Quick Synopsis
When it comes to healthy breakfast choices, oatmeal takes the cake. It’s high in heart-healthy fiber — keeping your digestion regular, your weight down, your belly full, and your budget in fact. And believe us when we say times have changed since the bland gloop your mom served. Oats are as versatile a dish as it gets, whether you’re looking for savory, sweet, or somewhere in between, there’s no shortage of delicious No B.S. (bad stuff) oatmeal recipes to kickstart your day.
The Full Story
You’ve heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day! The scientific community is still debating this one, but there’s no denying that a done right breakfast can be awesome.
Unfortunately, mornings are hectic and there isn’t always enough time to prepare a yummy healthy breakfast. So often we’ll resort to unhealthy breakfast options (a muffin is just cake by another name) or skip it altogether.
We’ve got the perfect solution to this dilemma - oats!
Not your Mama’s oats
Ok, ok, we know what you’re thinking. Oats? The gloop my mom served? But we’re here to tell you there’s a whole wonderful world of oatmeal recipes out there and they’re aren’t just easy to prepare, they’re delicious, to boot!
Really, oatmeal is the perfect No B.S (Bad Stuff) breakfast for busy mornings. Just look at our Mamasezz Very Berry Oatmeal recipe; it takes three minutes to prep! You can even whip it up at night then grab-and-go in the morning, too. Or go the rustic route and mix MamaSezz gluten-free cornbread with ½ cup cooked old-fashioned or steel-cut oats, your favorite plant-based milk, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Oats aren’t just versatile and tasty, they’re also one of the most nutritious ways to start your day.
Oats are a grain. They’re harvested from a cereal plant called Avena Sativa and contain 10% protein. They’re also a great source of source of calcium, iron, vitamin B1, and niacin. Oats are high-energy nutrition bombs — the perfect boost to start your day. And, thanks to high levels of dietary fiber, oats make you feel satisfied longer, hindering the urge for a mid-morning snack.
But wait, aren’t oats high in carbohydrates? Absolutely they are, and that’s a good thing.
Despite what your Atkins- and Keto-enthusiast friends might suggest, carbohydrates aren’t always bad. Sure, refined carbs (such as those found in white bread, white pasta, white rice, and pastries) are a problem because they’re so highly processed that their natural nutrients are gone, leaving only sugar and calories behind. But complete carbohydrates — those found in whole-grains, brown rice, and oats — are an essential part of a healthy diet. In fact, whole carbohydrates should be your main source of energy, and make up a large part of your overall food intake.
So, if the question is: Is oatmeal good for you? The answer is a resounding Yes!
To really dig into the benefits of oatmeal (and, by extension, the benefits of oats), let’s take a closer look at some of the oatmeal nutrition facts.
Benefits of oats — for breakfast and beyond
Just in case you aren’t convinced by the nutritional facts, there are five health-related reasons to eat oatmeal:
1. Oats help you maintain a healthy weight
Remember how we said a bowl of oatmeal can help stave off mid-morning hunger? You can thank soluble fiber for that. Soluble fiber stays in your stomach longer and allows you to feel fuller for longer periods of time. This is why fiber promotes healthy weight loss. Dietary fiber, found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and (of course) oatmeal can have a big impact on weight loss success.
2. Oats help you maintain gastrointestinal health
When we eat too often or too much, we can back up our gastrointestinal tract, leading to dreaded constipation. Dietary fiber in oats keeps things moving through our gastrointestinal tract and promotes gastrointestinal health. To put it more bluntly, oatmeal fiber keeps you regular.
3. Oats can help prevent cardiovascular disease
Man, oat fiber is the gift that just keeps on giving. You can check heart-healthy breakfast off your to-do list. Studies show the soluble fiber in oats also cuts bad cholesterol levels. And fiber reduces your risk of high blood pressure and of dying from cardiovascular disease.
4. Oats reduce your risk of colon and rectal cancers
It’s estimated that colon cancer was responsible for 50,630 deaths in 2018. That’s the bad news. The good news is that a bowl of oatmeal may help turn the tide. Studies suggest oats and other whole-grain foods reduce the risk of colon and rectal cancers. Ready for your oatmeal breakfast, yet?
5. Oats are cheap!
Oats only cost about $0.07 (that’s seven cents) per liter. And you can easily buy in bulk and store them because they keep for a long time. So go ahead, stock up!
Key Takeaways
In short, don’t sleep on oatmeal! When you start the day with fiber-rich oats you can:
- Protect your heart and lower cholesterol
- Ensure smooth sailing on the digestive front
- Reduce your risk for certain types of cancer
- Maintain a healthy weight (or meet healthy weight loss goals)
- Cut your grocery budget!
So there you have it? Ready to get started with oatmeal? Try these grab-and-go oatmeal muffins — perfect for those busy plant powered mornings.