by Stef Jantz, Food Columnist
A new year is upon us and again, we want to start over, continue, or maintain a healthier lifestyle. It all starts with what we put down our gullet, but the hard part is what works with your body type.
There a so many diets out there that it gets so confusing and it either works, doesn’t work, works too well, or not too well and you become deficient of nutrients you had no idea of.
I can’t tell you how many things I’ve tried in the last 20 years and found what works for me, but some aren’t so lucky and continue to try to figure it out.
There’s a magic starch out there that has so many benefits we tend to ignore that’s been around for thousands of years. You’ve got to be kidding right? Nope, and it’s oatmeal.
Oats were originally found in Ancient Egypt dating around the 12th Egyptian Dynasty which is about 4,000 years ago. Of course they’re not the same today as they were then.
It was thought that oats back then were made more of weeds that were not used for food but jump over to Switzerland, we have a winner.
The Swiss cultivated oats and were found in caves during the Bronze Age. Now, jump over to Scotland and they have a day of harvest for oats called “Meal Monday.” This is a day where students leave school for the day in order to harvest oats, so the country had more food.
There are many uses of this magical grain. From food, beer, beauty, and medicine, it has an array of benefits. It fuels your body, feeds your livestock, soothes your skin, and gives your stout a boost of flavor. This week we’ll focus on the nutritional value that you may not know about.
We all know that it’s excellent for your heart and can help lower cholesterol which in today’s society, is big. With all the food options available in restaurants and fast-food joints, they can be filled with so many hormones and preservatives that have a negative effect on your body, so adding oatmeal to your daily diet can assist in keeping your heart strong.
They also help you feel fuller longer, suppress your appetite, and help you stop from overeating. It takes longer to digest so your body can absorb its nutrients. With oatmeal being loaded with fiber, it helps in aiding digestion and can also help boost your immune system.
In other words, it keeps the pipes clean and rid of bad bacteria build up so you feel healthier and happier.
Did you know it also helps lower your risk of diabetes? According to a Nutrition & Metabolism study, switching out five percent of your daily carbs for oats can increase your metabolism by 23% and speed up your calorie burn!
I’m feeling slightly foolish for not eating oats more often now. How do we incorporate this into our diet to make it appeasing to the tastebuds? Overnight oats.
A balanced breakfast should consist of a carb (oatmeal), protein (protein powder, milk, yogurt, or nuts), fat (nuts or nut butter), and fiber (seeds or whole fruit). Pretty easy, right?
There are endless possibilities to create a flavor you enjoy. Grab a pint size mason jar or container with a lid. Your oatmeal to liquid ratio is 2:1 so if you do a cup of oatmeal then you want two cups of liquid or to your liking.
I do one cup oats to one and a half cup liquid but make sure your oats are covered and then some since they will soak up the liquid.
Now, choose your liquid. This can be almond milk, regular milk, or even water with protein powder.
Next, choose your fat. I absolutely love adding nut butter or peanut butter. It gives it a sweeter flavor so it’s not so bland.
Ok, what fiber are you going with? I find flax or chia seeds help a lot with digestion as well as berries since they contain a lot of fiber. You can do both! At my store I would do oats, almond milk, greek yogurt, flax seed, almonds, blueberries, and honey.
This kind of gives you an idea of combinations but we also tried others. Adding cinnamon is great too and has health benefits such as anti-inflammatory properties, help reduce blood sugar, and can also reduce cholesterol.
Make sure to soak the oats at least four or five hours or overnight. Enjoy these cold or heat them up.
So, what’s your flavor? You can search recipes and there are some pretty dang good ones out there so just make sure to keep it balanced and not stray too far into the rabbit hole, as it’s easy to do. P.S.-you can also search for keto overnight oats.
RECIPE:
1c oatmeal-Carb
1 ½-2c liquid-Protein
1-2 tsp fat (nuts or nut butter)
½ c fruit or 1T nuts-Fiber
