The main ingredient in many of our popular Krunchys is oats. A true superfood that has so much to offer yet is underestimated by most people. On this page you will find out everything you need to know about the valuable grain. For example, how the ingredients in oats can help you stay healthy and fit, or how closely Barnhouse itself is connected to the crop and its cultivation.
But what makes oats such a "superfood"? Besides their delicious taste, oats also have some other great features to offer:
Oat Beta-Glucan
Cholesterol is very important for our body. It is used to form hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids. However, if the body absorbs too much, excess cholesterol is deposited in the blood vessels. Blood pressure rises, and with it, the health risk.
Vitamins & Minerals
Oats can help with irritated skin, a weakened immune system, and listlessness! These problems are often associated with a biotin deficiency. Oats help here with their high content of vitamins B1 and B6. Oats are even far ahead of all other cereal grains in this regard. In addition, the grain provides many valuable minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, plant-based iron, and zinc. Just 40 grams of oatmeal cover 20 percent of the daily requirement of zinc and copper. Together with other trace elements such as manganese, this strengthens the fingernails and ensures healthy and beautiful skin.
For high cholesterol levels, there is a natural helper: the oat beta-glucan contained in oats has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels and contribute to maintaining a normal value. Even with an intake of 3 grams of oat beta-glucan per day, the body begins to bind bile acids to the fiber, which are later excreted. Since bile acids are necessary for fat burning, among other things, the body replenishes its stores and therefore burns cholesterol. After just three to six weeks of regular consumption of oat products, cholesterol levels can drop by 15%.
Fiber
Those who consume enough oatmeal have less to worry about their bowel health. While oats do not contain the most fiber, compared to other grains, they have the best balance between soluble and insoluble fiber. While insoluble fiber predominates in rye, barley, and wheat, oats have a good balance. But what do fibers do in our body? Among other things, they keep acidic gastric juice away from the mucous membrane and act like a protective layer. In addition, cooked oatmeal with water or milk stimulates digestion.
Nutritional Value
Oats are filling. If you eat a portion of oatmeal for breakfast, you won't need anything else until lunch! The oat beta-glucan not only helps with your cholesterol level but also keeps you feeling full longer. It produces a gel film in the stomach, which slows down emptying. This leads to a longer-lasting feeling of fullness and a lower calorie intake. In addition, the fiber releases the peptide hormone YY, which gives the body a stronger feeling of satiety.
Oats are perfect for athletes. Whether it's endurance or strength sports, this versatile grain offers exactly the right nutrients for both.
Muscle Building
Anyone who wants to build muscle must pay attention to their diet in addition to regular strength training. This is a very important topic that is underestimated by many athletes. Proteins are the most important building block here. They provide the basis for new muscle fibers, as muscles consist of approximately 20% protein. However, you don't have to resort to meat or protein shakes to provide your body with a sufficient supply of good protein. Nature offers us some alternatives, such as oats! With about 14 grams of plant-based protein per 100g, oat flakes are among the most protein-rich plant-based foods available and are therefore perfect for a balanced and protein-rich diet.
Energy Provider
Oats not only provide the perfect basis for muscle building. Many endurance athletes swear by this versatile grain as a plant-based energy provider. Oat flakes consist of 70% long-chain carbohydrates and supply the body with long-term energy, as they enter the bloodstream more slowly and therefore do not cause blood sugar levels to shoot up immediately. For the best results, you should replenish your carbohydrate stores with oat flakes about two hours before exercise.
You can also rely on oats after training. 100g of oat flakes contain about 134mg of magnesium, which can help the body regenerate and prevent muscle cramps.
Weight Loss Aid
And now for some more good news: oats are a "slimming food." While they are not a miracle cure that will immediately make you lose several kilograms of excess fat, they can support you in the weight loss process. As already mentioned, the grain keeps you feeling full for a long time, which is why the body doesn't immediately demand food again.
Oats, as we know them today, are actually a relatively young cultivated plant. It has only been cultivated and cared for by humans for around 3,000 years. While this sounds like a very long time, it is very little compared to other grains such as barley.
The plant arrived in Europe from its homeland in the Near East about 7,000 years ago, but was considered more of a weed in the fields because it yielded very little and was relatively unstable compared to other cereal plants. The oats could really shine only about 1,000 BC when the climate got worse and worse at the end of the Bronze Age. While most grains did not survive the cold climate, the time had come for oats. It survived even the longer periods of cold and became more and more interesting for people.
In the Middle Ages, oats became one of the most important crops, which only lost its position with the introduction of potatoes in the 18th century. Even then, people noticed that grain had a positive effect on health.
"The oats are warm, pungent in taste, and strong in smoke, and it is a happy and wholesome food for healthy people, and makes them happy in spirit and pure and clear in mind, and gives them good color and healthy flesh." - Hildegard von Bingen
Barnhouse and Oats
Since the second half of the 20th century, the cultivation of oats in Germany has been of secondary importance, but the "superfood" is on the rise again! At Barnhouse, we also use the many benefits of oats in our products. Oats are the basis for most of our Krunchys, which is why ecological and sustainable cultivation of the grain is particularly important to us. Since 2017 we have had our “own” barnhouse oat “SinaBa”, which has been approved by the Federal Plant Variety Office. Barnhouse supports the path from breeding to variety approval. At that time, “SinaBa” was the first ecologically cultivated spelled oat worldwide and set new standards for the organic cultivation of oats.a
You can make anything with oats
The versatile grain can be enjoyed in ways other than just milk in a bowl. Here we show you some ways how you can conjure up delicious bowls and other sweet surprises from our oat products:
