Oats are a popular breakfast choice, often praised for being healthy and easy to prepare, according to Jíme Jinak.
It naturally contains phytic acid, which can block the absorption of important minerals like iron and zinc.
Soaking oats overnight helps reduce this substance and makes the minerals easier for the body to use.
Soaking also softens the oats, which makes them gentler on digestion.
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Cooking adds another benefit, because it breaks down compounds that can interfere with digestion and helps the body process proteins more efficiently.
Impact on gut health
Cold oat dishes, such as overnight oats, contain resistant starch.
This type of carbohydrate is not digested in the small intestine. Instead, it reaches the large intestine, where it feeds beneficial gut bacteria.
Research published in Advances in Nutrition shows that this process supports gut health and may reduce inflammation.
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Cooking oats lowers resistant starch, but cooling them after cooking can bring some of it back through a natural process.
Choosing the best method
There are three main ways to prepare oats: soaking without cooking, soaking and then cooking, or cooking and cooling before eating.
Each method has its own advantages.
The key finding is that no single method is perfect. A mix of soaking, cooking and cooling can offer both better digestion and support for gut health.
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Sources: Jíme Jinak og Advances in Nutrition.
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