Healthy Living: A bowl of oatmeal a day helps you stay healthy

My son has very poor appetite when it comes to eating his breakfast in the morning. So I had to devise a way for him to eat his breakfast, as it is crucial for a growing and school going child.

Friday, March 02, 2012

My son has very poor appetite when it comes to eating his breakfast in the morning. So I had to devise a way for him to eat his breakfast, as it is crucial for a growing and school going child.

So, I took him for shoping to buy things he feels he can swallow in the morning. As we were on the cereals department, I was busy looking through the weetabix and cornflakes, my son came with a box of oatmeal and said to me, mummy I have never tasted this before, could you please buy for us. I looked at him strangely wondering how he came upon choosing oatmeal as his choice for cereals. Yes, I bought oatmeal for my children, but hit the keyboard on my laptop for more information on the oatmeal immediately I got home. The net provided what I needed to know about oatmeal; Eureka!Oatmeal is a hot breakfast cereal that can offer many health benefits if you eat it on a regular basis. It is simple to prepare and it is one of the best options to start your day out right; it is also good for all ages. Oatmeal contains fibrous materials to give proper digestion and control oil and cholesterol in your body. It is also a natural exfoliating agent and keeps your body fit and fine all the time. For people who are heath conscious, this is the perfect food for them to keep them trim and fit. Oatmeal has good source of vitamins and other natural fibers to give good health.For those who are suffering from obesity, there are many benefits of oatmeal to maintain appropriate weight. Daily intake of oats helps the user to have a trim body with a flat stomach. You don’t have to eat fatty foods or other high carbohydrate foods instead you can replace them with oatmeal porridge every morning. Oatmeal contains phytochemicals, which have been found to effectively treat and prevent cancer. It is also suspected that the insoluble fiber in oatmeal reduces the toxicity in certain types of bile acid, which in turn reduces the risk of various types of cancer. A recent study also found that eating whole grains may help to reduce the risk of childhood asthma. Oatmeal is a whole grain and it may be beneficial to children who are at risk for asthma, this is best part about oatmeal because both my children are asthmatic, so am buying it in plenty to see whether it will help them reduce on the asthma attacks.If a person has diabetes, oatmeal can be effective at maintaining lower blood glucose levels. The soluble fiber in oatmeal slows starch digestion, which in turn helps to prevent a fast increase in blood sugar. Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, which reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) levels without negatively affecting good cholesterol (HDL) levels. The lignans in oatmeal have also been found to prevent heart disease.I have come to like oatmeal because of its fiber elements. Fiber is essential for maintaining regular bowel movements and oats contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Both types of fiber keep digestion going and they help to ensure that waste is moved through the intestines so that it can be expelled.Like many other cereals, oatmeal has a very flat taste if not properly mixed. So instead of mixing it with water, it is better if it is mixed with milk which will also add calcium and more protein; fruits can aslo be added into a bowl of oatmeal to make it tastier more expecially for children. A bowl of oatmeal per day will reduce your trips to the doctor.