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Article Oats: The Superfood Driving Down Cholesterol 

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The Heart Foundation is encouraging people in Australia to eat more oats for breakfast given the food’s versatility and heart health benefits.

Plain rolled oats can be used to make porridge, overnight oats, muesli, included in smoothies and also in a healthy apple crumble. When consumed as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern, oats can help to lower a person’s risk of heart issues.1

Wooden spoonful of oats.
Oats can help lower cholesterol. Image: Canva

Heart Foundation senior dietitian, Jemma O’Hanlon, says that approximately a third of Australians have high cholesterol2, which is a factor for some heart issues. She explains that oats are a great way to add more heart-healthy goodness to your diet.

“Beta-glucan is a special type of fibre that can help lower a person’s cholesterol as part of a diet low in saturated fat.”

Jemma O’Hanlon, Heart Foundation
A bowl of porridge topped with berries and walnuts.
Oats are versatile and heart-healthy. Image: Canva

How to add more oats to your diet

Jemma’s top tips for including more oats in your diet are quick, easy and highly adaptable. Take a look below!

Hot oats

Hot Oats by The Heart Foundation

Ready in a few minutes and fully adaptable to changing tastebuds (we know, it happens!), this dish is a surefire winner.

Use the Heart Foundation’s Hot Oats recipe to prepare your oats in a saucepan or microwave, then glam it up with your choice of seasonal fruit, nuts and seeds. Trust us, you will be looking forward to brekky when you go to bed!

Overnight oats

Overnight oats breakfast dish.
Overnight oats are fabulous for busy mornings. Image: The Heart Foundation

If you love the idea of fast, prepared breakfasts like overnight weetbix, you’re going to really love this! Overnight oats are not only the answer to getting out the door faster in the morning, but an inventive and fun way to get your beta-glucan fix.

The Heart Foundation’s overnight oats recipe involves combining oats, chia seeds, milk, yoghurt and vanilla extract in a tub overnight. The next morning, sprinkle with your favourite berries and nuts before devouring.

“Overnight oats are incredibly easy and delicious and can be tailored to your taste. You can meal prep the night before, or make multiple containers for the week.”

Jemma O’Hanlon, Heart Foundation

Add oats to smoothies

Woman pouring a smoothie into a glass.
It’s time to start adding oats to your smoothies. Image: Canva

Adding oats to your smoothies makes them more filling and adds an extra hit of nutrition. If you need some extra fuel to get you through the morning, oats are the key to a smoothie that goes the distance.

“Include half a cup of oats in your favourite smoothie to bulk it up and still receive the nutritional benefits of oats.”

Jemma O’Hanlon, Heart Foundation

Heart-healthy desserts

Berry Crumble by The Heart Foundation.
This Apple and Blueberry Crumble is a great way to use up extra fruit. Image: The Heart Foundation

There are few desserts more heartwarming than a fruit crumble – and by adding oats to your favourite recipe, it’s also heart-healthy!

The Heart Foundation’s Apple and Blueberry Crumble uses fresh fruit topped with a glorious medley of oats or muesli, wholemeal flour, low-fat margarine, sugar and cinnamon. Forget ice cream, this is destined to become your new go-to dessert.

  1. 2 servings (3g of beta-glucan) daily helps lower cholesterol with a low saturated fat diet. ↩︎
  2. Heart, stroke and vascular disease: Australian facts, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 12 December 2024. Accessed 9 May 2025. ↩︎

What’s your favourite way to enjoy oats? Share it with us in the comments below!

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Comments

  • I’m going to make the Apple and Blueberry Crumble. It sounds delicious.

  • We are an oat family, lately we have been doing weetbix as well but the kids much prefer oats. One of my children likes it plain with milk – no sweeteners, fruit or anything. I like honey and my other son loves fruit all through his. Glad to read about the heart health benefits. Hopefully my boys learn to have a good and healthy breakfast like oats.

  • I love oats for breakfast. I just add some milk, a grated apple and some dried fruit ( usually diced apricots and prunes and sometimessome nuts and or seeds ) and microwave until soft, add a bit of cinnamon and thats it. Yummmm. Such a healthy tasty breakfast and simple to make too.

  • We always have oats and there’s nothing nicer that that hot meal in the morning. They are so quick and easy. I remember being told that traditional, full oats rather than “quick” oats are the better choice so that is what we have. My husband had porridge while in hospital for a lengthy stay and is a convert since.

  • We love our oats. My husband will cook his oats and has them every second day. I prefer mine raw and have them in my muesli. Good to know that something we love is also doing us good.

  • I have high cholesterol so this is awesome to know. I love oats and with winter being here any day now it’s the perfect time to eat them. Must say I’ll be having them more often now I know this. I enjoy them as a porridge with some maple syrup and milo but also enjoy adding them to my smoothies.

  • Slow cooker pulled out and oats and milk in…..ohmygoodness, the house in the morning smells amazing! and then it is so easy for every one to grab themselves a bowl, add sultanas, nuts, honey and what ever else they might like on top and enjoy a warm bowl of goodness. So easy in the slow cooker and the best smell to wake up to. It’s a perfect winter breakfast with not too much fuss at all.

  • I love porridge. Made with just milk and a drizzle of honey. Yummo

  • I love having porridge once a week. My favourite are the Carmen’s quick oats sachets. Add to them a little honey or golden syrup, some dates and a banana (if I am going on a hike and need more energy) or even just a banana. They keep me full for longer and are delicious! They are a staple food when we are doing multi-day hikes as we can pre-prepare little bags with milk powder and just add boiling water.

  • I love oats, I went through a huge oat kick where I ate two minute oats with maple syrup, chia seeds and berries every morning for about 4 months. I found the low GI made me feel fuller for longer and as someone who finds it hard to motivate themselves in the morning how easy they were was a plus. Some great ideas here, with the weather cooler zi may have to start back on the oat train again!

  • I’ve been having porridge for breakfast for the last few weeks. I add banana, cinnamon and a small amount of chocolate protein powder. My dad likes his with mixed berries but I don’t love berries so am constantly looking for variations that I enjoy. The crumble recipe looks delicious, I have saved it and will give it a try. So cute that it has steps for kids to do in the recipe!

  • Oats are so cheap and can be used in so many ways. I really love overnight oats sprinkled with raw honey and berries. It is an absolute delight to eat. Berry crumble is also a delicious dessert in winter months. My mouth is watering now. Fantastic article, thank you for sharing.

  • The simple way. I cook them up with milk and add a drizzle of honey, love love love it. Sometimes I add sultanas, not often though

  • Oats are fantastic, especially for breakfast to start your day. I always love a good oats with honey and find that it fuels me and keeps me full for most of the day/afternoon and reduces the sweet sugary cravings. A crumble is also one of my top ways to enjoy it too!

  • That’s settled it – Im going back to oats 🙂 I go hard at something for a while and then forget all about it, I really enjoy a bowl of warm oats with honey and sultanas in the morning – it kind of reminds me of what I was given as a child for breakfast. Delicious and good for you!

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