7 Good Things About Oats

The Scottish people are famous for their oatmeal porridge and I remember my Scottish grandmother serving it every morning with raisins and dates to make it tasty so the grandchildren would eat it. I also remember the oatmeal cookies she would make. Oats are hearty and as the saying goes they 'stick to your ribs', making you feel full for several hours afterwards. Oats are a very healthy food and there are many health promoting things that are attributed to them.

1. Oats are used in cooking. We have already mentioned porridge and cookies, they also go good in bread. I love oat bread toast with butter and honey. It just hits the spot for me.

2. Oatstraw tea is made from the stems, flowers and milky seeds of the oat plant. Oatstraw tea has been used for everything from healing broken bones, to stress, to sexual dysfunction.

3. Oats are good for lowering cholesterol. Both the tea and porridge are good for this purpose.

4. Oats are packed with nutrition. They contain calcium, protein, B vitamins (except B-12), and silica which is good for the hair. Other nutrients include magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium and iron.

5. Oats are good for external uses. The tea is good added to the bath for dry, irritated, and itchy skin from things like shingles and eczema.

6. Ground up oats make a good facial mask. Simply put some oats in a blender and whiz until they are powdered. Mix the powder with a little water and apply it to your face. Leave for 5-10 minutes then wash off.

7. Oats contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber is great for enhancing your digestion, losing weight and lowering cholesterol.

There are several kinds of oats. There are steel-cut oats, rolled oats and instant oats. The less the oats are processed the better. Organic is always better.

Be careful if you are sensitive to gluten. Oats themselves do not have gluten, but they can be contaminated from other grains that do have gluten. Be sure to check the source of your oats. It is possible to get gluten-free oats.

Sources:

http://healthyeating.sfgate,com/health-benefits-oat-straw-tea-9852.html
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/insoluble-fiber-oats-7069.html

Be sure to check out my website at www.valerielull.com Have a great day!

Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Healthy Teas
valerielull953@gmail.com