Oats: The Best Healthy Snacks!

Oats: The Best Healthy Snacks!

Oats are edible seeds of the Avena sativa plant. These are one of the healthiest snacks consumed as oatmeal or rolled oats. Oatmeal is the perfect meal to start your day because it boosts your energy and has plenty of fiber to keep you full and satisfied. Oats are high in phytonutrients, beta-glucans, selenium, proteins, manganese, iron, thiamin and magnesium. By itself, oatmeal is low in fat and fairly low in calories.

Oatmeal is also full of water-soluble fibers, which play a crucial role in making you feel full over a longer period of time. Studies have also shown that oatmeal reduces cholesterol, maintains blood sugar levels and fights against heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and obesity.

All types of oatmeal are healthful and low-fat, but steel-cut oats are less processed than rolled oats and are believed to retain more nutrients. Packets of instant oatmeal often contain more sugar than oats you cook yourself. Regardless of the type of oatmeal you choose to eat, be careful of what you add to your bowl.

Choose skim milk to keep the calories low. Instead of sweetening your oatmeal with sugar, try berries or dried fruit, which also offer additional fiber and nutrients. For all the good reasons, this snack would certainly help keep a check on your weight too!Stay Happy, Stay Healthy! The Kitchen Clinic: Oats: The Best Healthy Snacks!

Read More........→January 30, 2026

Diets Rich in Tea, Coffee, Berries and Nuts Linked to Better Long-term Heart Health in New Study

Credit: Julian Hochgesang

People who regularly consume polyphenol-rich foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, berries, cocoa, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil, may have better long-term heart health, according to a new study.

The research, led by King’s College London, found that those with higher adherence to polyphenol-rich dietary patterns had lower predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Polyphenols, natural compounds found in plants, are linked to a variety of health benefits, including improved heart, brain, and gut health.

Researchers followed 3,100 adults from the TwinsUK cohort for over a decade and, for the first time, the researchers also analyzed a large number of metabolites in the urine that are produced when the body breaks down polyphenols.

They found that diets rich in specific groups of polyphenols were linked to healthier blood pressure and cholesterol profiles, contributing to lower CVD risk scores.

These biomarkers confirmed that higher levels of polyphenol metabolites—especially those derived from specific groups of polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids—had lower cardiovascular risk scores. They also had increased HDL cholesterol, also know as ‘good cholesterol’.

The study, published recently in BMC Medicine, used a newly developed polyphenol dietary score (PPS) to capture intake of 20 key polyphenol-rich foods commonly consumed, ranging from tea and coffee to berries, olive oil, nuts, and whole grains.

This score showed stronger associations with cardiovascular health than estimates of total polyphenol intake, likely because it captures overall dietary patterns rather than individual compounds.

This finding suggests that considering the whole diet provides a more accurate picture of how polyphenol-rich foods work together to support long-term heart health.

“Our findings show that long-term adherence to polyphenol-rich diets can substantially slow the rise in cardiovascular risk as people age,” said Professor Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Professor of Human Nutrition at King’s College London.

“Even small, sustained shifts towards foods like berries, tea, coffee, nuts, and whole grains may help protect the heart over time.”

Dr. Yong Li, first author of the study, said the research provides “strong evidence that regularly including polyphenol-rich foods in your diet is a simple and effective way to support heart health.”

Additionally, while cardiovascular risk naturally increases with age, higher polyphenol intake was associated with a slower progression of risk over the 11-year follow-up period. Diets Rich in Tea, Coffee, Berries and Nuts Linked to Better Long-term Heart Health in New Study

Read More........→December 18, 2025