Get To Know Your Super Foods: The Mighty Oat – A Super Food Close To Your Heart
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The Mighty Oat – A Super Food Close To Your Heart Oats gained a special distinction as a super food back in 1997 when the Food and Drug Administration made the claim that there is an association between a diet high in oats and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. With that announcement, oats, oatmeal, oat bran, and oat flour skyrocketed in popularity amount the whole grains, placing it right up there in the top 10 super foods. Let's take a look at what else this well-known, but not totally understood, grain has to offer. Outrageous Nutrition for a Lifetime We know that oats, along with other whole grains, provide protection against heart disease, potentially extending the lifespan of people who include this food regularly in their diets. That would seem to be enough of a reason to add oats to your diet, but there's more. This is a high fiber, high protein food that's low in calories and rich in important vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, and selenium. Beta glucan is the main ingredient responsible for lowering serum cholesterol levels. Oats also contain special antioxidants called avenanthramides. Together these two elements have been shown to significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels when oats are consumed on a regular basis. Oats have a low glycemic index, which means the energy from this food burns slowly and stays with you to satisfy your hunger for a longer period of time. Having nutrients released slowly into the bloodstream and throughout the body helps stabilize blood sugar levels, eliminating the spikes which can cause many health problems, concentration problems, and dieting problems. In addition, the B vitamins contribute to strong healthy skin, nails, and hair. Along with other whole grains, studies have found that consuming oats can aid in the battle against breast cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and asthma in children. With this sort of super food on your side, why wouldn't you eat it? Countless Ways to Enjoy Oats are an inexpensive and widely available grain that can be easily incorporated into meals at any time of day. Oats are easy to store in containers or airtight bags, and have a very long shelf life. A bowl of hot cereal in the morning is the most familiar way oats are served. Whether you buy raw oatmeal or quick cooking, you are starting off with a good basis for nutrition. Vary the toppings and you vary the recipe enough to eat servings of oatmeal a number of times each week without getting bored. Add berries, nuts, stevia, or protein powders to boost the flavor and superpowers of your oatmeal. Besides breakfast cereal, there are a number of other ways to incorporate oats into your daily diet. Oats can provide a toasty coating for baked or broiled fish, and are often used to make hearty muffins, cookies, and other desserts. Don't forget about convenient trail mixes or granola bars. Oats are often the central ingredient in those tasty treats.
Mixing oatmeal in as a binder in ground meat for burgers, meatloaf, and meatballs is another way to 'sneak' more nutrition into your diet. Oats also play center stage in a number of bread recipes, whether as a main ingredient or to add just a bit of heartiness and crunch. As part of your healthy diet, incorporating up to three servings of whole grains a day is recommended by many nutritionists and health experts. Oats provide enough significant benefits for healthy living to make them a vital part of your good diet. Want to learn more? Click here for your forever guidebook for using food and nutrients to improve your health and vitality, lose weight, slow down the aging process and prevent disease. For more healthy eating plan tips, visit: http://www.finallygethealthy.com/
Super Foods Recipes Blueberry Oat Scones 1 1/2 cups oat bran 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces 2 eggs 1/3 cup plain yogurt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or spray baking sheet with non-stick oil. In a large bowl, combine the bran, flour, sugar, baking powder, and cream of tartar, then cut in the butter with pastry cutter or two forks. In separate bowl, put the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then carefully fold in the fresh blueberries. On a clean surface dusted with flour, put the mixture and carefully push and knead dough until you get a circle, about 9 to 10 inches, then set on prepared baking sheet. With sharp knife, cut dough into wedges. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on rack, then divide at previously cut marks into wedges.
Oat Pecan Cream Bars 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/4 cup sugar 2 eggs, separated 2 Tbsp water 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup chopped, lightly toasted pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, or butter. In large bowl, put butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and sugar. Mix with electric beater until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, water, and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well blended. Add oats, flour, and baking soda and blend well with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. Spread dough in bottom of baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place on rack to cool. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees. In a new cold bowl, add egg whites and beat with electric mixter until light and foamy. Slowly add 1/2 cup brown sugar, continuing to beat until you get stiff peaks. Distribute this mixture over the bars, spreading to edges of pan. Put pecans on top, sprinkling evenly. Put in 325 degree oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and cool for 10 minutes on a rack. Cut into bars, then when cooled completely, remove from pan and serve.
Click here for your forever guidebook for using food and nutrients to improve your health and vitality, lose weight, slow down the aging process and prevent disease.