Supplement Judge Unbiased Supplement Reviews – Do they really work??
I think if you scroll through the recipe articles we have here on Supplement Judge, you’ll begin to see a theme emerging: breakfast. I am obsessed (obsessed, I say) with breakfast foods. And if eggs are the king of breakfast foods, then oats are the beautiful queen.
Oats are fabulous things. Oatmeal is a great source of dietary fibre: half soluble and half insoluble fibres. One component of the soluble fibre found in oats is beta-glucans, which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol. That’s why you see all the ‘heart-healthy’ stamps across the oatmeal breakfast cereals in Tesco! Also, oats are a low GI source of fuel for your body: that is, eating oats can spread the rise in blood sugars over a longer time period. This benefit is twofold: firstly, control of blood glucose and insulin levels is essential in preventing many of the complications associated with diabetes. But secondly, oat beta-glucan slows the rise in blood glucose levels following a meal and delays its decline to pre-meal levels. So you will stay ‘satisfied’ for a longer period of time, and are therefore likely to eat less overall. Hence why eating more oats is linked to weight loss. Huzzah.
But beware! There’s a side to the humble oat that you don’t want to see (or, rather, consume). All oats are created equal, but the oat that arrives at your breakfast table may be inferior. I’m talking about instant oatmeal: it’s not great. Take for example, a sachet of ‘golden syrup’ flavour porridge oats. These instant oats are a mishmash of artificial colours and flavors, along with too much sugar and salt for it to really be a proper nutritious breakfast. Plus – and more importantly – the glycemic index of old fashioned, ‘whole’, rolled or steel-cut oats is approximately 55 (versus approximately 83 for instant oats). As instant oatmeal is significantly higher, by consuming it you’ll be more prone to ‘crashes’ during the day. So to keep you fuller for longer, get a good oat into your meal.
And how, you ask, does one do that? Well, it’s Sunday, so here are a few little recipes for you to try out for a delightful breakfast feast. You are most welcome!
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (almond milk tastes wonderful and is very low-fat, low-cal, and high-calcium)
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1-2 tbsp chopped nuts
- Maple syrup or agave nectar for drizzling
- Cinnamon
- Fresh berries or fruit (try mango, banana or some sliced peaches).
- The night before you plan to eat it, combine the oats with the milk in a serving bowl. Place in the fridge.
- The next morning, stir in the yogurt and top with cinnamon, nuts and fruit. The oats will be perfectly moist. Enjoy!
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp fromage frais
- 2 tbsp oat bran
- 1 tbsp wheat bran
- Mix the ingredients together in a bowl (if the mixture is too stiff, add a couple of teaspoons of skimmed milk).
- Add a couple of drops of light oil to a frying pan (or spray with FryLight). Spread the mixture in the pan. Cook on a medium heat until the underside is golden and the upper side starts to dry. Flip the pancake and cook the other side.
- Serve and top with fresh fruit and nuts for a delightfully high-protein, low-GI alternative to pancakes!
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup skimmed milk
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp sugar (or Stevia/sweetner, to keep it low-cal)
- Mix all the ingredients and cook over a low heat for twenty minutes, or until thick.
- Serve and enjoy!
