C onsider adding a protein source and some fruit to your oatmeal to create a balanced meal. Some simple protein-rich toppings include nuts, nut butters, hemp hearts, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, and pumpkin seeds. You can even make a savoury oatmeal and incorporate eggs or cheese. Some sweet toppings include berries, pear, banana, dried cranberries, dried apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, maple syrup, cacao nibs, and coconut flakes.
If you’re not a fan of oatmeal for breakfast, I’d encourage you to try some different flavour combinations to find one that you enjoy. Oats can also be incorporated into granola, pancakes, muffins, or baked oatmeal if the standard bowl of oatmeal is not your thing.
Oat groats are the whole oat grain that have been cleaned and have the outer husk removed. As these are the least processed form of the grain, they can take a long time to cook and so we often don’t use them in day-to-day cooking. Instead, we use steel cut oats, rolled oats, and instant oatmeal in our cooking. Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut up a few times using large blades, giving them a chewier texture and a longer cooking time. Rolled oats, also known as large flake or old-fashioned oats, have been rolled and flattened with large rollers. Quick-cooking rolled oats have been cut first and then rolled/flattened to make them faster to cook. Instant oats have been cut even smaller and flattened into tiny flakes to significantly decrease the cooking time.
Even though the different types of oats have been processed differently, they keep much of their nutritional value regardless of the type you choose. As you might imagine though, steel cut oats are more slowly digested and do not cause as quick of a spike in your blood sugar levels compared to instant oats. This can help keep your energy levels more stable throughout the morning and keep you feeling full for longer.
Oats are not only delicious and versatile, they are also packed with beneficial nutrients. The slower digesting carbohydrates are great for providing your body with energy throughout the morning. Oats are also a great source of fibre, more specifically beta-glucans. Beta-glucans are a type of soluble fibre which has been shown to lower cholesterol levels by trapping cholesterol in your intestine and carrying it out of your body.
Oats are relatively higher in protein compared to other grains: 17g in 100g! They contain essential vitamins and minerals for metabolism, such as manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, thiamin, iron and zinc, and are rich in antioxidants which may help to lower blood pressure. Oats are naturally gluten-free too, just be sure to choose oats that are certified gluten-free as they are often harvested and processed with other gluten-containing grains and are at risk of cross contamination.
Written by Sofya Borisenko and Liz Powell, RD
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