Why does oatmeal help lower cholesterol?

Oats are considered a superfood as well as a daily resource that we should all consume to take care of our health. It is good for the heart, regulates weight, improves digestion, and prevents constipation.

Great benefits of oats to reduce so-called bad cholesterol:

• Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which is rich in lipoproteins and helps reduce the density of LDL (bad cholesterol).
• This type of fiber is similar to that found in apples, whose effectiveness in lowering cholesterol is well known.
• There is another aspect to keep in mind: not all foods that contain oats will help you lower your cholesterol. Example? Oatmeal cookies, which instead of helping you, can actually hurt because they contain a lot of sugar and saturated fat.

Ways to consume oatmeal to lower cholesterol

1. Oatmeal with green apple and cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of instant oatmeal
• 1 green apple
• 1 glass of water (200 ml)
• a little cinnamon

Instructions:

• Start by washing and slicing the apple. It can not be cleaned, because it is in the peel and contains most of the useful properties that will help lower cholesterol.
• Now boil a glass of water with the oats until it is completely cooked. It’s very easy.
• After 10 minutes, add the apple pieces, and leave them to cook for another 20 minutes. When you see that the apple has softened, turn off the heat.
• Put everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top before eating. This is a great recipe for breakfast.

2. Oatmeal with pear

Ingredients:

• 1 pear
• 100 grams of instant oatmeal
• 1 glass of water
• 20 g of honey

Instructions:

• This dish is perfect for breakfast or lunch. To prepare it, you must first heat a glass of water in a saucepan and then pour the oats. Once it has acquired the desired sticky consistency, add a tablespoon of honey to give it more flavor.
• Then peel the pear and cut it into small pieces (do not peel). Pears are also ideal for fighting cholesterol, and in combination with oats, their potential benefits even increase.
• Put the oatmeal in your favorite bowl and add the pear pieces. It’s delicious and you get a nutritious and healthy breakfast.

3. Oatmeal with plums

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of instant oatmeal
• 2 plums
• 3 walnuts
• 1 glass of water

Instructions:

• Bring the water to a boil and add the oatmeal.
• While it is cooking, you can peel the plums.
• Also, chop the walnuts and set them aside for later use.
• When the oatmeal is cooked, put it in your favorite bowl, and add plums and walnuts.

This breakfast is an effective way to fight high cholesterol. In addition, it helps maintain a slim figure and eat right every day.

Keep in mind that the three best fruits to fight cholesterol are apples, pears, and plums. However, strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, and grapes are also very useful, so you can use any combination you want when you cook oatmeal in the morning to lower cholesterol.

In this case, the most important thing is to eat oatmeal every day.

In addition to oatmeal, do not forget to eat well during the day and exercise moderately. Start taking care of your health today!

Picture Credit: VistaCreate

When to reach for the source of magnesium?
The demand for magnesium in an adult woman is about 300 mg per day. It increases up to 400 mg a day in pregnant and breast-feeding women. Typically, only 20% of the magnesium contained in the food is absorbed in the intestine. The remaining 80% is excreted in faeces. That is why it is sometimes difficult to secure the right dose of this element. What are the effects of magnesium deficiency in the body? Here are the typical symptoms:

• cardiac arrhythmias, palpitations – sometimes hypomagnesaemia (low levels of magnesium in the body) can lead to serious and life-threatening cardiac disorders
• hypertension
• increased stress – magnesium is an element that calms the nervous system, its lack can cause anxiety attacks and stress
• depression, fatigue
• cramps in the calf muscles – this is one of the more troublesome symptoms of magnesium deficiency, painful and often waking cramps
• trembling of the limbs, eyelids and tongue
• constipation, anorexia
• creation of kidney stones

In addition, women are exposed to increased menstrual pain. The future mothers in the case of magnesium deficiency have an increased risk of hypertension in pregnancy and premature uterine contractile function.

In which situations should I focus on products containing magnesium?
It is also very important to know what may cause reduced delivery of magnesium ions to the body. Belong to them:

• alcohol consumption – inhibits the absorption of magnesium from the intestines
• unhealthy diet – Eating now popular fast foods can unfortunately lead to hypomagnesemia.
• diarrhea and vomiting
• intestinal diseases that reduce absorption (e.g. Lesniowski-Crohn’s disease)
• stress
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding – These are moments in a woman’s life when the demand for magnesium increases significantly. Remember to take special care to provide yourself with enough food during this time.
• physical stress – People who work hard are more exposed to magnesium deficiency. If you exercise a lot, use magnesium-rich products more often.
  period of growth and advanced age – Do not forget about your loved ones and enrich the diet of your children, parents and grandparents with foods containing a lot of magnesium.
• taking some medicines – for example, diuretics can increase the excretion of magnesium

Top 10 products rich in magnesium
After reading the introduction you are definitely wondering what products contain magnesium to include in your diet. First, get acquainted with the list of products containing especially a lot of magnesium.

Cocoa
Magnesium-rich products for gluttonous women – Fortunately, high on the list of magnesium sources there are dessert snacks that you definitely like. It is cocoa, dark chocolate and even milk chocolate. Remember, however, about simple sugars and supplement magnesium deficiency in the diet with various products.

Sunflower seeds
You do not know what to chew during work? Here’s the answer! Especially if you want to provide yourself the right amount of magnesium in your food.

Flax seeds
Also, flax is a product particularly rich in magnesium. Try to sprinkle some seeds for breakfast or snacks.

Almonds
To provide yourself with the right amount of this element important for the body, try to include magnesium products for every meal. Breakfast is the first and very important. Add them to yogurt or porridge and recharge with magnesium!

Grains of wheat
Start the day with a healthy and full magnesium breakfast sandwich. Graham bread is great for this. In addition, you can eat it with Gouda cheese – another good source of magnesium.

White beans
If you are looking for food in which there is a lot of magnesium, be sure to remember the beans of white beans. You can make a delicious salad from it and you already have a ready lunch box with the right dose of important minerals.

Oatmeal
The next idea for breakfast with magnesium-rich products. Eat porridge, which you can additionally diversify with bananas, seeds and nuts. Try to always start a day with this meal. Magnesium contained in food is very important for your health.

Pistachio and hazelnuts
You can add them to yogurt or porridge and protect yourself from the effects of hypomagnesaemia during your first meal of the day. They will also be a good idea for a snack during the day.

Buckwheat and brown rice
Lunch or dinner should also include magnesium products. Put on groats and rice, and you will not be afraid of magnesium deficiencies.

Parsley
Decorate your lunch with fresh parsley and enrich it with another product containing magnesium in large quantities.

In what other products is magnesium?
In addition to these products, which are great sources of magnesium, you can also reach:

• highly mineralized mineral water
• bananas
• fish
• cheese – gouda, emmental,  blue cheese
• turkey
• potatoes

What is magnesium – supplements?
In the case of troublesome symptoms of magnesium deficiency, such as calf cramps or susceptibility to stress, you can also opt for appropriate dietary supplements. The appropriate daily dose depends on the demand. It will be greater in pregnant and breastfeeding people as well as in people practicing sports. Ask your family doctor to help you choose the right preparation. Bet on well-absorbed forms of magnesium, e.g. magnesium citrate. Remember also to divide the amount of magnesium that you should take during the day for several doses and take them every few hours. In this way, you will provide yourself with the right amount of magnesium.

An interesting alternative to supplements, which in many cases have poor absorption, are magnesium flakes. The product is added to the bath in warm water or into a bowl and you soak your feet in it. Magnesium is then absorbed through the skin. For many people, this is the best form of supplementing the deficiencies of this element in the body.

Picture Credit: Turenza