balanced diet. Fiber comes from plant-based foods; oats are absolutely loaded with fiber. This helps a great deal with digesting food and drawing nutrients. Oats are a great source for both soluble and insoluble fiber.
2. Soluble fiber has been shown to lower LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. This is the dangerous stuff that tends to build up plaque inside the arteries. Enough of this and a clot will form. In a worst case scenario one could suffer from a heart attack or stroke.
3. While soluble fiber lowers LDL, another benefit is that it will help raise HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. This is the cholesterol we want as it will carry cholesterol away from the heart. Experts believe that high levels of HDL will defend against heart attacks.
4. Insoluble fibers can be very beneficial to someone suffering from constipation. They contain nutrients such as lignin and cellulose. These can aid in the digestive process by softening the stool and allowing it to pass through.
5. Oats have also been found to contain many different nutrients such as magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, and vitamin E.
6. The fun apart about oatmeal is how you can mix it up. By itself it can taste rather bland, but you can add all sorts of extra ingredients to spice it up and make it taste great. My favorite combination is shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and cinnamon. Nuts and raisins work really well too. Just experiment and see what you can come up with.
