Tuesday, February 2, 2010

An Ode To Oatmeal


In Spring, Summer and Fall I like to eat just fresh fruit for breakfast. It's a great way to start the day and up my raw percentage for the entire week.
In the Winter, however, I just need something warm in my belly and oatmeal fits the bill perfectly. I put some organic whole grain rolled oats in a bowl, add cinnamon, almond milk, water, raisins, maple syrup and fresh fruit such as apples and blueberries, then I pop the bowl in the microwave, and out comes a hot, steamy bowl of healthy goodness. Yum!!!

Oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts you can eat for both health reasons and weight loss/maintenance reasons. Oatmeal's high fiber content helps fill you up and lowers cholesterol. Oatmeal lowers the risk for getting diabetes, and nutrients in oatmeal help to protect you against cardiovascular disease. Oatmeal is also chock full of antioxidents.

What more can you want from your breakfast food?

But to get the health benefits of oatmeal, you have to eat the real stuff. Instant oatmeal, the kind you just add water to, does not do the trick. It's been refined to the point of having all its fiber stripped out of it. The instant flavored stuff that comes in packets is almost as bad as a bowl of Fruit Loops. The flavored varieties contain high levels of sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

And, there's no point in any the instant junk, making the real stuff is just as easy thanks to the microwave. Just put 1/3 of a cup of real oatmeal in a bowl, add 2/3 cup of liquid (I use 1/3 cup almond milk, 1/3 cup water), add whatever flavorings you want, pop it in the microwave for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes and you've got a hot, steaming bowl of oatmeal.

1 comment:

  1. Made a huge batch this morning. Love the stuff.

    I'm not sure I could go Fruit Only in the morning. I gotta have my grain or cereal or bread or something like that.

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