Oats: all the properties and benefits you don't expect

We know it well, we have known and cultivated it for thousands of years, and we use it from cosmetics to food. We are talking about oats, the gluten-free cereal with spectacular nutritional properties. Let's discover all the health benefits of oats!

Oats are part of the large Gramineae family. It is a very special cereal, not only because it is gluten-free, but also because it maintains very high nutritional values even after processing. Unlike other cereals, in fact, oats keep their bran and germ. These are the parts of the grain in which most of the nutrients are found and which preserve the precious properties of oats.

What are the properties of oats?

Very famous in cosmetics for its emollient and moisturizing properties, oats are also used to promote intestinal regularity, thanks to their high fibre content. Let's see all the properties of oats:

• It has a high satiating capacity: oats have the capacity to absorb a quantity of water equal to 25 times their volume. Once the oat fibres are swollen with water, they fill the stomach, while retaining all the other nutrients ingested.
• Deep moisturizing: for the same mechanism described above, oats are excellent in case of dehydration. 
• It regulates fats and sugars in the blood: oats help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol, thanks to their beta-glucan content.
• Oat fibres are prebiotics and nourish the intestinal bacterial flora, helping it to maintain its health. Oats are therefore excellent for fighting gastrointestinal problems.
• Sprouted and chopped oats are particularly useful for skin health, as several scientific studies have shown.
• Oats help regulate intestinal activity and combat constipation.

In addition to being nutritious and particularly appreciated for its versatility in cooking, oats are also known for some benefits you don't expect. Let's see what science says:

• Oats contain many antioxidants, particularly alkaloid phenols called avenanthramides, which reduce inflammation and can help reduce blood pressure.
• Eating oats helps you sleep well, thanks to the content of melatonin, folates and tryptophan, which stimulates the production of serotonin.
• It is useful for slimming and maintaining a good weight.
• The consumption of oats reduces the risk of asthma in children.

All you have to do is prepare a delicious and creamy oat porridge! If you don't know how to do it, don't have the time to do it and want an unusually tasty oatmeal, try our new Super Breakfast! They are made from pre-cooked oats and come in two delicious flavours: peanut butter and banana, and hazelnut butter and cocoa... Did you get hungry?