Posted on 03/07/2021 12:35:14 PM PST by be-baw
Oats are incredibly healthy. "Oats are nutritional powerhouses filled with soluble fiber, protein, and essential nutrients like iron and vitamin B-6," says Kelsey Lorencz, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Graciously Nourished.
And if you haven't been eating oats, there's a few good reasons you should: "Eating 2-3 servings of whole grains (like oats!) per day is associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, good levels of LDL 'bad' cholesterol, and even a healthy gut/microbiome. And oatmeal has been scientifically-proven to help you feel full between meals," says Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CNS, an emeritus professor of nutrition at St. Catherine University and a member of the Grain Foods Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board.
But did you know that there actually preparation methods that could increase oatmeal's health benefits? We asked a team of registered dietitians for their tips on how to make oatmeal even healthier. That's how we discovered the easiest hack for a healthier bowl of oats all has to do with what you're putting on top of it.
Your bowl of oatmeal is only as good as what you're eating it with. High fiber breakfast whole grain oatmeal with fresh berries nuts and seeds
While oats are healthy on their own, you can make oatmeal even healthier by what you add to it.
The bulk of oatmeal's nutritional composition is carbs, so if you want your breakfast to be especially filling, dietitians agree that you'll want to pair it with satiating macronutrients like healthy fats, fiber, and protein.
The healthiest (and best tasting!) way to enjoy oats is by "adding nutrient-dense toppings to make oats more balanced," says Rachel Fine, MS, RD, CSSD, CDN, a registered dietitian and owner of To The Pointe Nutrition. "Though oats are incredible complex carbs, I recommend pairing them with toppings like flax, chia, and nuts to round out the nutrient profile," she adds.
"You have to add toppings!" chimes in Miller Jones. "Adding fruit, nuts, or peanut/nut butter can boost the fiber, healthy fats, and protein for breakfast," she adds.
There are so many options for oatmeal toppings, so we asked dietitians for their absolute favorites.
Protein peanut butter, banana, almonds and nuts
"Oats aren't rich in protein, so my number one recommendation to boost their nutritional content is to add a protein source to them," says Diana Gariglio-Clelland, RD, registered dietitian at Next Luxury. "Adding nuts, seeds, or even stirring in some Greek yogurt or cottage cheese can all do the job."
"Pairing oatmeal with a protein and fat is best because it prevents a blood sugar spike. Some options are chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, almonds, unsweetened coconut flakes, protein powder, or a scoop of collagen," says Kylie Ivanir, MS, RD, a registered dietitian with Within Nutrition.
Nuts oatmeal fruit berries walnuts nuts
Nuts are a great oatmeal topping from almonds to walnuts to cashews. registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, founder of Nutrition Now Counseling and author of Fueling Male Fertility."Top your oatmeal with walnuts. Walnuts contain fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based protein—three nutrients that help keep people feel fuller longer. Plus, data shows that increasing daily consumption of nuts, like walnuts, is associated with less long-term weight gain and a lower risk of obesity in adults," says registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, founder of Nutrition Now Counseling and author of Fueling Male Fertility.
Fiber Oat Bran A serving of oats contains between 4-5 grams of fiber, but you can boost that number up even more with some clever ingredients. Many of the sources of protein, like nuts and seeds, are also good sources of fiber, and so are fruits. "Another great option is mixing your steel-cut or rolled-oats with some oat bran since oat bran is highest in fiber and great for satiety and overall health," says Ivanir.
Seeds
As a food group, you can't go wrong with seeds. "Flax is a rich source of lignans, a powerful phytochemical with anti-oxidative characteristics. Flax also contains the highest percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) per serving. Chia seeds are also a great source of calcium and unlike flax, doesn't need the extra step of grinding before eating (chia is easier for the body to digest without the need to grind the seeds beforehand)," says Fine.
Fruit
Berries, apples, bananas, the list goes on. For inspiration, take a page out of Lorencz's book: "My favorite oatmeal recipe is old-fashioned oats topped with strawberries and a spoonful of peanut butter. The strawberries naturally sweeten the oatmeal and the peanut butter adds extra fat to keep me full and satisfied all morning."
Try steel cut oats. Slower cooking, but it would take hours before they're slimy.
Or, in an InstantPot, 1 minute at the Steam setting and let it sit 15-20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and it's done.
I like the ratio of 5.2 water to 1 oats, by weight, or 4:1 by volume. Haven't had boiling issues like someone else wrote about - maybe it's the "Steam" setting.
save
Once you get down into the parts per billion range that is true. But anyone who has ever used Roundup to kill weeds or even been around somebody else doing so has exposure millions of times greater.
Probably a pretty low risk to eat oatmeal even at 1300 ppb.
Oh wow, that’s totally DECADENT! I do decadent on many, many things, but oatmeal hasn’t been one of them...so far!! Cool suggestions!
My friend loves Cheerios and looked up how healthy ..She found that they use roundup on the oats..I then got curious and googled quaker oats and roundup and found it was even worse than cheerios.... I went to organic oatmeal
I’ve been eating Cheerios a lot lately.
That Roundup is good for making sure there’s no crabgrass growing in your intestines.
+1.
No wonder my insides have been clean for years...
Add some chocolate chips and I’m with you.....
Thanks for the info!
The recipe is on the back of the lid of a box of Quaker Oats. I just substitute craisins for raisins.
Best cookie ever!!!
Hes right. Chuck the crackers or crumbs and use rolled oats. Much better flavor and texture along with some nutrients that you just arent going to get with the other two.
TEXAS COW CHIPS...best cookie ever! I had them last year for the first time. I love oatmeal cookies with anything.
These have corn flakes and oatmeal along with pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, raisins and butterscotch chips. You drop them by 1/4 cup on a cookie sheet so they are huge!
Recipe please!!!
Lol, I thought you were making fancy oatmeal! I guess in a way, it is! I Love oatmeal raisin cookies! One of my faves, and I haven’t made them in quite some time, so no wonder I missed out on recognizing your concoction. I just bought oatmeal recently so will have to do this myself very soon. Do you know if they freeze well? There are only two of us here anymore. Maybe I can make a big batch and take some to the senior center if they still allow that sort of thing.
120 g? Wow!
My memory to me is the doctor said 100 g/day. But I just ran across a note that read 120/g. 120 was likely a typo. I typed the note right after my appointment.
They freeze fine. I’m still eating ones I made for Christmas. Love em.
Thanks for the tip! I have gotten away from cookies, but you know, having a couple once in a while won’t kill me. I’m working hard on getting fit and losing some pounds that I put on over this last year, weight I had taken off and kept off for 2 years. I am learning it is good to reward myself sometimes so I don’t feel deprived, which is what happened before. I plan to use your idea, because oatmeal raisin cookies are my first favorite (followed closely by chocolate chip cookies).
Texas Chow Chips
2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 TBL vanilla
4 cups flour*
1/2 tsp salt*
2 tsp. soda*
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups corn flakes
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup coconut
1-12 oz bag chocolate chips
1 cup raisins
1- 6oz bag of butterscotch or peanut butter chips
Sift dry ingredients (*) together.
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.
Add sifted ingredients.
Stir by hand the remaining ingredients into dough.
Drop by 1/4 cup onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
These are huge!!!
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