ExamineHealth

 

Oatmeal might be one of the best breakfast meals that you can make for yourself.  Besides of course, the fact that the best breakfast is based on variety, eating the same thing every morning, regardless of how good or good for you it is, is not a good idea.  You want to make sure you're getting plenty of variety in every meal, while foods often times share macro-nutrients and we all require certain portions of each, the specific foods we get those nutrients from should vary as much as possible.

But that's not what this article is about, so let's talk about oatmeal.

The most important thing to know about eating oatmeal is that it comes in several forms.  Most commonly, you've got the 'rolled oats' or 'Old Fashioned' version, and you've got the 'instant' version.  You'll also see the instant version marketed as "One Minute Oatmeal" or something similar.  Basically this means that they've taken the oatmeal and ground it up into dust and pre-cooked it.  By doing this, the oatmeal will get to the desired consistency for eating faster.  Unfortunately, it also causes it to digest faster, which robs it of many of it's healthy benefits.  This type of oatmeal also usually has sweetener and flavor added to it, further increasing the associated insulin spike.  The rolled oats version are steamed and flattened, which cause the cooking time to be relatively short still.

One of the great things about the rolled oats version of oatmeal, is that it takes longer for your body to break it down and digest it.  This is really good for your body.  It creates a nice even insulin response that doesn't cause you a 'sugar rush' with the associated crash.  It will continue to provide you with energy for a much longer time as it slowly processes through the water soluble fiber that is released when the oatmeal is cooked.  This soluble fiber may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, due to blood glucose controlling properties.

Oatmeal is also contains more B vitamins and calories than other kinds of porridges and can reduce the risk of heart disease due to the beta-glucan in the oats.  Beta-glucans can improve your body's immune system defense against foreign invaders by enhancing the ability of macrophages, neutrophils and natural killer cells to respond to and fight a wide variety of challenges such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. 

Of course the kicker to oatmeal is that it's so easy and versatile.  You're talking about a hot meal that takes all of one bowl and one spoon to prepare and is ready in the microwave in two minutes!  The very most basic oatmeal that I make consists of a scoop of oatmeal, then fat free milk to the level of the dry oats, then topped off with a bit of water to cause the oats to float some.  This is completely subjective.  It's based on what consistency you want your oatmeal.  Do you like more of a soupy consistency?  Do you prefer a thick porridge for breakfast?  Don't give up on oatmeal after thinking that it only comes one way, experiment with different amounts of liquid, and different liquids.  You can make it with all milk for a more creamy texture, or all water if you're avoiding dairy products.  Depending on what you're going to do next with the oatmeal, it's sometimes a good idea to add a pinch of salt.  If I'm eating it plain, this is my preferred method.

However, why not get in that all-important serving of fruit right in the same bowl?  This is where bananas come in perfectly.  I prefer to slice a whole banana as thin as possible right into my prepared bowl of oatmeal.  Stirring them in can give you a uniform banana flavor.  That meal is best topped of with a few dashes of cinnamon, which has plenty of nutritious properties itself.

You can also add any manner of berries, a scoop of peanut butter, a scoop of protein powder, or add a dollop of yogurt.  You can mix in granola, dried fruit and nuts, or add some jam or fruit preserves to spice up a bowl.  My personal favorite when I was a kid was to top with honey and brown sugar - this ends up being more like a dessert than a breakfast meal, but the options are there.

I hope that you appreciate the introduction to this wonderful breakfast food and add it to your repertoire of breakfast meals if it wasn't already there. 

 

 

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