Oats 'Lowers Cholesterol'

Oats are the most nutrient rich of any grain, they are rich in numerous essential nutrients that help to boost the immune system and fights against various life threatening conditions.

Oats are a great source of phosphorus, selenium and manganese. They’re a good source of soluble dietary fiber, iron and magnesium, vitamin B1. 

 

Health Benefits of Oats 

Oats for Weight Loss
Studies have revealed that starting the day with a nutritious, fiber rich meal such as oats can help with maintaining a healthy weight. Oats has been found as having the highest satiety value of all breakfast meals, giving a feeling of fullness for longer.

Excellent Source of Fiber: Three grams of oat fiber can be had by eating about 1 bowl of oats. An adult should consume at least 25 gm of fiber every day. Fiber is essential for preventing and relieving various health ailments including hemorrhoids, constipation and diverticulitis, a condition characterized by the development of abscesses within the intestine, which may cause severe infections. Consuming enough fibers also helps to control high blood pressure and reduce inflammation. The soluble fibers are useful for lowering the blood cholesterol levels as well.

Oats for Cholesterol

Researchers have identified a substance in oats called beta-glucan which significantly reduces LDL(Bad) cholesterol. In people with high cholesterol levels, the intake of the equivalent of three grams of oat fiber daily generally reduces total cholesterol by 8 to 23 percent.

Protein

Oats contain a distinct protein called avenalin, which is similar in structure to proteins found in legumes. According to the World Health Organization, the quality of protein present in oats is nearly equal to that of soy. 100g of oats contains approximately 17.6g of protein

Energy Booster: Various studies show oats to help increase the metabolism and boost the energy levels when consumed shortly before some exercise.

Increased Immune Response: Researches suggest the beta-glucan contents of oat bran to be effective in enhancing the immune response. However, further research is necessary for finding out the effects and usefulness of this immune-boosting property of the food.

Diabetes Control: The bran helps to reduce the insulin and blood glucose responses. Controlling the levels of glucose and insulin in the blood helps to prevent Type 2 diabetes and certain complications associated with it.

A number of studies demonstrate that individuals with high whole grain consumption had from 28 – 61% less risk of type 2 diabetes in comparison to people with the lowest whole grain consumption.

 Oatmeal Recipe Ideas

-Oatmeal With Mango and Coconut

Turn breakfast into a tropical treat with toasted coconut and diced fresh mango. 

-Oatmeal With Dried Fruit and Pistachios

Dried fruit and nuts are typical oatmeal garnishes; mix things up with a variety of fruit (cranberries, cherries) and nut (pistachio).

-Oatmeal With Peanut Butter and Grapes

stir in peanut butter and top with fresh grapes.

-Oatmeal With Banana

Choose to be creative when having your oat-meal, you can include bananas, apple (cubed), nuts, berries and other nutrient rich fruits and nuts when having them. 

If you are looking for a meal that can provide you with energy, vitamins and minerals; cleanse your intestines; and decrease your risk for major diseases, then you should include whole oats as part of your diet.

AVOIDING CONSTIPATION

Constipation is defined as difficulty in defecation, it is accompanied 

• By expulsion of hard amount of hard feces

• Reduction in defecation to less than three to four times a week

You may have pain while passing stools or may be unable to have a bowel movement after straining or pushing for more than 10 minutes.

Common Causes

Constipation is most often caused by:

• Low-fiber diet
• Lack of physical activity
• Not drinking enough water
• Delay in going to the bathroom when you have the urge to move your bowels

Stress and travel can also contribute to constipation or other changes in bowel habits.

