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Oats: the ultimate health food

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Globally, there's a new emphasis on leading a balanced, active lifestyle. This, in turn, has resulted in consumers taking more interest in how they live their lives and what they put into their bodies. This has seen an increasing trend towards consumers looking for healthy options when it comes to food, whether eating at a restaurant or simply buying groceries.

Avena sativa, more commonly known as oats, is one of the current buzzwords in nutrition for many good reasons. All across the world, this old breakfast favourite is being re-introduced into the family diet at breakfast time and in many different dishes throughout the day.

Research has proven that oats carries a multitude of health benefits:

Oats protects us against high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Three of the most important contributing factors in heart disease is high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and uncontrolled and raised blood-sugar levels. Eating oats regularly lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure and improves blood-sugar control, effectively reducing the risk of heart disease.

Weight loss. Oats is beneficial in weight loss and reducing waist circumference. Oats has a relatively low glycaemic index, which means that the carbohydrates (sugars) contained in it is slowly released into the bloodstream. This leads to a smooth and gentle increase in blood-sugar and insulin levels in the body. This is important, since the high spikes in blood sugar that accompanies foods with high glycaemic indexe leads to a sudden drop in blood sugar. The sudden spike and sudden drop in blood sugar leads to a feeling of being unwell and hungry. Complex carbohydrates keep us full for longer by preventing blood-sugar spikes. The fibre in oats also slows the movement of digested food through the bowel.

Cancer. Oats is active in combating the formation of different hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer. It's therefore an important food in reducing your cancer risk.

Immune system. Oats also has a prebiotic effect and enhances the body’s immune response, strengthening our bodies against the attacks of bacteria and viruses.

Skin disease. Oats has been used for generations to soothe inflammatory and itching conditions of the skin. It's found in a multitude of skin products and has a natural anti-inflammatory action.

Coeliac disease. In many cases, oats can be successfully introduced into the diets of people with Coeliac disease as it doesn't irritate the gut, bringing a wholesome complex carbohydrate to the diets of people suffering from this condition.

Asthma. Oats combats the development of childhood asthma.

Dr Adriaan Liebenberg, leading neurosurgeon and the author of The Brain Surgeon’s Diet comments: “I have spent many hours researching and understanding the health benefits of oats when developing the healthy lifestyle diet, which is the concept behind The Brain Surgeon’s Diet."

"The health benefits of oats have the backing of the USA’s strict FDA (Food and Drug Administration), which recognises that... including food containing a certain amount of oat bran or rolled oats in a low-fat diet may reduce the risk of heart disease, as proven in extensive clinical trials."

- (Magna Carta press release, Health24.com)

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