Sometimes oatmeal can be a warm bowl of goo, and who wants to start their morning like that? I know I don't. I always bought the Quaker Oats Old Fashioned or 1 minute oats until I did some trial and found that I really like the Mccann's Steal Cut brand better.
They have to be cooked a bit longer than instant oats, but you can definitely taste the difference. Oatmeal tends to be on the bland side so I always want to spruce it up a bit. What does one do to make it tasty while keeping it healthy? One of my tricks is to cook it with a tablespoon of coconut sugar. I like coconut sugar because it has a caramel flavor and a much lower Glycemic Index (GI) compared to regular sugar and even honey.
Honey's have a GI of 45 up to 64 which is lower than sugar, which is at 65. Coconut sugar is at 35. What a difference! I like to use Wholesome Organic Coconut Palm Sugar as a natural sugar and honey substitute.
Ok, so other than sweetening up the bland oats, what I also do is infuse it with Chia seeds and fresh fruits. Let's talk about Chia seeds for a minute. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, omega 3's, and it's an ancient Andean super food. A little sprinkle goes a long way! An Andean superfood is a healthy and nutritious nutrient-rich food from the Andean region of South America.
Dried chia seeds contain 6% water, 42% carbs, 16% protein, and 31% fat. In a 100-gram amount, chia seeds are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value DV) of the B Vitamins, thiamin, and niacin, and a moderate source of riboflavin (14% DV) and folate (12% DV).
To top it off, I add fresh fruits depending on what's in season or my mood. Today I opted for fresh raspberries, and blueberries with chia seeds.
Do you have any tips for making a healthy oatmeal breakfast? I would love to hear from you!
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