Other causes of constipation may include:

• Colon cancer
• Diseases of the bowel, such as irritable bowel system
  
• Mental health disorders
• Nervous system disorder
• Pregnancy
• Underactive thyroid
• Use of certain medications                                                                 

  Avoiding constipation is essential to enjoying good health

   

  1. Drink enough water : If the body is not properly hydrated, the large intestine extracts water from the feces this dries them and makes them difficult to expel. Drink at least 13 glasses of liquid each day.                                                                                               

  

  2. Eat a proper diet:  Avoiding constipation requires a proper diet, increasing the intake of fiber. 
• The foods that contribute most to constipation prevention are
  -Fresh Fruits : Eat fruit with all of its pulp instead of drinking fruit juice-Vegetables 
  -Whole Grains
  3. Consume Enough Fiber: Plant based foods are the only ones that contain the fiber necessary to, among other things, move the feces normally through the intestine.
  4. Educate The Bowels: Laxatives (natural vegetable fibre and pharmaceutical preparations), enemas, glycerin, suppositories and other remedies may relieve an acute case but not chronic constipation.                                                                                                                                 
  Avoiding constipation requires the learning of good toilet habits from childhood and educating the bowel
  -Do not ignore the physiological need to defecate
  -Try to evacuate at the same time of the day
  -Perform some type of physical exercise

HYPERLIPIDEMIA: A RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, a number of factors including hyperlipidemia, cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, age, sex, genetics have been recognized as contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Hyperlipidemia refers to elevated levels of lipid and cholesterol in the blood and is also identified as dyslipidemia. 

The medical term for high blood cholesterol is lipid disorder, or hyperlipidemia.

Causes

For many people, abnormal cholesterol levels are partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle -- most commonly, eating a diet that is high in Fat. Other lifestyle factors are:

• Being overweight
• Heavy alcohol use
• Lack of exercise and living an inactive lifestyle 

There are many types of cholesterol. The ones talked about most are:

• Total cholesterol - all the cholesterol combined
• High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol - often called "good" cholesterol
• Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - often called "bad" cholesterol                                                                                                                                                                           
• Your General targets should be:                                               -LDL: 70-130 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)                        -HDL: more than 40-60 mg/dL (high numbers are better)     -Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)                                                                             -Triglycerides: 10-150 mg/dL (lower numbers are better)        

Dietary modification is effective in achieving and maintaining improved serum lipid levels.

Nutritional care is provided by a dietitian, ensure you see a dietician for nutritional care that includes individual dietary and self assessment, formulating an appropriate dietary regimen, education and follow up assessment.

The key nutritional interventions are as follows

• Reduce dietary fat and cholesterol
• Read food labels and choose foods with low cholestorol and saturated fat levels

• Choose whole grains instead of refined flour

• Choose low-fat protein source

• Remove skin of chicken or turkey to reduce fat

• Limit or exclude red meat as it high in saturated fat

• Choose less fatty fish
• Limit Fried food, and use healthy oils in cooking

•  Increase the amount of fiber you eat, by increasing your fruit and vegetable group

• Many diary product are extremely high in fat, they should be avoided or replace with a low fat or fat free diary products  
• Lose extra weight, a weight loss of 10 percent can go a long way to reversing your risk of hyperlidemia                                                                                                       

Check your family history of high cholesterol, Are you prone to high cholesterol based on genetics? If so take steps to minimize your risk through diet and exercise

DIET AND BREAST CANCER

Cancer is a disease characterized by abnormal cell growth and can occur in any organ. In some ways the genes lose control of cell growth, and reproduction becomes unstructured and excessive.

The recent alarm on rising global incidence of cancer by the World Health Organization (WHO) should worry African countries including Nigeria, where the disease is most prevalent. 

Breast cancer accounts for 40 per cent of women cancers, closely followed by cervical cancer of 17.9 per cent, lymphomas and ovarian cancer are next. Experts have predicted that by 2020, the number of cancer patients in Nigeria is going to rise from 24 million to 42 million as speculated 21 years ago. It is also feared that by same 2020, death rates from cancer in Nigerian males and females may reach 72.7/100,000 and 76/100,000 respectively.

Good nutrition may reduce the incidence of breast cancer and risk of breast cancer progression or recurrence.There appear to be associations between food and cancer- both good and bad. For example certain substances in food are thought to be carcinogenic, nitrites in cure and smoked food such as bacon, and ham can be changed to nitrosamines (carcinogens) during cooking, also high fat diets have been associated with breast cancer.

Newer studies point to dietary changes that can offer the most hope for preventing breast cancer or re-occurrence.

