Oatmeal is NOT a healthy breakfast!
Despite popular belief, having oatmeal for breakfast is not that healthy for you. I can see why this statement is confusing because we have been lead to believe that oatmeal is a heart healthy, cholesterol lowering super food. Yes, it does contain fiber and yes fiber has been proven to help with heart disease and cholesterol. However, oatmeal can lead to high spikes in blood sugar which causes energy crashes, cravings and mood swings through out the day. Not to mention it could be the reason you aren’t losing weight.
Instant and rolled oats are highly processed. To make them convenient for cooking, the outer husk of the oat is removed which also takes away alot of the protein, fiber and plant sterols. What you are left with is the starchy inner portion and a little bit of fiber. Because of this processing your blood sugar response will be much higher with instant and rolled oats. Additionally, most of these oats have added flavors and sugar. Which makes it even worse!
What about groats or steel cut oats? Though a better choice because the entire oat is left in tact, this type of oat still has a high carbohydrate load and will effect your blood sugar negatively. Both instant oats and steel cut have more than 30g of carbs per serving, which is tough for our bodies to process in one sitting.
There was a study out of Harvard that I learned about from Dr. Mark Hyman (@drmarkhyman). In this study a group of teen boys were given the exact same calories for breakfast. One group was given instant oatmeal, one group steel cut and one group given an omelette. After they finished their breakfast, the boys were then told to hit a button every time they got hungry.
The results? The instant oatmeal group ate 81% more calories during the day , the steel cut group ate 51% as compared to the omelette group. Additionally, they found that in both oatmeal groups levels of cortisol, adrenaline and glucose were elevated.
This study proves an important point that what you eat for breakfast really does matter. Starting your morning with a high carbohydrate breakfast will lead to insulin spikes and crashes that cause hunger and cravings for more carbohydrates. Consistently, having unsteady blood sugar swings can lead to decreased fat utilization, insulin resistance and diabetes.
So what is an oatmeal lover to do??
First, if you can’t give it up quite yet. Please try to decrease the amount you have. Definitely don’t have it every day. And when you do try for 1/4 cup and add things like unsweetened greek yogurt, eggs, turkey bacon, organic breakfast sausage, chopped nuts to help blunt the glucose response.
And if you want to quit your oatmeal habit, here are some healthier and delicious alternatives.
Lauren Conrad Grain Free Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Flax Seed
2 Tbsp Hemp Seed
2 Tbsp Chia Seed
2 Cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 TBSP Almond Butter
1 Scoop MCFIT Creamy Vanilla Natural Whey Protein Powder (or protein powder of your choice)
Combine all ingredients into a saucepan, heat on medium and whisk together until an oatmeal like consistency forms (10 minutes).
Makes 2 servings.
Cals: 270
Fat: 19g
Carbs: 12.5
Fiber: 8g
Sugar: 0
Protein: 16g
Chia Pudding w Collagen & Cinnamon
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp Chia Seed
2 Scoop Primal Kitchen Chocolate Collagen
1/2 Can Trader Joe’s Light Coconut Milk (canned)
1 tsp Cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake well. Store in fridge for 4 hours.
Makes 2 servings
Cals: 368
Fat: 26g
Carbs: 15g
Protein: 25g
Fiber: 11.5g
Sugar: 0g
