Oats: Not Just for Horses

There is a fiber gap in America ... Consider it a public health concern for all Americans. Well, not all Americans. Less than 3% meet the recommended minimum, meaning less than 3% percent of all Americans eat enough plant-based foods—the only place fiber is found.

If even half of the adult population ate 3 more grams [of fiber] a day, like a quarter-cup of beans or a bowl of oatmeal, we could save billions in medical costs, and that's just for constipation. The consumption of plant foods, the consumption of fiber-containing foods, reduces risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and obesity as well.

A whole food plant-based diet has been shown to reverse the progression of heart disease, opening our arteries back up.

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women, but there was significantly less clogging in the women eating more whole grains, significantly less progression of their atherosclerosis.

Oats are reported to possess very drug-like activities, like lowering blood cholesterol and blood sugar, boosting our immune system, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis. In addition to being a topical anti-inflammatory, it may also be useful in controlling childhood asthma...

Whole grain intake, in general, is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain. All the cohort studies on type 2 diabetes and heart disease show whole grain intake is associated with lower risk.

The evidence is clear that oatmeal consumers have lower rates of disease.