What increases the risk of developing breast cancer:

• Over the age of 50(though younger women also develop breast cancer)

• Having a family history of cancer

• Exposed to a high level of the hormone Estrogen. This may occur if you have never, given birth or if you had your first menstrual period at a young age.

• Overweight or obese especially after menopause

• Drinking alcohol, whether you choose beer, wine or liquor, drinking too much alcohol may increase breast cancer risk

• Eating a high fat diet, a low fat diet may help prevent weight gain, which in turn may prevent breast cancer risk

Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

• Plant Based Diets 
• Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables. Note; Vibrant intense color is one indicator of Phyto nutrient content
• High Fibre- whole grains and beans/legumes

• Limit Red Meat; avoid processed meat such as sausage, delimeat and hot dogs

• Low fat diet with emphasis on Healthy fats

• Limit processed and refined Grains (flours) and sugar

• Drink plenty of fluids

• Be physically active to help achieve and maintain healthy weight                                                                                                                                                                                              Eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains daily, avoiding processed and high-sugar foods, and being physically active are very important ways we can take control of our risk of cancer.

Number 1 Protein Source.......BEANS!

 More than just a meat substitute, beans are so nutritious. Throughout history,  beans have been used as a staple of the diet, and the health benefits derived from them have been well recognized.  

 

Proteins are the most notable nutrient in beans, the protein percentage in beans varies according to variety between 21% and 24% which is equal to or even greater than animal based foods such as fresh tuna, beef, or chicken.

Sixty to 65% of the calories in dry beans are from carbohydrates, predominantly in the form of starch, resistant starch, and small amounts of non-starch polysaccharides.   

Beans are low in sugar, which prevents insulin in the bloodstream from spiking and causing hunger. When you substitute beans for meat in your diet, you get the added bonus of a decrease in saturated fat. The properties of the carbohydrates found in beans, along with their fiber content, make them ideal foods for the management of abnormalities associated with insulin resistance, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

For vitamins and minerals, beans are an excellent source of copper, phosphorus, manganese and magnesium. Most dry beans are a rich source of iron, which makes them ideal for vegans who do not get an animal source of iron. The nutritional content of most dry beans is very similar, with the exception of iron content.  White beans have almost twice the iron of black beans, while kidney beans are somewhere in between.

Dry beans are an excellent source of the water-soluble vitamins thiamin and folic acid and a good source of riboflavin and vitamin B6. Beans are an excellent source of folates, persons at high risk for coronary disease should increase folates intake.

Beans act to protect the  skin and mucosa because they are a good source of two vitamins factors (Niacin and Pantothenic Acid), they are recommended in cases of eczema, itching skin, dry skin, and general dermatosis.

 

Beans are very rich in vegetable fiber as in the case with all legumes. One hundred grams of dried beans provide 15.2g of fiber, more than half the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for an adult (25g). The fibre in beans lower blood cholesterol levels. Beans also provide substantial amounts of insoluble fiber, which help attract water to the stool and enhance transit time of waste through the colon.  This may help to combat constipation, colon cancer, and other conditions that afflict the digestive tract.

Beans are high in antioxidants, a class of phytochemicals that incapacitate cell-damaging free radicals in the body. (Free radicals have been implicated in everything from cancer and aging.

The fat content of dry beans is very low (less than 2% of total content), and they contain predominately unsaturated fatty acids.  There is some variation based on variety and growth conditions, but most beans contain about 85% of their fat as unsaturated fatty acids.  Because beans are plant foods, they are cholesterol-free.

Beans are ideal for those with high blood pressure (hypertension) because they are low in sodium and high in potassium.

Beans contain some complex sugars of the raffinose family.  These are the sugars that cause digestive issues with bean consumption.  These sugars must be broken down by enzymes that are not available in the human digestive system and are therefore available for microbial action in the colon, resulting in gas production and flatulence.  These sugars can be removed effectively from the beans by soaking the beans, and then cooking them, discarding the soaking and cooking liquids.

Including 3 cups of cooked dry beans in the diet on a weekly basis  will enhance health-promoting aspects of the diet, longevity and will be important in reducing risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.