Soak your Oats!

A great number of my friends had been eating oats and had great results . Many had testified the lowering of cholesterol level. Quite a ritual - soak our oats at night, them them in the morning ? Why ? None of them knew.

I did my research and am now a faithful oats eater in the morning ! It was not as bad as I thought it will be - quite good tasting in fact even without milk or sugar. My 16 year old daughter is on it too - I sometimes add soya milk powder to hers .

I found this interesting article which explains it all:

All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may led to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.

Soaking allows enzyme, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.

So, Remember to soak your oats !