Avoiding cholesterol with oats

Cholesterol is a fatty natural alcohol that is found in living cells and is involved in a number of biochemical reactions. High doses of total cholesterol in the blood cause the formation of plaques on the walls of blood vessels, which causes serious harm to the body. First of all, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases.

One of the ways to reduce cholesterol levels is to naturally and safely cleanse the body with oats. In the article we will discuss the composition and beneficial properties of this product, its effect on cholesterol levels, oat-based recipes, possible harm and contraindications.

Composition of oats

Oats are an annual herbaceous plant of the Poaceae family. The most important species from an economic point of view is common oats. It has a different chemical composition depending on environmental conditions (soil and climate), seed grain, use of fertilizers, and plant protection products.

100 g of the edible part of whole grain contains:

• 10 g proteins;
• 6.2 g fat;
• 55.1 g carbohydrates;
• 14 g water;
• 12 g dietary fiber;
• 36.1 g starch.

The biological value of a cereal is determined by its vitamin and mineral complex:

• B1 - 31.3% of the norm in 100 g;
• N - 30%;
• B4 - 22%;
• nicotinic acid - 20%;
• beta-carotene;
• vitamins B2, B5, B6, B9;
• alpha tocopherol (vitamin E);
• niacin.

Of the macroelements found in the cereal:

• potassium;
• calcium;
• magnesium;
• sodium;
• sulfur;
• silicon;
• phosphorus;
• chlorine.

Micronutrients include:

• iron;
• iodine;
• cobalt;
• manganese;
• copper;
• molybdenum;
• selenium;
• fluorine;
• chromium;
• zinc.

The energy value of 100 g of grain is 316 kcal.

Useful properties of oats

Oats for the human body are a source of valuable vitamins, micro- and macroelements. It is recommended for improving general condition, enhancing immunity, eliminating symptoms of fatigue and apathy.

The high fiber content of grain normalizes digestion, enhances intestinal motility, cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of waste and toxins, removes excess fluid, stabilizes metabolism, and promotes weight loss.

With regular consumption of oats, the nervous system is strengthened, the heart rate is restored, and insomnia and fatigue disappear. Cereal increases brain performance, normalizes peripheral blood circulation, eliminates symptoms of apathy, depression, fear, and anxiety.

Oats have a positive effect on diseases of the cardiovascular system, prevent atherosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. Vitamin C increases the strength and elasticity of vascular walls and reduces their permeability. B vitamins regulate oxidation-reduction reactions, improve the use of glucose, reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, and take part in the formation of blood cells.

Oats also have a pronounced anti-inflammatory, choleretic, diuretic, enveloping effect. An infusion of the herb facilitates the passage of stones in kidney stones. It is used for fever, edema caused by impaired renal function, and gout. In folk medicine, it is used as a general tonic for exhaustion, to stimulate appetite and increase body tone, and as a mild laxative.

Oats are used as an external remedy for frostbite, skin diseases, wounds, and burns. In cosmetology, masks for the face and hands are prepared on its basis, baths and lotions are made. Oats retain moisture in cells, eliminate dryness and flaking, smooth out fine wrinkles, tone and refresh, even out complexion, reduce pigmentation, and lighten dark circles under the eyes.

How oats affect cholesterol levels

80% of the cholesterol contained in the blood is produced by the liver, adrenal glands, gonads, and intestines, and only 20% enters the body with food.

When the total cholesterol level in the blood exceeds 5 mmol/l, the potential risk of a number of diseases is determinedassociated with blockage of blood vessels by cholesterol plaques. These are coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, myocardial infarction.

Oats are the most effective remedy that normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood, thereby facilitating the course of cardiovascular pathologies and preventing relapses.

Cereal contains many useful substances - minerals, vitamins, proteins, amino acids. The active components effectively clean the bile ducts, remove toxic substances, toxins, and other harmful compounds from the body, reduce the production of cholesterol by internal organs, and help maintain normal sugar levels.

Advice. Healthy people are recommended to consume cereal to prevent atherosclerosis and related complications.

The B vitamins contained in the cereal normalize blood viscosity and fluidity, stabilize metabolic processes, and activate the functions of the hematopoietic organs.They are also directly involved in the production of red blood cells and reduce cholesterol synthesis.

Amino acids have a destructive effect on cholesterol deposits, after which they are carefully removed from the body along with the outflow of urine.

Selenium in combination with vitamin A protects against the action of active radicals, ensures proper functioning of the heart muscle, niacin increases the concentration of beneficial lipids in the body, pyridoxine reduces platelet aggregation (sticking together), riboflavin (vitamin B2) regulates the synthesis of red blood cells.

