Grain is used for grinding or as feed, which has high nutritional value. Among the nine kinds of food that Chinese people eat daily, such as wheat, rice and corn, oats have the highest economic value, which is mainly manifested in its high nutritional, medical and feeding values. β -glucan in oats can slow down the increase of glucose content in blood and prevent obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Oats are rich in dietary fiber, which can clean up intestinal garbage and lose weight.

The benefits of eating oats:

There is a soluble fiber in oats, which is a non-starch polysaccharide polymerized by a series of glucose molecules. This is β-glucan, which has many unique health care functions:

1 Prevent colds. β -glucan can enhance the vitality of immune warriors-macrophages, quickly kill invading viruses, bacteria, fungi and other pathogenic microorganisms, and help you stay away from infectious diseases such as colds.

2 prevent cancer. β -glucan can kill sarcoma cells, melanocytes and other malignant cells, and its inhibitory rate on liver cancer and breast cancer is comparable to that of anticancer drugs, and it has no toxic side effects, so it has certain anticancer effect.

③ Lowering cholesterol. American experts' research shows that a patient with hyperlipidemia who ingests 3~4 grams of β -glucan every day can reduce "bad cholesterol" by 8% and reduce the risk of heart attack 10%~ 12%.

④ Regulate blood sugar. The high viscosity of β -glucan can inhibit gastric emptying and delay the absorption of glucose by small intestine, thus effectively delaying the increase of postprandial blood sugar, which has certain inhibitory and preventive effects on diabetes.

⑤ Protect the intestines. β -glucan can not be absorbed, and it can ferment in large intestine to produce short-chain fatty acids such as propionic acid and butyric acid, which can inhibit spoilage bacteria, promote probiotics, maintain the balance of intestinal flora and prevent diarrhea or constipation.

⑥ Radiation resistance. β -glucan can promote hematopoietic function, increase the production of white blood cells and red blood cells, and reduce the harm of radiation to human body. Experiments at the Radiobiology Research Center of the US Air Force showed that mice were treated with lethal doses of radiation, and it was found that 80% of the mice were completely unaffected by radiation.

How to buy oats:

① Read the ingredient list carefully to identify the true and false oatmeal. The nutritional value of oat products is directly related to the content of oats. For example, 100% pure natural oats are better than ready-to-eat products with other ingredients. Read the product ingredient list carefully when buying. The ingredient list of pure natural oat products only contains "oats", and the ingredient list of products with poor nutrition also contains non-milk powder, white sugar, maltodextrin, food additives and other ingredients.

2 Cook and eat as much as possible. Boiled is better than brewed. Because β -glucan is a water-soluble fiber, it can only play a health care role after being dissolved. Even if boiled for 3 minutes, the dissolution of β -glucan will be greatly increased, while the dissolution of β -glucan in directly brewed oatmeal is relatively limited.

③ The more sticky oats are, the better. In the cooking process, oatmeal will become more and more viscous, and this viscosity comes from β-glucan. The higher the content of β-glucan, the greater the viscosity, the better the health care effect and the smoother the taste.

How to eat oats healthily;

① Don't treat cereal as oatmeal. Oatmeal is made of rolled oats, flat, equivalent to the size of soybeans, and complete in shape (instant oatmeal has a sense of fragmentation, but its original shape can still be seen). Oat is a mixture of wheat, rice, corn, barley and other grains, and oats only account for a small part or contain no oats at all. It is better to add dried fruits, nut slices and bean slices to foreign cereals, which can at least enrich dietary fiber; Domestic grain is not. Most of them are maltodextrin, sugar, creamer, essence and so on. And sugar and dextrin will increase the speed of blood sugar rise; Cream contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and the "trans fatty acid" in it will promote the occurrence of heart disease, so we must choose it carefully.

Those who are not sweet are expensive. Natural grains are not sweet. If you make a small bag (40g) of oatmeal, it will have obvious sweetness, which means that it contains 20g of sugar, which means that half of the oatmeal you buy is actually white sugar, and the health care value will be removed by half. In addition, we should also be alert to "sugar-free products". Sugar-free and sweet must be due to the addition of some high-efficiency sweeteners, such as sodium cyclamate, acesulfame, aspartame and so on. Most of these things are chemical synthetic products, with few advantages and many disadvantages. To make matters worse, a little high-efficiency sweetener is enough. Usually, starch hydrolysate such as maltodextrin is used to make up the number, and maltodextrin, like white sugar, is in danger of rapidly raising blood sugar. Therefore, people who need to control blood sugar should not be confused by the word "sugar-free", and it is wise to buy pure oatmeal without sugar.

③ There is no need to strengthen nutrition. Oatmeal itself is nutritious enough, and the oatmeal with high calcium, high iron and high protein claimed by merchants has little synergistic value. If the "cereal" product itself contains a small proportion of oats, even if other nutrients are added, it is just a name. Don't be tempted by it.

④ Don't judge the quality by packaging. Some brands with simple packaging, ordinary appearance and no added ingredients, which taste light, sticky and even a little prickly, are the real natural oatmeal and should be listed as your first choice. Don't take the quality of packaging as the standard of purchase.

Cooking is better than eating. Oatmeal products in supermarkets are used for cooking as well as washing. Weighing the two, cooking is healthier. On the one hand, sugar, cream, maltodextrin, essence and other ingredients are not added, on the other hand, it can provide the greatest satiety and the blood sugar rises the slowest. Although instant products are convenient and delicious, sugar or creamer (including trans fatty acids) is often added, which will not increase the efficiency, but will offset its disease prevention effect.

Oats can be eaten as breakfast, but they also need other nutrients. As the saying goes, "Eat well for breakfast, eat well for Chinese food, and eat less for dinner." A reasonable and healthy breakfast is the basis for the body to maintain a day's consumption. It is recommended to eat enough water, carbohydrates, protein food, vitamin food and other digestible foods at breakfast. It is not advisable to eat fried food and cold food often. Pay attention to your health while losing weight, or you will lose more than you gain. Breakfast must be balanced in nutrition, and you can choose oatmeal and fruit for dinner, which is simple and light. In addition to paying attention to diet, good living habits and regular work and rest are also very helpful for slimming.