Oatmeal - I Hate It But I Love It!

Oatmeal – I hate it but I love it. Sounds strange I know, but it’s the truth. Any one who knows me will tell you I can eat almost anything, but there’s nothing I hate eating more than oatmeal, because it just tastes so bland, but I eat it because I know it’s good for me. I just need to set aside an hour or so to do it.  I’ve tried almost every recipe out there, and invented a few to try to make it more palatable but nothing works, so I just eat plain old oats, but you may want to experiment with fruit or protein powder if plain oats doesn’t tickle your fancy. 

I try to eat a bowl everyday, first and foremost because it’s a good source of both soluble and insoluble fibre and has great heart disease and cancer fighting properties. The insoluble fibre in oatmeal, helps the body to fight against toxic bile acids, which increase the risk of cancer.

The soluble fibre or betaglucan in oatmeal, helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol by forming a sticky sliming substance that grabs on to cholesterol causing elements in the digestive tract, preventing them from being absorbed into the blood stream. Soluble fibre has the added benefit of reducing bad LDL cholesterol without reducing good HDL levels. It also has the amazing ability to slow down the digestion of starch which in turn reduces the spikes in your blood sugar levels after eating. It is highly recommended for diabetics, and studies show that eating oatmeal actually reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The insoluble fibre in oatmeal helps with the free and speedy passage of stool through the digestive system and helps prevent constipation. 

Of course oats are a whole grain and those are good for lowering your blood pressure. Experts recommend eating two or three servings a day.

All this fibre is also good for helping with weight management, because the oats absorbs water so well and this slows down your digestive process. This keeps you feeling fuller longer. In addition oatmeal doesn’t have that many calories. A cup of oatmeal has about 150 calories.

Oatmeal is also a good source of protein, especially if prepared with milk instead of water. It also contains zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, Vitamin E and Vitamin B, which has been linked to better brain and nerve function.

There are a lot of reasons to eat oatmeal. It’s good for your health, easy to make, has no sugar, or saturated fat, is high in fibre, omega-3 fatty acid, folates and it’s really versatile. Apart from making a great breakfast meal, oatmeal can also be used in a variety of other ways and in a variety of meals. I’ve even heard that it is great for your skin if used as a mask and good for your hair if used as a shampoo and that it works wonders on acne.

Maybe you can try it out and let me know how that turns out. Also let me know if you have any creative ways of making oatmeal or if you have a favourite oatmeal recipe you’d like to share.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR; Kendal Burton is a Certified Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor & Sports Nutrition Specialist. For more health and fitness tips “friend” us on Facebook, or join our free fitness community atwww.edgepersonalfitness.com. If you have any questions, or a topic you’d like us to address email us at mail@edgepersonalfitness.com