Oats Can Help Boost Immunity and Shed Pounds — Plus, 3 Oat Smoothies to Try
Improve your health with these delicious sips.
Did you know that eating oats can improve your health and even help you lose weight? There are so many benefits of oats — they’re loaded with fiber, minerals, and other nutrients that boost your body in more ways than one. Luckily, if you’re not a fan of oatmeal, you can still add oats to your diet in the form of delicious smoothies! Below, check out some of the ways oats can make you feel good, plus a few delicious smoothie recipes to try.
Benefits of Oats
Boost Immunity
Enjoying a daily oat-spiked smoothie can bolster your body’s ability to fight infections and viruses like COVID-19, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota. That’s because the beta-glucans in oats stimulate the production of white blood cells, boosting the body’s ability to fend off illness by 750 percent.
Improve Mood
Just 1⁄4 cup of oats delivers 100 percent of your daily value of manganese, a trace mineral that optimizes the thyroid gland’s output of mood-boosting hormones like serotonin. The payoff: In a study at the Colorado Neurological Institute, people who drank an oat-enriched sip reported feeling sunnier after just 20 minutes.
Crush Cravings
A daily serving of oats can help dieters slash between-meal snacking by 81 percent and shed six pounds in three weeks. That’s the word from Penn State University scientists, who credit the complex carbs in oats that prompt the stomach to release more of the hunger-suppressing hormone cholecystokinin.
Almond-Peach Perfection
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 Tbs. rolled oats
- 1⁄2 cup frozen peaches
- 1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger
- Mix milk and oats; chill. Add peaches and ginger; puree.
Instructions
In blender, combine all ingredients; cover. Chill 1 hr.; puree. Garnish as desired.
Makes 1 serving.
Banana-Coconut Blastoff
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
- 1⁄2 cup nondairy coconut milk
- 1⁄2 banana, peeled
- 2 Tbs. rolled oats
- 1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
In blender, combine all ingredients; cover. Chill 1 hr.; puree. Garnish as desired.
Makes 1 serving.
Mixed Berry Bliss
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup fat-free milk
- 1⁄2 cup frozen mixed berries
- 1⁄2 banana, peeled
- 2 Tbs. rolled oats
- 1 Tbs. honey
- 1⁄4 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
In blender, combine all ingredients; cover. Chill 1 hr. Puree until smooth. Garnish with mint and oats.
Makes 1 serving.
This article originally appeared in our print magazine.