The main causes of hypercholesterolemia are extra pounds, bad habits, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet. Without excluding provoking factors, oats will not bring the desired result. Grains will be effective only in complex treatment if all recommendations and prescriptions of a specialist are followed.

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Oat Recipes to Lower Cholesterol

There are different oat-based anti-cholesterol recipes, but each method requires proper preparation. During blood cleansing, toxins and metabolic products will enter the intestines. It will do its job faster if you clean it first.

You should not take oats for cholesterol spontaneously. A few weeks before the event, it is recommended to review the diet, exclude unhealthy foods (fried foods, fatty foods, flour, smoked foods, sauces, spices, meat, sugar) and introduce more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Important! Throughout the course, adhere to a vegetarian diet.You should not drink alcohol, sweet carbonated drinks or caffeine-containing drinks. It is forbidden to eat unhealthy foods immediately after completing the procedure.

Regardless of the cooking method, you should use grains, not flakes. Oats of appropriate quality have a light color and a straw smell. To get the maximum effect, it is equally important to follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding dosage and course of administration.

Oat broth + honey

Honey enhances the anti-cholesterol effect of oats and adds new beneficial properties: it prevents inflammatory processes, stimulates the immune system, and acts as a natural antibiotic.

The recipe is simple:

1. Rinse a glass of grain and fill it with a liter of cold boiled water.
2. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. If the water boils away, add boiling water so that at the end of cooking there is a liter of water left, as at the beginning.
3. Remove the container with oats from the heat and place in a warm place to simmer for several hours.
4. After this, strain and add honey.
5. Drink ½ tbsp before meals. within a month.

Kissel

Kissel regulates the concentration of harmful cholesterol in the blood and has a beneficial effect on the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, envelops and protects from mechanical and chemical irritation, acts as an enterosorbent, removing waste and toxins from the body.

Recipe:

1. Select 2 cups of high-quality grain, rinse, pour into a saucepan, and add 250 ml of water.
2. Close the lid and leave to steep for half a day.
3. Next, add water to the container so that it covers the grain well, cook over low heat for about 1.5 hours. As the liquid boils, you need to add boiling water.
4. Remove the broth, judge, and grind the grains in a blender.
5. Pour it back into the pan, put it on the fire, add water during the cooking process until you get a mixture that looks like jelly.

There is an easier way to prepare oat jelly:

1. Pour 200 g of grain into 1 liter of boiling water, cook for about an hour.
2. When the broth has cooled, strain.
3. Drink ½ tbsp. 4-5 times a day half an hour before meals or an hour after eating.

Drink based on oats and hawthorn

Hawthorn will replenish the body’s vitamin and mineral reserves, strengthens the heart, and in combination with oats, reduces high cholesterol levels:

1. Pour 2 liters of boiling water over a glass of grain, and after boiling, simmer over low heat under the lid for another 15-20 minutes.
2. Add 250 ml of hawthorn juice and honey to taste to the warm broth (1-2 tablespoons will be enough), mix everything.
3. Take 200 ml of the drink once a day before meals.

For this recipe, it is better to use hawthorn juice prepared at home:

1. Wash fresh hawthorn fruits, add a small amount of water, cook over low heat for 1-2 hours.
2. Let cool slightly, then grind the fruits through a sieve.
3. The output will be a thick mass. To bring it to the consistency of juice, you need to dilute it with boiled cooled water.

Tibetan recipe

Easy to prepare:

1. Rinse 6 tbsp. l. oats to clear water, pour into a saucepan.
2. Pour a liter of cold distilled water into it and bring to a boil.
3. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. When the broth has cooled, strain, take 200 ml once a day after the main meal.

Oat tincture

The recipe for making the tincture is simple:

1. Pour 200 g of grain into 1 liter of cold purified water and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer over low heat with the lid closed for 4 hours.
3. Cool, strain, take 3-4 times a day, ½ cup.

Porridge

Oatmeal - The most popular breakfast cereal. It is prepared in different ways:

1. Pour hot water over the grain in a ratio of 1:2 and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes.
2. To save time and the substances contained in the composition that are beneficial to the human body, it is enough to pour the cereal with water in the evening and leave until the morning. Instead of water, you can use low-fat yogurt, milk, kefir.

To taste, add a small amount of dried fruits or fresh fruits to the porridge, for example, an apple (reduces the level of bad cholesterol, increases the strength and elasticity of blood vessels), season with 1 tsp. honey, cinnamon or lemon juice.

Oat diet

Oats lower cholesterol levels, starting the process of weight loss. Cereal contains a lot of plant fiber, which, like a sponge, cleanses the intestines, blood and kidneys from toxins, stimulates metabolism, enhances peristalsis of the large intestine, relieves constipation, resulting in weight loss.

