In my monthly challenge groups, at the end of each day, we all share what we ate for every meal for accountability. It’s fun to see what everyone else is cooking up and most of my challengers have a lot of variety in their meals. Not me. I’m totally a creature of habit and I’m fine eating the same things over and over again. I mean I’ll make different types of salads for lunch, and I’m forced to be more creative with dinners since my family would not be impressed if I fed them chicken and sweet potato every single night of the week. But my breakfast has been the same for as long as I can remember: a good hearty bowl of oatmeal. It’s my absolute favourite meal of the day. And I was eating it long before the “oat bowl” even became a thing.
My favourite type of oats are steel cut. Now I’ll admit I used to top it with a good little sprinkle of brown sugar and smother it in cows milk since thats how I grew up eating it. But since I’ve eliminated most sugars from my diet, my favourite way to dress it up is by adding some berries, a few almonds, a little almond milk and a pinch of cinnamon! Delish!! There are so many yummy ways to make it!
After doing a little research, here’s a couple health benefits I found to eating oatmeal on a regular basis:
Fills you up – I’ve gone through phases in the past where I would eat bagels or muffins or a slice of toast for breakfast…. especially while I was pregnant! Breakfast foods high in sugar and fat can make you feel full for a brief period, but then you’re hungry again. That’s what I always found when I would eat the above foods. The fiber in oatmeal fills you up and leaves you a lot more satisfied. I find I’m not craving as many snacks later on during the day.
Whole Grain – Oatmeal is a whole grain, and eating whole grains can lower your risk for a number of different diseases, including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Oatmeal also contains a plant chemical called lingens that has been found to prevent heart disease.
Lower Cholestoral – Oatmeal contains a specific type of fiber called beta-glucan. There have been a lot of studies done that have proven the effects of this fibre on cholestoral levels. One-and-a-half cups of oatmeal contains more than five grams of fiber so eating it on a regular basis can really help lower your cholesterol.
Immune system booster – The high fiber in oatmeal protects against heart disease and boosts your immune system. It helps your immune cells find and repair parts of the body that may be fighting a bacterial infection.
Stabilizes Blood Sugar: When you’re eating a lot of fiber, this helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and will help provide that mid-morning crash, which happens when you eat a lot of sugar and empty carbs early in the day.
So there you go. I bet you didn’t know how healthy a single serving of oatmeal could really be!
Thanks for reading.
xo Natalie
