Oats, known as "longevity wheat", are not only because of their rich nutritional value and unique taste, but also because of their unique role in preventing blood clots. Blood clots, a seemingly distant but lurking health hazard around us, are the culprits of many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. So, how exactly did oats become the nemesis of blood clots?
As a whole grain food, oats are rich in nutrients, including dietary fiber, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Among them, dextran, a water-soluble dietary fiber, is one of the most unique components in oats. This substance has a variety of physiological functions such as lowering cholesterol, maintaining blood sugar stability, and enhancing immunity, especially in preventing blood clots.
First of all, -glucan can reduce the absorption of cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important component of animal cell membranes, and it is also a raw material for the synthesis of bile acids, vitamin D and other substances. However, when cholesterol is consumed in excess, it can deposit on the walls of blood vessels, forming plaques that narrow blood vessels, poor blood flow, and eventually cause blood clots. The -glucan in oats can combine with cholesterol to form a complex that is not easily absorbed by the intestines, thereby reducing cholesterol absorption, reducing the amount of cholesterol in the blood, and effectively preventing the formation of blood clots.
Secondly, -dextran also has the effect of reducing blood viscosity. Blood viscosity refers to the fluidity of the blood, the higher the viscosity, the slower the blood flow, and the more likely it is to form blood clots. The -glucan in oats can increase the amount of water in the blood, reduce blood viscosity, and make blood flow smoother, thereby reducing the formation of blood clots.
In addition to -glucan, oats are also rich in other nutrients such as proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These ingredients work together to make oats a nutritionally complete, healthy and delicious food. Regular consumption of oats can not only meet the body's nutritional needs, but also effectively prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as thrombosis.
So, how can oats be consumed to exert their role in preventing blood clots? Generally, oats can be made into various delicacies such as oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal bread, etc. During the cooking process, you can add the right amount of milk, fruits, nuts and other ingredients according to your personal taste and preference to increase the taste and nutritional value of oats. It is recommended to consume a certain amount of oats every day, and if you stick to it for a long time, you can feel the health benefits brought by oats.
The common thing on the market is oatmeal or oats that have been peeled, which are simple to eat and seem to have high nutritional value, but oat bran, that is, bran, is the part that is most rich in -glucan, and almost 95% of -glucan is in the oat bran. Therefore, it is recommended to choose oats in the following order: oats bran "peeled oats" oatmeal.
The common oat bran on the market is basically in the form of flour, and we have collected simple and complex versions of oat bran powder for you to eat.
The simple version of oat bran flour is to add two spoonfuls to breakfast. In winter, you can add two spoonfuls while drinking milk or soy milk while it is hot, and those who love to drink ice drinks in summer can add oat bran powder to milk and yogurt, put it in the refrigerator overnight, and you can drink cold drinks the next day.
In the complex version, we can make some snacks with oat bran flour.
Oat bran bread
[Materials].
Oat bran 35g + 150g, yeast 4g, salt 2g, olive oil 15g, appropriate amount of water.
[Method].
1. Knead the dough, add a small amount of water several times, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 10 minutes.
2. Add salt and olive oil and knead until the surface of the dough is smooth.
3. Divide into 4 equal portions, put them in the oven (put a bowl of warm water at the bottom to increase the humidity), cover with plastic wrap and ferment until twice the size.
4. Put it in the middle and lower layers of the preheated oven and bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
Of course, oats are good, but they should not be consumed in excess. Oats are high in dietary fiber, and excessive consumption may cause gastrointestinal upset. In addition, the nutrients in oats also need to be paired with other foods for better absorption and utilization. Therefore, in the daily diet, we should maintain balanced nutrition and a diversified diet to better protect our health.
In short, oats, as a nutritious, healthy and delicious food, have a variety of physiological functions such as preventing blood clots. We should make full use of these benefits of oats and incorporate them into our daily diet to protect our health. At the same time, we should also maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising moderately, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, and maintaining mental health, so as to jointly maintain our physical and mental health.