This Popular Grain May Be Worsening Your Inflammation (Oats Vs Quinoa)

Introduction to Oats vs Quinoa 0:00

Grains like wheat, rice, oats or quinoa are the most common foods which are consumed worldwide. But people are always curious which is the healthiest grain out there that they should include on a regular basis in their diet. So today I am comparing two grains, oats vs quinoa, which is the better grain that is going to give you the maximum health benefits. And more importantly, I'm going to share with you how to exactly cook them so that they give you the maximum health benefit and when to consume them in your daily routine.

So stay till the end because you want to know exactly how to use these grains so that you can improve your health today. Hi, I'm Dr. Anshul Gupta, a former Cleveland Clinic functional medicine physician from US. I help people improve their chronic diseases by making personalized functional medicine plans.

Why Grains Matter for Health 0:48

Now food is medicine, but if we eat the wrong foods, then it can destroy our body and can lead to inflammation in our system. So it is very important to include foods which research shows are anti-inflammatory and have the highest health benefits for your body. This is where complex carbohydrates can be very useful in improving your health. The most common grain consumed world over is wheat. but we are seeing that more and more people are becoming sensitive to wheat specifically the gluten part of it and that most people inflammation levels increases when they actually consume gluten.

So I am always looking for gluten free grain options and two of the grains oats and quinoa have consistently come up as one of the most healthiest grains

Oats: Benefits and Drawbacks 1:35

that people should consume. So let's start with oats first. Now oats has been consumed as a staple breakfast healthy food for a very very long time. The reason being oats are very high in a soluble fiber called beta-glucan. This beta-glucan has shown in research studies to lower cholesterol in the body as well as it lowers the insulin spike so it doesn't raise your sugars crazy high. Also for vegan and vegetarian people, oats are a decent source of protein content also because they have a good selection of amino acids in them.

Also, it has been shown that because oats are high in this soluble fiber, they are also good for your gut health. But this is what most people do not know. This nutrition data is based on if you're consuming steel cut oats. But majority of the oats that people are consuming world over now these days are either rolled oats or instant oats. What that means is that you can simply add some water and milk to these and simply bring it to a boil and they are ready. If these are the oats you are consuming then those are not the healthiest form of oats.

Those come in the category of instant oats or rolled oats which unfortunately causes a lot of insulin spike and can raise your blood sugar levels. Plus these instant oats are also low in protein content. So again you are not getting that benefit of protein. And unfortunately these processed oats are also majority of the time processed in a facility which is processing gluten.

Quinoa: Benefits and Drawbacks 3:10

So even though technically oats should be gluten free but a lot of these oats have crossed contamination from gluten. So this is the good and the bad of oats that I shared with you. Now let's talk about quinoa. What are the good and the bads of quinoa? Now quinoa again is a gluten free grain. In fact, quinoa is not even a grain, it is a seed with a lot of health benefits. It is again a good source of protein. The protein content in oats and quinoa are very similar. But the advantage of protein content in quinoa is that it is a complete source of protein that means it has all the 9 essential amino acids.

The second difference in quinoa is that it is also low in glycemic index. That means again, you will see less insulin spike. So again, that means that your sugar is not going to rise very high, which is really good for people who are looking for weight loss issues. Quinoa is also high in several antioxidant compounds like quercetin and also chemferol. Both of these antioxidant compounds help in reducing inflammation in the body. And the last benefit of quinoa is that it is high in several vitamins and minerals, specifically magnesium, folate and zinc, which has several health benefits specifically for your hormones, including your thyroid gland.

So these are all the good benefits of quinoa. But yes, there are some downsides of quinoa too. Because it is so high in fiber and protein, some people can have sensitivity in their gut to quinoa. What that means is that once they consume quinoa, they might feel more gas, bloating or stomach discomfort. And the other issue with quinoa is that it takes longer to cook and you have to prepare quinoa in the right way.

Which Grain Is Better for Your Goals 4:46

Then only it helps your body in becoming healthy. As you see after comparing both oats and quinoa, both of them have some good and bad in them. So let me break it down for you which grain is the best for your condition. So if you are that person who have a lot of inflammation, if you have hormonal dysfunctions like thyroid problems, if you have autoimmune conditions or you're trying to lose weight, then quinoa hands down is a better grain for you because it is high in antioxidants that reduces inflammation plus low in glycemic index stabilizes your sugar.

So you're able to lose weight. But if you are that person that you are short on time and you do not have enough time to cook the quinoa properly then oats are a second better choice for you. Just make sure you are getting steel cut oats because those are the most healthiest version of things. Alternatively what you can do is that you can use both the grains but not together. You can split them during the day. Typically lot of people will like to have oatmeal during their morning breakfast which is completely fine.

Use steel cut oats and then you add some good fats like some nuts and seeds like flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or even almonds or walnuts

How to Eat Oats and Quinoa Properly 5:56

into them and then add some dairy free milk specifically good ones are coconut milk or almond milk and then you can throw in some berries like blueberries or blackberries or strawberries into it. So this can be a perfect way of starting your mornings and getting the benefit of oatmeal. And then either for your lunch or dinner, choose quinoa as a grain of your choice. Now let me share with you exactly how to prepare quinoa. So whenever you're preparing quinoa, you have to soak it for at least six to eight hours.

Soaking quinoa is important because it reduces the lectin content of quinoa and these lectins are the ones which makes the quinoa more sensitive to your gut. By reducing these lectins, you will be able to tolerate quinoa better. And then when you are cooking the quinoa, try to pressure cook the quinoa. Again, that lowers the lectin content of quinoa further, plus improves the digestibility of quinoa so you tolerate better in the gut. And whenever you are consuming quinoa, whether it is your lunch or dinner, make sure you are adding a lot of vegetables to it and then a good source of good fat, which can again be an avocado or you can drizzle some olive oil or coconut oil or Indian ghee to it.

So this way you are getting the benefit of both the grains, oats as well as quinoa. But if you have to choose one, I will say hands down my favourite grain is quinoa. Because it is completely gluten free, it is a good source of protein, low in glycemic index so doesn't give me that insulin spikes.

Final Recommendation and Wrap-Up 7:24

It is high in different vitamins and minerals which supports my thyroid as well as other hormones in the body. But more importantly as I shared with you it is very important to cook this quinoa correctly then only it becomes the superfood otherwise it can actually harm your body. So now you know I compared two healthy grains oats and quinoa for you today and broke down for you their health benefits as well as the downsides of both the grains. Let me know in the comment section after listening to this video which grain are you going to start using from tomorrow itself.

I hope you like this video. If you do, please like and subscribe to my channel as well as share this video with others who can benefit from this information. Until next time, take care. Bye bye.