OATS - Must Have

#1 Oats help you stay fuller for longer

Oats are rich sources of dietary fiber. In fact, a cup of oats actually has 16.5 grams of fiber, which is half of the total fiber recommended for an adult in a day. This fiber also helps you stay fuller for longer. This makes it an awesome meal for breakfast or a quick snack, without any worries of counting calories.

#2 Oats help in lowering cholesterol and risk of heart attack

Oats have the soluble fiber named beta-glucan. This soluble fiber helps our body in absorbing less of the bad cholesterol, in turn, reducing the risk of heart attack. So, if you want your heart to stay healthier for long, including oats in your day-to-day meal may be a great idea.

#3 Oats can help in lowering your blood pressure

Being rich in soluble fiber, oats help to reduce hypertension. Research by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that including one serving of whole oats brings down hypertension significantly. So, if you are facing high blood pressure problems, add a bowl of oats in your daily meal and eat your way to health.

#4 Oats can lower your risk of cancer

According to a study published by the British Medical Journal in 2011, individuals who ate an extra 90 gram of whole grains every day, including oats, had 20% less risk of colorectal cancer. Just make sure you grab a pack of whole oats and not instant oatmeals to get the maximum benefit out of it.

#5 Oats lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Oats are high in lignans, which is a plant chemical that helps protect us against several cardiovascular diseases. Thus, one serving of oats daily can keep the maligning cardiovascular diseases at an arm's length. Other foods that have lignans are flax seed, broccoli and apricots.

#6 Oats are easy on your weighing scale

With a high dose of fibre and low calorie count, oats are one of the perfect aids in lowering your body weight. So, if you are on a mission to decrease weight, oats can be your best friend helping you shed those extra kilos without starving!

#7 Oats are easy on your pocket too

Guess what? With all those amazing benefits for your health, oats are pocket friendly too. A 500 gram pack of oats costs around Rs 70-80 - that means 12 serves in a half kilo pack. Single serve of oats is about 40 grams or half a cup. If you do the maths, a single serve of oats will cost you approximately Rs 6. Now that's pretty easy on your pocket.

#8 Oats can be cooked and eaten in a million ways

One of the biggest benefits of oats is that you can eat it in so many different ways. If you have a sweet tooth, combine them with milk, honey and nuts and enjoy a simple and sweet meal. If you are a fruit lover, couple up your oats with fresh or baked fruits and top it with honey and oats for a savory sweet dessert that's good for your health and body weight.

If you are not a fan of sweet flavor, don't worry; there are still so many ways in which you can enjoy oats. Just cook them in hot water and add some veggies like onions, tomatoes, carrots and enjoy your tasty salty oats. Add eggs, paneer, soy granules to give your salty oats some protein and flavor boost. If you want to be more experimental with your oats, there are several savory recipe available to spice up the flavor of oats. more