Boticaria García explains if you can eat raw oats: “it has an antinutrient”

From time to time, foods arise that we did not know or that we do not use much in the kitchen and leave us surprised with the many virtues they possessthe great benefits they can have for our health if we use them well. This is the oat casewhich in a short time has become indispensable in many kitchens in Spain, causing many recipes to be adapted or modified to be able to enjoy the many benefits that it contributes.

However, learn How do we have to eat this type of food? It is always a process. Not all preparations are suitable for everyone, nor do all ways of eating them provide the same benefits. We all know that there are some preparations that are healthier than others, like cook something on the grill It will be healthier than preparing it with sauces full of fat or batter. We also have to learn how to prepare oats to keep the good things it provides.

Boticaria García explains if you can take raw oats

It is not always easy to discover how can we take the ingredients we want introduce into our diet, sometimes we receive contradictory or incomplete information and that makes us give up taking it in the way we like best. There are times when it is necessary, but other times it doesn’t have to be that way. You may have ever read or heard that oats cannot be eaten raw, something that Boticaria García wanted to clarify on its social networks.

This doubt seems to have certain foundations, because oats have “an antinutrient, phytic acid,” explains the pharmacist and nutrition expert. Of course, he wants to make it clear that this phytic acid, although it may be the cause of certain illnesses, is not completely harmful, as it has antioxidant properties. Yes, it is advisable to be careful with him if we want to prevent him from “kidnapping,” as she herself calls it, some minerals such as calcium, iron and zincthus preventing them from being absorbed.

To prevent this from happening, the Apothecary itself gives the solution, which is soak the oats for eight or ten hours or also heat it, which facilitates the release of nutrients, making the phytic acid have less effect. For the peace of mind of consumers, the expert also points out that the oatmeal we buy in the supermarket are not raw as such, but rather they go through a steam heat treatment before being laminated, so if we decide to consume them directly, it would also be correct.

Phytic acid, nutrient or antinutrient?

He phytic acid It is a substance found in many foods that come from plants, it is an antioxidant found in the outer layer of the seeds of some plants. In addition to oats, we can also find it in cereals and legumes, corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. It is usually considered a antinutrient due to its ability to bind to minerals such as zinc, calcium, iron or magnesium, making them unable to be absorbed.

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Despite this, it has been shown that people who regularly consume foods rich in phytates have the stronger bonesIn addition, they also have antioxidant properties that can help reduce cholesterol and the risk of suffering from some inflammatory bowel diseases, which would show that it is not as bad as it might seem at first glance.

As Boticaria García pointed out, this antinutrient can be deactivated soaking cereals and legumesbut it is also eliminated if they are germinated, fermented or lightly toasted, as is usually done with nuts and some seeds.

References

NCI Cancer Dictionary. (sf-d). Cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/espanol/publicaciones/diccionarios/diccionario-cancer/def/acido-fitico

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