Oat Meals - Health Benefits and Facts

Oats and oatmeal, have been a part of human food for at least 3,000 years.Oats were probably eaten accidentally to begin with as a weed growing in wheat or other grain crops for quite some time before coming into its own. Only five percent of oats grown world wide are used for human food. The rest is mostly used to feed horses and poultry with some used in cosmetics and medicinally, mostly in alternative medicine.
With all the benefits of eating oats, you’ve probably heard that eating oatmeal can lower your cholesterol, but this common, even lowly grain can do a lot more than that.

Health Benefits and Facts of Oat Meals

• It contains more soluble fiber than other grains, which is why it works to lower your cholesterol. It slows the reabsorption of bile which makes your liver have to get the cholesterol it needs from your blood instead of bringing more in from the food you eat.
• This water soluble fiber also keeps you full longer since once it’s dissolved in the liquid in your system, it becomes a thick gel like fluid which moves slowly through the digestive tract.
• Since it moves so slowly it slows the absorption of glucose and that means you won’t get a sugar high and then a sugar low.
• Because of these properties, oatmeal is useful in treating high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.
• Outside the body, oatmeal soothes itching and irritated skin by lowering localized inflammation. A warm bath with a cup of pulverized oatmeal added to the water will calm and nurture your skin. Eczema, sunburn, psoriasis, chickenpox and measles respond well to this treatment.
• It’s a gentle exfoliant for your face and body and helps even out complexions because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
• It’s warming and soothing in a foot bath to help care for chronically cold or tired feet.
• Oatmeal neutralizes odors so a small bowl of it in the refrigerator will help keep it fresh.
• If you have old oatmeal and don’t want to eat it, use it to absorb oil and grease spots in the garage or driveway. Use it generously, let it set for an hour or so then clean it up.
• Oats are usually overlooked as a source of good food and skin treatment. As an inexpensive product, oatmeal could be beneficially added to food and beauty treatments by anyone.