Oatmeal has many health benefits. It contains vitamins and trace elements that the organism needs. That is why it is a very popular food in breakfast around the world. But is it as healthy as it is believed?
There is an opinion that oatmeal flakes eliminate calcium from the organism. To confirm or deny it, you have to break down its biochemical composition. And also know the peculiarities of the digestive system.
Chemical composition and calories of oats
Oatmeal is called ground oat grains. During their manufacture, the seeds are crushed. Next, it is heated and cools abruptly. Ausa porridge steamed and crushed. The composition of the porridge can vary slightly depending on how they are made.
A portion of cooked oatmeal contains
- 12% carbohydrates;
- 84% water;
- 2% fiber;
- 2% of fats and carbohydrates.
In the following table you can see that the grass contains 29% of the recommended daily amount of manganese. It has moderate amounts of phosphorus and zinc (11% each). There are no other micronutrients in significant content.
| Chemical content of cooked oatmeal (100 g) | ||
| Nutritional value (g) | ||
| Caloric value | 297 kj (71 kcal) | |
| Carbohydrates | 12 | |
| sugar | 0,3 | |
| fiber | 1,7 | |
| Fats | 1,5 | |
| Proteins | 2,5 | |
| Vitamins | ||
| quantity (mg) | % of the daily value | |
| thiamine (B1) | 0. 08 | 7 |
| Riboflavina (B2) | 0. 02 | 2 |
| Niacina (B3) | 0. 23 | 2 |
| Pantotenic acid (B5) | 0. 197 | 4 |
| В6 | 0. 005 | 0 |
| Folic acid (B9) | 6 μg | 2 |
| Philoquinone (K) | 0,3 | 1 |
| Tocoferol (E) | 0. 08 µg | 0 |
| minerals | ||
| calcium | 9 | 1 |
| iron | 0,9 | 7 |
| magnesium | 27 | 8 |
| manganese | 0,6 | 29 |
| match | 77 | 11 |
| potassium | 70 | 1 |
| sodium | 4 | 0 |
| zinc | 1 | 11 |
Oat properties
Oatmeal is a very nutritious food. It is rich in complex carbohydrates, which take longer to digest than other substances. It contains fiber. Normalizes metabolism. Dietetics fiber exfoliates the walls of the intestine, causing the feces to be regular.
This porridge removes hunger for 3-5 hours.
The benefits
A study conducted in 2010 by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) showed that daily oatmeal consumption reduces the probability of cardiovascular diseases. And when fats are reduced in the diet, cholesterol levels are normalized.
Oatmeal strengthens bones, since it contains a significant amount of phosphorus. This mineral is indispensable for bone tissue synthesis.
Oatfales are good for diabetics. Especially those of type 2. The experiment showed that adding this product to the diabetics diet allowed them to reduce the doses of insulin injections by 40%. This is due to the betaglucans of oat flakes.
Oatmeal is a glute n-free porridge. Therefore, it is excellent for people with intolerance to this substance. It should be noted that oatmeal grows in fields with other cereal crops. Trigo and rye grains can also be added to the cereal tank during the harvest. It is safer to buy “glute n-free” oatmeal if you are allergic to gluten. This type of cereals is subjected to additional tests. It does not contain random grains of other crops.
Damage and contraindications
Oatmeal is very healthy. But it has a series of contraindications:
- Due to their high carbohydrate content, diabetics must eat oatmeal in moderation.
- Often, manufacturers add glyphosate to oats (even baby’s) when they make it. It is a carcinogen. There is evidence that causes cancer.
- Large amounts of fiber can cause swelling with gastroparesis.
- Dangerous for allergic people to the avenine. It is a similar protein in gluten structure.
- It contains phytic acid. This prevents the absorption of iron, calcium and other minerals.
The oatmeal leaching the calcium of the human body?
AVENA LIXIVIA The calcium of the body because it contains phytic acid.
In plants, it retains phosphorus. Once in the body, you can interact with other minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc). When they react, a solid precipitate is formed. Minerals in this way cannot be absorbed by the small intestine. Therefore, they are completely eliminated from the organism.
This substance is not only found in oatmeal. All cereals and legumes are rich in it.
| Phytic acid content per 100 grams of food | |
| product | In dry matter (mg) |
| spinach | 220 |
| Chia seeds | 960-1160 |
| lentils | 440-500 |
| Jewish | 2380 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 430 |
| Tofu | 1. 46 |
| soy | 1000-2200 |
| sesame | 5300 |
| polished rice | 140-150 |
| wheat flour | 250 |
| wheat | 390-1300 |
| oatmeal | 420-1160 |
| oatmeal | 890-2400 |
| chickpeas | 569 |
| Young potatoes | 200-300 |
| almonds | 1350-3220 |
| corn | 750-2200 |
| Integral rice | 840-1000 |
| coconut | 360 |
| wheat germ | 80-15 |
| Sarracene wheat | 1000 |
| nut | 980 |
| Brazil nut | 1970 |
| peanut | 950 |
| avocado | 0. 51 |
The table shows that oats contains relatively small amounts of this substance. Phytic acid is no reason to give up valuable nutritional foods. It has useful qualities. It has antioxidant properties. It is combined with free radicals and eliminates them from the organism. In addition, only one type of its molecules prevents the absorption of minerals. The others play an important role in the transmission of signals between the cells.
Above all, it does not always interfere with the absorption of minerals.
How phytic acid affects vegans, infants and people with a regular diet
For some time, it was thought that phytic acid was very harmful to human being. Experiments with mice and dogs gave negative results. The development of animals stunted and their bones became brittle.
But the experiments in humans showed the opposite result. Those who regularly ate “dangerous” foods had stronger bones and were less likely to suffer osteoporosis. In 2013, the experiments “Diet Shapes The Ability of Human Intestinal Microbiota to Degrade Phytate – In Vitro Studies” were carried out in the United States.
Four groups of people were studied
- Adults with a typical European style diet;
- You drink;
- Vegetarians who consume milk and eggs;
- Vegans (only plant s-based diet).
They took their feces for the experiments. They were placed in a nutritious environment to isolate bacterial colonies. Below was added phytic acid. The behavior of bacteria and changes in the chemical composition of the environment was controlled.
It was observed that some types of bacteria were able to break down the phytate. E. Coli was the one who did best. This is due to the sensitivity of E. coli to the deficiency of iron ions, which, being linked to phytate, cannot be used by bacteria.
There were also other microorganisms. Of the 63 strains identified, 27 belonged to Proteobacteria, 11 to Bacteroids and 2 to Fusobacterium. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus bacteria are unable to degrade phytic acid. However, strains capable of doing so in infants have been found.
The main conclusion of scientists: the intestinal microflora of vegans and vegetarians seems to be the most adapted to process the phytate. Thanks to symbiotic bacteria. That is, the gastrointestinal tract of vegans assimilated it completely.
Oats leaching the organism’s calcium: yes. But not always. It has also been proven that the body adapts when it eats food with phytic acid on a regular basis. The beneficial microorganisms reproduce in the intestines to help digest it.
How to eat oatmealing without harming health
People with ferropenic anemia should be careful. Because after the total removal of the phytic acid of the diet, the absorption of iron in the test subjects increased by 40%. This means that iron supplements should not be taken after oatmeal.
To avoid calcium leaching, you have to eat the oats separated from other foods. It is better to cook the oatmeal in water and drink the milk after a few hours. You should also eat fruit later. In this way, all valuable substances will be absorbed well and no health damage will occur.
