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Low on fat, high on fibre

Oatmeal helps prevent many diseases. Here's why it's becoming the new buzzword for the health-conscious

PHOTO: S.R.RAGHUNATHAN

WHOLESOME Many brands to choose from

Pizza with extra cheese topping, a big lamb chop, a super size burger, a scoopful of ice cream... hmm... Slurp! Slurp! The mere thought of these makes the stomach rumble. Most of us have a bit of these in our daily diet. And those who love food must be having a generous helping. But it's time to exercise some self-control.

With today's lifestyle characterised by consumption of high-energy foods, high levels of sugar and erratic eating habits, there has been a rise in heart and nutrition-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. And a sedentary lifestyle completes the picture of poor health.

What's the remedy to junk food? It is important to have a high fibre diet, especially one containing soluble fibre. It has been proved that such a diet helps lower cholesterol, one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It also benefits people who are diabetic, obese and suffer from cancer.

Soluble fibre

One of the best sources of soluble fibre is oatmeal. In fact, it has become the first whole food for which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has allowed a health claim on the label which states "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that includes soluble fibre from oatmeal may reduce the risk of heart diseases." A similar claim will be allowed for foods containing significant amounts of oat bran or whole oat.

And it's not only the heart that benefits. Oatmeal has potent powers against many other diseases. Let's chalk our way to good health by finding out why oatmeal has been the preferred recommendation by dieticians, nutrition and medical specialists.

The benefits

Oatmeal reduces the risk of coronary heart disease as it is a good combination of soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps lower the bad cholesterol without lowering the good cholesterol.

The soluble fibre in oatmeal acts like a sponge and soaks up the bad cholesterol that is the Low Density Cholesterol (LDL) and lets the good cholesterol High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) stay in the digestive tract for a longer time and takes the bad cholesterol to the liver.

Now, a million dollar question is "How much oatmeal should you have to have a significant effect on your body?" Experts recommend that 3g of soluble fibre daily from oatmeal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Oatmeal has a low Glycemic Index (GI), which means it is absorbed in the blood stream slowly keeping the blood sugar levels stable.

High carbohydrate foods can raise blood glucose levels. So, to maintain a low to moderate GI, concentrate on having fibre-rich foods. They take longer time to digest, hence there is a slow rise in blood glucose. Whole grains and cereals are the perfect choice to maintain a low GI. Amongst all the breakfast cereals, oats have the lowest GI and whole oats are known to have even lower GI than the processed ones.

The American Diabetes Association recommends 20-35 grams of fibre from the foods every day. Just one cup of cooked oatmeal supplies 4 grams of total fibre. Eating foods rich in fibre like oatmeal, other whole grains, beans and legumes, helps maintain healthy blood glucose levels.

The high fibre content in oats works against carcinogens, and is effective especially in colon cancer. Having whole oats is more beneficial as they result in bulky stool, which in turn dilutes the carcinogens. Oatmeal can help you fight obesity as its soluble fibre slows down digestion, increasing the sense of fullness. According to a study, the percentage of 2- to 18-year-olds that are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight is almost 50 per cent lower in oatmeal-eaters than in children who do not consume oatmeal. In addition, children who eat oatmeal are about twice as likely to meet fibre intake recommendations, with fibre intakes 17 per cent higher than those who do not eat oatmeal.

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