Oat Bran Nutrition Information
Oat bran is being added to nearly every food these days. You can find oat bran in muffins, doughnuts, cereal and that bowl of oatmeal. Oat bran should be called the nearly perfect food. Oat bran contains many healthy nutrients that will do a body good.
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Lowers Cholesterol
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Oat bran can lower the body's cholesterol. According to a study done by Quaker Oats, consuming oat bran every day can lower a person's total cholesterol. The Quaker Oats study was done on healthy people with average cholesterol levels. About 35 g of hot oat bran cereal lowered cholesterol levels an average of 3 percent when eaten every day for 4 to 6 weeks.
Healthy Food
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Oat bran contains many healthy ingredients and adds to a person's overall daily nutrition. Oat bran is high in dietary fiber at 14 grams per cup. Oat bran is a good source of iron, thiamine, selenium and phosphorus. Oat bran can make a person feel fuller faster than many other foods, so she might eat less of other foods.
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Statistics
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According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one cup of raw oat bran contains the following healthy ingredients: 16 g of protein, 5 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium for a 2,000 calorie diet. 18.4 mg of betaine; 5.1 mg of iron, and 48.9 mcg of folate. Oat bran contains even more nutrients, such as selenium, at 42.5 mg; phosphorus, at 690 mg; potassium, at 532 mg; and zinc, at 2.9 mg. Oat bran also contains a small amount of copper.
Fiber
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Oat bran is a fiber-filled food. According to Nutrition Data.com, researchers believe that it is the soluble fiber in oat bran that may lower cholesterol.
What It Does Not Contain
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Oat bran does not contain unhealthy ingredients. Oat bran does not contain caffeine, alcohol or a large quantity of fat. According to the USDA, however, oat bran also does not contain any vitamin A or vitamin C. However, on the plus side, oat bran does not contain any cholesterol.
Small Amounts of Less Healthy Ingredients
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Oat bran does contain small amounts of some ingredients that may be considered to be unhealthy. These include 1 g of sugar and 1 g of saturated fat. However, the pluses outweigh the small minuses in oat bran.
Labels
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Oat bran is being added to many foods these days. Possibly in an effort to add to the nutrition factor of a person's daily diet, manufacturers are adding oat bran to nearly every food. Sara Lee has added oat bran to their muffins. Dunkin Donuts has added about 10 g of oat bran to some of their doughnuts. When purchasing food for its healthy ingredients, read the nutrition label to make sure there is enough oat bran to be beneficial.
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