Oat-based meals are a common breakfast option across the globe, and are believed to be beneficial for weight loss thanks to an energising mix of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Oatmeal is loaded with minerals like zinc, magnesium, and fiber. These help lower cholesterol levels, assist in losing weight, and improve digestive health.
Oats keep you full for longer and reduce sugar spikes and insulin resistance. These are the qualities that make you feel full and stop eating. This makes oats an excellent component of a weight loss meal plan.
But there are many different kinds of oatmeal that are alike. The difference lies in the oats that are used for making the oatmeal.
There is a variety of oatmeal. These include steel-cut or Irish oatmeal; Scottish oats; rolled or old-fashioned oatmeal; and quick or instant oatmeal. If you’re seeking the most unprocessed forms, those that are rolled and steel-cut oats are the way to go and are considered to be the healthiest.
Benefits of weight loss from oatmeal
Oatmeal is a nutritious mix of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and plant-based proteins that can be beneficial for weight loss. Half a cup of dried Old Fashioned Quaker Oats contains 150 calories, 3 grammes of fat, 27 grammes of carbs, 5 grammes of protein, and one gramme of naturally produced sugar. It is packed with an average of four grammes of diet fibre and two grammes of insoluble fiber.
These are some health and weight loss benefits that come with this nutritious food:
Oatmeal helps you feel fuller and aids in regulating the flow of your bowels: Dietary fibers, specifically soluble fibers, ease stool and make it easier to move. It also helps control your appetite by giving you a sense of feeling full. Oats have soluble fiber, which forms a gel-like formula that can leave people feeling full.
Oatmeal is a great food to prevent blood sugar levels from rising. The other benefit of oatmeal is the fact that its rolled oatmeal version is considered to be a food with a low glycemic index. The Glycemic index (GI) is a grading of food items according to the degree to which they increase blood sugar levels. So, a lower GI indicates that oatmeal helps keep you from rising excessively during and after meals, which could aid in avoiding hunger for longer. Blood sugar spikes can cause headaches and fatigue.
Maintaining your blood sugar levels in an acceptable range, especially for those suffering from diabetes, can help prevent chronic health issues like heart disease. The GI for rolled oats is 55, which is approximately 25 % lower than the GI of whole wheat bread.
Oatmeal helps control insulin: As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that helps cells absorb glucose, aka blood sugar. Foods with a lower glycemic index, like oatmeal, are digested more slowly, which leads to a more gradual increase in blood sugar levels. Since insulin allows cells to absorb blood sugar, that can be converted to fat when it is excessive Low levels of insulin are linked to weight loss.
Oatmeal can help improve the immune system: One kind of soluble fibre called beta-glucan is present in oats and helps to activate your immune-fighting blood cells. Healthy means that you stay active, maintain your exercise routine on track and also reduce or keep weight off.
How to eat oatmeal for weight loss?
Although oatmeal is known to have many health benefits, one should be aware of potential disadvantages as well. Here’s what you should be aware of or avoid when you incorporate oatmeal into your daily diet.
Do not add too much sugar and mix-ins. It can appear tempting to mix in a bit of sugar and fat to oatmeal, but the food by itself can be quite bland. But the calories of butter, brown sugar, and syrup quickly accumulate. Instead, choose a fruit. Tossing a couple of blueberries on it is a great idea. Throwing sugar on it is not a great idea.
Pay attention to the portion size: the recommended portion equal to half a cup of dry oatmeal is nutritious, but the food can be extremely calorific and carb-heavy when consumed in large quantities. This could hinder weight loss goals. But, depending on your height, age, and weight, as well as your physical activity at a certain level, a cup or more of oatmeal may be sufficient.
Beware of instant or flavoured oats: Although the fat, calories, carbohydrates, protein, and calorie amounts in different oats are the same, their impacts on blood sugar are not the same. Because instant oats tend to be highly processed, they contain less fibre and, consequently, an increased Glycemic Index.
A well-balanced, low-fat, and healthy diet should incorporate fewer processed foods, like whole grains, which have low GI levels. Also, flavoured oatmeal should be avoided as well because they’re usually filled with sugar processed into them that isn’t offset by fiber.
Don’t eat too much at once: “When you tell people to start eating fiber, they should start slow. If you do not, your body might struggle to process the fibre in its entirety, and that can lead to constipation, bloating, and stomach discomfort.
It is recommended to start with oatmeal every two to four days of the week and then work towards daily meals. It is beneficial to consume an enormous glass of water with oatmeal in order to assist in moving the fiber through the digestive tract to lessen stomach discomfort and bloating.
Takeaway
Oatmeal is a healthy and filling ingredient in a balanced diet. Its low glycemic index, combined with the soluble fiber, may help with constipation relief and weight loss.
Although there isn’t any research that directly connects eating oatmeal to weight loss, research has discovered that it is beneficial for controlling appetite. The nutritional and ingredient content of oatmeal make it a perfect supplement to any weight loss regimen.
People who are introducing oatmeal to their diet should go slow and stay clear of instant and sweetened oatmeal.
