According to many nutritionists, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A decent breakfast gives us the energy we need to carry out our work. Prevents the weakness caused by low blood sugar levels, and makes it easier to resist a cookie during coffee breaks. Studies show that on average people who have a breakfast every day are thinner than people who don’t.
So, having breakfast is good for you, but what is good to have for breakfast? Again according to the nutritionist, the best way to kick off the day is with a complete mix of foods, including carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Carbs for instant energy, protein for energy later on and fiber to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
This advice disqualifies breakfast habits such as a cup of coffee, a doughnut or two or a helping of bacon and eggs, but it is an advertisement for a well-prepared oats breakfast.
Oat (Avena sativa), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain. Oatmeal is made of hulled oat grains – groats –and comes in different forms:
- Whole groats
- Steel-cut: oat grains sliced up with steel blades
- Old-fashioned or rolled: whole oat grains steamed then rolled
- Quick-cooking: oat grains sliced up, steamed, then rolled
- Instant: oat grains sliced up very thinly, then steamed and rolled
A Healthy Treat
As oats combine very well with other healthy ingredients, you can be creative and compose the most delicious breakfasts to suit your personal taste. For your inspiration: here are 3 ways to jazz up your morning oats and enjoy benefits such as:
Weight Loss
Oats give you a long-lasting feeling of fullness. They also contain a soluble fiber, called beta-glucan, which helps you to eat less during the day by stimulating the release of hormones that control the appetite.
Lower cholesterol level
As the beta-glucan dissolves in your body, it forms a gel-like substance that absorbs excess cholesterol.
More energy
The large dose of carbohydrates, in combination with protein and – mainly unsaturated – fats in oats gives your energy a real boost.
Stable blood sugar levels
The types of fiber and carbohydrates in oats are very effective in slowing down the conversion of your breakfast into simple sugars, thus evening-out your blood sugar levels.
Lower Risk of type 2 diabetes
Oats help reduce the risk of diabetes in two ways: by slowing down sugar absorption and because they contain high levels of magnesium, a mineral that helps control the body’s glucose and insulin production.
Protection against Cancer
The plant lignans in oats are converted in our intestines into mammalian lignans, one of which – called enterolactone – can protect against hormone-dependent cancers like prostate and breast cancer, as well as heart disease.
Antioxidant
Avenanthramide, a special antioxidant that is found in oats, fights off free radicals that attack our good cholesterol or HDL.
