Is Oatmeal Healthy Or Have You Been Totally Scammed?
Oatmeal: the most innocent of breakfasts. At least that’s probably what you though until other FKA healthy foods—like granola—started taking a hit. (Dear god, the sugar…)
So yeah—is oatmeal good for you? It all depends on how much you’re pimping out that bowl of oats.
Oatmeal nutrition 101
Let’s cover the basics first. This is what you’re getting when you prep that half cup of plain old rolled oats in the a.m.:
Yep, oats are pretty solid in the nutrition department, says Alissa Rumsey, R.D., founder of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness.
Wear your heart on your breakfast ❤?❤ ?: @daisybeet
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Yep, oatmeal benefits are real
For starters, oats are a whole grain and complex carbohydrate and that’s pretty great, says New York-based R.D. Jessica Cording. “It will break down more slowly in your body than white rice and white bread,” she says. It’s also a good source of B vitamins and iron, she points out. Oats also have fiber that can help keep you feeling fuller, longer, and keep your blood sugar stable, Rumsey says.
BTW: You’ve probably seen steel cut and rolled oats on shelves and wondered if one is better than the other. Steel-cut oats, in case you don’t know, are whole oat kernels (also known as, yes, “groats”) that have been chopped into two or three pieces with a steel blade.
Rolled oats, on the other hand, have been dehusked and steamed, before they were rolled into flat flakes, Rumsey explains. Steel-cut oats take longer to cook, but they’re actually pretty similar in nutrients to rolled oats since they both come from oat groats, she says.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that instant or quick-cooking oats are more broken down, so they are digested faster than rolled or steel-cut oats, and may not keep you full for quite as long. (Yeah, sorry about that.)
But it’s totally possible for oatmeal to go wrong
While oatmeal is a pretty healthy food on its own, people tend to do some not-so-healthy stuff with it like loading it up with brown sugar or adding dried raisins to it.
“Then you’re just putting carbs on top of carbs,” Cording says. She recommends trying to get a little fat and protein into your oats by cooking them with milk instead of water, adding a little flax seed on top, or cooking them with egg whites to score some extra protein. (Check out these high-protein oatmeal ideas for more inspo.)
??/?? Lunch time ? Keeping it super simple today (but delicious too!) : Parmesan porridge (I cooked rolled oats with whole milk, salt, pepper and grated Parmesan) and topped it with 2 poached eggs, cracked black pepper and chives ? Bon appétit! ?? À table ? On fait super simple (mais super bon!) : porridge au parmesan (j’ai fait cuire les flocons d’avoine dans du lait bio demi-écrémé et avec sel, poivre et parmesan râpé) et dessus 2 œufs pochés, du poivre noir et de la ciboulette ? Bon appétit! #tastingtable #mangerbien #mangersain #food #healthy #eatmoreplants #thenewhealthy #healthyfood #cuisinesworld #healthycuisines #lunch #brunch #breakfast #déjeuner #petitdéjeuner #cheese #parmesan #oats #oatmeal #eggs #poachedeggs #porridge #recipes #recette #iamwellandgood #mindbodygreen #clemfoodie
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You can even add a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter, or add some protein powder for a little oomph, she says.
So…is oatmeal good for you?
Totally, says Rumsey. In fact, it’s so good for you that you can have it as much as you like, as long as it fits into your overall dietary needs.
Just don’t feel like you have to eat oatmeal to be healthy. Cording says she’s had several clients who want to like it but just don’t—and that’s okay.
“If it’s going to make you miserable, don’t eat it,” she says. But if you love it, keep on keeping on.
The bottom line: Oatmeal is good for you, as long as you don’t load it with sugar.
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