Ode to Oats

Ode to Oats

Before we sing of the many uses of oats lets first clear up some common confusion surrounding Oats, are they gluten free?

So, Oats are different to wheat, barley and rye instead of containing the protein gluten they contain a protein called avenins however make sure you buy the gluten free uncontaminated oats and be ware that a small proportion of people with coeliac disease still can’t tolerate any oats at all. If you do have coeliac disease think carefully about having high amounts of oats, stick to the rice porridge instead. If you are just gluten sensitive, then perhaps you could have some uncontaminated oats a few times a week.

For those who can tolerate Oats they do have many health benefits and therapeutic uses. One-way oats can be recommended is for high cholesterol that is because of their high soluble fibre content and beta glucans that reduce the reabsorption of LDL cholesterol in the bowel. If you are wanting to eat oats as part of your treatment plan for healthy cholesterol management consider that you need to eat them for 7 servings in a week, that’s right. Porridge with a plant-based milk for breakfast every morning of the week is one way of doing this or adding ¼ cup of oats to a daily smoothie.

Another useful therapeutic use for steel cut oats in this case is supporting healthy breastmilk production in nursing mothers. Oats support breastmilk production in two ways the beta-glucan content is thought to raise prolactin which impacts on breast milk production and oats contain saponins that may positively affect the hormones in mothers. Steel cut oats as a porridge or in lactation cookies have been found to be useful and are best consumed daily for best results.

For most of us, oats are a good source of Iron and various minerals such as Manganese and Silica meaning healthy hair and nails.