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”? In addition to its delicious taste, oats have some other great features to offer:

Oat Beta Glucan

Cholesterol is very important for our body. Hormones, vitamin D and bile acids are formed from this. However, when the body has to absorb too much, excess cholesterol is deposited in the blood vessels. Blood pressure rises and with it the health risk.

There is a natural helper for high cholesterol levels: the oat beta-glucan contained in oats has been proven to reduce blood cholesterol levels and help maintain a normal level. From 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 the stores and therefore burns cholesterol. After just three to six weeks of regular consumption of oat products, cholesterol levels can drop by 15%.

Vitamins & minerals

Oats can help with irritated skin, a weakened immune system and listlessness! These problems are often associated with a lack of biotin. Oats help here with their high content of vitamins B1 and B6. Here, oats are even far ahead of all other types of grain. In addition, the grain provides many valuable minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, vegetable iron and zinc. Just 40 grams of rolled oats cover 20 percent of the daily requirement for zinc and copper. Together with other trace elements such as manganese, this strengthens the fingernails and ensures healthy and beautiful skin.

Fiber

If you eat enough oatmeal, you have less to worry about your intestinal health. While oats do not contain the most fiber, they do have the best balance of soluble and insoluble fiber compared to other grains. While the insolubles predominate in rye, barley and wheat, there is a good balance in oats. But what does dietary fiber do in our body? Among other things, they keep the acidic gastric juice away from the mucous membrane and act as a protective layer. In addition, boiled porridge with water or milk stimulates digestion.

Nutritiousness

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 you with your cholesterol levels, but also keeps you fuller for longer. It produces a gel film in the stomach that slows emptying. This leads to a longer-lasting feeling of satiety and a lower calorie intake. In addition, the fiber releases the peptide hormone YY, giving the body a stronger feeling of satiety.

Oats are perfect for athletes. Whether endurance or weight training, the versatile grain offers exactly the right nutrients for both.

Muscle building

If you want to build muscle, you have to pay attention to your diet in addition to regular strength training. A very important topic that is underestimated by many athletes. Proteins are the most important cornerstone here. They provide the basis for new muscle fibers, since muscles are made up of around 20% protein. In order to provide your body with an adequate supply of good protein, you don't have to help yourself with meat or protein shakes. Nature offers us some alternatives here, such as oats! With around 14 grams of vegetable protein per 100 g, oatmeal is one of the most protein-rich plant foods of all and is therefore perfect for a balanced and protein-rich diet.

Energiser

Oats are not only the perfect basis for building muscle. Many endurance athletes swear by the versatile grain as a vegetable source of energy. Oatmeal consists of 70% long-chain carbohydrates and provides the body with long-term energy because it enters the blood more slowly and therefore does not cause the blood sugar level to shoot up immediately. For best results, top up your carbohydrate stores with oatmeal about two hours before exercise.

Even after training you can rely on oats. 100 g of oat flakes contain around 134 mg of magnesium, which can help the body to regenerate and prevent muscle cramps.

Slimmer

And now some more good news: oats are a “slimming agent”. Although it is not a miracle cure that will make you lose several kilograms of excess fat immediately, it can support you in the weight loss process. As already mentioned, the grain keeps you full for a long time, which is why the body does not immediately crave 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

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: