How oatmeal can be a part of your healthy eating plans

No way should oatmeal be part of your healthy eating plans or healthy eating guidelines.  It contains carbohydrates or it is all sugar.  Too many uninformed people jump to conclusions that just because something has sugar in it means it is bad for you.   Stop jumping to conclusions and learn the full story on oatmeal.

It is true that many are not the healthiest forms of oatmeal and should not be included in your healthy eating plans.  We all acknowledge that and when you look at the store shelves you can see all the unhealthy oatmeals.  If you want the least processed oatmeal you want to look for Steel-cut oats, which are chopped oat groats.  There are also rolled oats and these oats are steamed.  Then the most popular and generally the least healthy for you’re healthy eating plans are instant oats, which are precooked and often contain added sugar.

Steel cut or rolled oats are great for long lasting energy because of the type of carbohydrate that they are.  You can even make a healthy shake out of them by combining 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 scoop Prograde Protein Powder and 1.5 cups water.  Healthy oats don’t just have to be eaten conventially as we know them.  It is time to think a little different and discover other ways to include healthy oatmeal into your healthy eating guidelines and healthy diet plans.
 
Nutritionally a one half cup serving of cooked steel-cut oats has 150 calories 5gms of protein, 27gms of carbs and 4gms of fiber.  One packet of plain instant oats has 100 calories, 4gms of protein, 19gms of carbs and 3gms of fiber.  As you can see they have similar nutritional profiles with the steel cut oats being a little higher in overall carbohydrates and fiber.  Now some would say that the instant oats would be better for your healthy eating plans, but if you notice I wrote "plain" instant oats.  In reality who really eats "plain" instant oats.  What you see on the store shelves are instant oats that are almost always sweetened with something and many times filled with extra and unnecesary sugar. 

When you are eating instant oats make sure you are choosing the proper type of instant oats for your healthy eating plans.  You can always add chopped fruit, cinnamon or other low calorie flavorings to your oatmeal.
 
Some people are under the assumption that steel cut oats can not be made quickly and have to cooked for long periods of time.  Well there is an alternative to this method.  In a large microwave bowl combine 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1/2 cup 1% milk and 1/2 cup water.  Microwave for 4 minutes, stir and then cook for 2 more minutes.  Now you should not cook all your meals in a microwave for those that think I am suggesting for you to use the microwave for all your meals.  Though if you need a quick healthy oatmeal recipe to use every now and then this is it. 


Did you know that you can use oats as bread crumbs in just about most recipes that call for bread crumbs?  All you have to do is use a food processor and finely chop the oats.  Then you can add them to ground beef to be used in meatloaf or use them as breading for fish fillets or chicken fillets.

Just because something has carbohydrates or sugar does not mean that it cannot be included in your healthy eating plans or healthy diet plans.  Make sure you take the time to look at the full nutrient profile and think unconventionally in regards to how you can include that food into your healthy eating plans.