This is the one breakfast as a dietitian I would recommend every single day!
A nutritious breakfast makes you feel sharp, strong and satisfied. The hangover meal to every other meal. But with trends like Keto or intermittent fasting it has called this meal into question, not knowing what to eat and if to eat, after you wake up.
Regardless of any eating style you choose, there is one breakfast to have for your first meal- oats, whether rolled or steel cut, oats make a nutritious, versatile breakfast.
Oats in a smoothie, in a bowl, in a hot gooey porridge, as a pancake or as part of a toasted muesli, oats make the cut and the choice of breakfast.
Why?
1. Oats have Fibre — Including a Special Type Called Beta-Glucan
A cup of cooked oats give you 4 grams fibre getting a big hit to meet your 25g per day!! High fibre diets improve cholesterol, blood sugar levels and healthy digestion and may help decrease risk for various chronic conditions and certain cancers.
Oats contain a specific type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan. This fibre attaches itself to fats and bile components in the bowel, helping remove cholesterol from the body.
*(Btw…… as a result of moving slowly through the digestive tract this oat helps you feel fuller and therefore a waistline bonus)
What’s even better, a December 2015 meta-analysis published in Nutrients showed that eating oats supports healthier blood sugar and cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. Wow!!!
2. Waistline benefits
Another potential perk of oats is that they help anyone looking to control their weight, “oats can promote satiety and control appetite for hours”… if your a regular oat kinda gal or guy adding a little protein to your oats will def help you skip the mid morning muffin urge. That’s a major plus if snacking tends to be your weight-loss undoing.
Let’s face it, a lot of medical conditions may require people to consume fewer carbohydrates, but with oats having it’s positives and weighing in at 160 calories per cup (in a smoothie you need much less) or in a pancake even lesser, it really hasn’t got that many calories.
Needless to say you always got to pay attention to portions, as with every other food, it would be the carb of choice to add to any meal plan.
3. Oatmeal Isn’t as High in Carbohydrates as You Think
While keto has healthy eaters ditching grains left, right and centre, I wouldn’t let the low-carb craze convince you that oats is a total carb bomb.
Oats are grains and contain carbohydrates, but your average serving of cooked oats comes in at around 28 total grams of carbs. Less than you thought, isn’t it?
If you’re concerned about your carb intake and its effect on blood sugar, just make sure to add protein to your oats. Any protein source — like protein powder, eggs, nuts or seeds, creating an even more balanced meal. Adding oats in your smoothie makes those who are a little reluctant, a safe bet of a breakfast. Totally balanced in our healthy empire smoothie.
4. A big fuel for your workouts
Another benefit of oatmeal that applies to both those striving to lose weight and anyone who exercises: It makes a great pre-workout or post-workout meal. Since carbohydrates are your main fuel source, converting to glycogen (aka, sugar, a type of carb, that’s stored in the muscles) and uses it as a source of energy when you work out. That explains why you’ll likely feel more prepared and energised for exercise after eating a bowl of oatmeal, Ultimately, being well-fuelled ensures you can train as hard and burn as many calories as possible, which is good news for your performance, fitness and fat loss. You become more efficient in losing weight.
5. You Can Turn Oats Into Pretty Much Anything
Oats are a super versatile meal and since they have such a mild flavour and can be interchangeable in in texture you can transform into anything. You can completely transform your bowl by adding different toppings.
If you want something sweet, you can cook your oats with a plant milk, add berries, walnuts and chia seeds. You can add your protein powder or collagen peptides for protein or peanut butter (or regular nut butter) for some flavour, protein and healthy fats.
If you’re after something more savoury, cook your oats in plain milk, grated zucchini, pumpkin seeds and protein or egg. Stay tuned for this recipe… And you can even use oats to make homemade granola or protein bars — or even toss a handful into your usual smoothie blend. It’s the perfect base for a wide variety of other whole foods, textures, flavours and nutrients.
The Bottom Line: Oatmeal Is Great for Your Overall Health
Thanks to those beta-glucan fibres and other nutrients in oats (like iron), whole-grain oats support your general health and can fit into most balanced, healthy eating plans. For the long hall, this grain will help get the results you need.
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