Those who use oats for weight loss are recommended to eat fresh porridge with water. A quick, but fairly tough way to get rid of extra pounds is a 7-day version of a strict oatmeal diet. For a week, you are allowed to eat only empty porridge with water without salt and sugar, and strictly limit any other food products. If you follow the diet, you can lose 6-8 kg in a week.

Practice and a more balanced and healthier diet. Its basis is boiled oats, supplemented with herbs and vegetables. As a snack, you are allowed to eat some fruit, with the exception of bananas and grapes. Porridge should not be seasoned with sugar, salt, spices, mayonnaise, or butter. Only olive oil and natural soy sauce are allowed.

For reference. The weight loss result varies between 5-8 kg in 10 days. If you add low-fat meat and/or fish to your diet, you will only be able to lose 3-4 kg.

To normalize the water-salt balance and quickly remove toxins and fatty acids from the body, drink up to 3 liters of still water, green tea without sugar, and herbal teas daily.

Oatmeal broth will be useful. You can add 1 tsp to it. natural honey and take 100 ml three times a day half an hour before meals.

Other

Natural bars made from oats, honey, and dried fruits help regulate cholesterol levels and avoid gaining excess weight. Due to the content of natural and healthy ingredients and the absence of sugar, such bars do not violate the principles of healthy eating and serve as an excellent alternative to sweets.

Ingredients:

• oat flakes - 150 g;
• walnut - 60 g;
• raisins - 50 g;
• banana - 1 pc.;
• honey - 2 tbsp. l.

Recipe:

1. Peel whole grain oats, rinse until clear water, pour into a colander to drain.
2. Lightly fry the nuts in a dry frying pan. After it has cooled, chop it with a knife or put it in a blender.
3. Rinse the raisins under running water; no need to steam, otherwise the mass will turn out too liquid.
4. Remove the banana peel and mash with a fork.
5. Combine all ingredients, add honey, mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth.
6. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, grease with vegetable oil, and lay oatmeal mixture on top in an even layer in the form of a rectangle.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-25 minutes. until a golden crust forms. When cool, cut into strips.

Steamed oats effectively reduce high cholesterol:

1. Pour a glass of grain into a heat-resistant pan, pour 1 liter of boiled hot water.
2. Place the container in the oven for 2 hours.
3. After the infusion, strain, drink 150 ml in the morning and evening for two weeks.

Schemes and methods of use to reduce cholesterol

All oat-based recipes for high cholesterol are intended for internal use. Average rate treatment is 14-21 days. If necessary, it is repeated after 1-2 months.

The daily dose of infusion/decoction depends on the patient’s age, individual characteristics of the body, and the severity of symptoms. With the permission of a doctor, it is given to infants older than 6 months. At the age of six months to a year, 1 tsp is enough. decoction morning and evening, from one to two years - 1 tbsp. l. twice a day, from 2 to 5 years, the dosage is increased to 1/3 cup with the same frequency. Starting from 5 years old and adults need to take 100 ml 3-4 times a day.

Contraindications

In order for oats to lower cholesterol to have the maximum effect, first consult with a specialist, tell him about all the characteristics of the body - the cereal has contraindications for consumption.

You should not take oats if you have high cholesterol in the following cases:

• with individual intolerance;
• abdominal pain of unknown origin;
• increased acidity stomach;
• problems with the liver and kidneys;
• gallbladder diseases;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• cardiovascular diseases during exacerbation.

Possible harm

According to patient reviews, if you follow the dosage and take into account possible contraindications, side effects occur extremely rarely.

In some cases, if you take an oat infusion for too long, high cholesterol against the background of nutritional deficiency causes general malaise, decreased stamina and performance, deterioration of teeth, headache, and intestinal discomfort.

When you should never eat oats

Low cholesterol levels (less than 70 mmol/l) and individual intolerance to one or more components of the grain composition are an absolute contraindication for the use of oats and other recipes based on them. Cereals are strictly prohibited for people suffering from celiac disease or celiac disease.

In this case, its use becomes the reason:

• frequent foamy stools;
• decreased appetite;
• severe exhaustion;
• dry skin;
• dystrophy of teeth, hair, nails;
• slow growth of the child;
• the worst case scenario is death.

Conclusion

Oats improve the condition and function of the cardiovascular system, regulate cholesterol levels in the blood, and prevent blockage of blood vessels. However, only healthy people can practice such cleansing after consulting a doctor.

Before and after the procedure, it is extremely important to adjust your diet, get rid of bad habits, lead a healthy lifestyle, visit a doctor regularly and not self-medicate.