Many health experts regard oatmeal as “a power food”. Many studies have confirmed its ability to improve energy, and others that high concentration of beta-glucan and starch relieves itchiness. Other benefits of oatmeal include prevention of diabetes and weight loss, so you can see why this food remained firmly in the cycle of health trends.
However, choosing the wrong kind of oatmeal can actually cause more harm than good.
Non-Organic Oats Compared with Modified Corn
Quaker Oats is one brand that falsely claims to work with natural oats. Their oats include glyphosate in their content and are sold by Monsanto under the brand name “Roundup”. This chemical is the same found in GM foods like GM corn. As a matter of fact, due to the presence of this chemical in their product, Quaker Oats, owned by PepsiCo, were even sued.
What’s more, the USDA Pesticide Data Program claims that conventionally grown oats include a host of other pesticides, such as piperonyl butoxide, malathion, DDW p,p’, metolachlor, chlorpyrifos-methyl, and propiconazole.
Exposure to chlorpyrifos-methyl during pregnancy was discovered to cause mental retardation of fetuses. Although in 2001 it was banned from household use, it’s still used as a pesticide in food products. Even instant oatmeal can include a lot of sugar, salt, and artificial sweeteners, so the best way to avoid it is to buy raw, organic oats.
A Lot of Commercial Oats Contain Gluten Too
Although pure oats don’t contain gluten, they can often be contaminated at the time of manufacturing when combined with bits of barley, wheat, or rye. So if you try to follow a gluten-free diet, most brands of oatmeal will be probably unsuitable.
But, some companies that do sell 100 percent gluten-free oats are:
- Bob’s Red Mill;
- Arrowhead Mills;
- Holly’s Oatmeal;
- GF Harvest;
- Udi’s Gluten-Free;
- Montana Gluten-Free.
As you can see there are safe options, so don’t allow to be deterred from consuming them, as the right oatmeal is a great source of nutrients and an excellent meal to start the day.
Via David Wolfe | Upper Perk
