3 Ways to Eat Oats if You Don’t Like Oatmeal

It’s pretty common to dislike the texture of oatmeal. I’ve got a number of friends who just can’t get around the goopy, globby grossness that some people associate with oatmeal. Me? I love it. But I totally get that it isn’t for everyone.

However, disliking oatmeal shouldn’t stop you from eating oats! There are so many wonderful benefits to these whole grains, there’s no need to ignore them in your diet if you don’t like oatmeal. In this post I’ll share with you three unique oats recipes after I share some of the benefits of oats: 

• Oats are filled with dietary fibre. Fibre helps your digestive system run on top notch, and keeps your poops happy.
• Fibre also helps with high blood pressure, so a daily serving of oats could reduce hypertension.
• Oats may reduce your risk of heart disease, by reducing your LDL cholesterol.
• Oats are a great source of manganese, which is a cofactor that helps in collagen production. This means oats are good for your skin!
• Oats keep you fuller longer, because they tend to “gel” together and are not as quickly digested.
• Because oats take longer to digest, the carbohydrates are released more slowly and you are less likely to experience a spike in blood sugar. 
• Oats have specific phytochemicals that are thought to reduce the risk of certain cancers – for example, they contain a phytoestrogen which is supposed to help reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Even though oats don’t contain gluten, those who are sensitive should look for gluten-free oats. Out in the oat fields, the crops can be easily cross-contaminated with gluten so pay attention if you have any sensitivities. 

Here are 3 unique oats recipes if you don’t like oatmeal:

Put oats in a smoothie: Have you tried this yet? It’s a great way to fill up on your smoothie. The other day I wanted something that tasted like oatmeal, but without the texture. Plus I was feeling lazy and didn’t want to cook the oatmeal, let’s be honest… So instead I created an oatmeal smoothie! What you see pictured here is a blended combination of oats, almond butter, almond milk, banana, chia seeds, hemp hearts, cinnamon and nutmeg. So tasty and so filling. 

If you don’t feel like making an “oatmeal smoothie” like this one, you can throw some oats into any smoothie you’re whipping up for that added nutrient benefit!

Bake oats in muffins, cookies or pancakes: This healthy muffin recipe I posted a few months back uses oat-flour from freshly ground oats. You can stick oats into pancake batter, ground up or whole. You can also add oats to cookies! Who doesn’t love a hearty oatmeal cookie? If you’re not a fan of the texture of oats, again, grind them up and use the oat flour for added fibre and nutrients!

Try overnight oats: I know… this is basically like oatmeal… But hang on a second. Some people that I know enjoy overnight oats, but dislike oatmeal. I think it’s worth a try if oatmeal turns you off! Don’t forget that you can add chia seeds, hemp hearts or other nuts to your overnight oats and it changes the texture a little bit! By adding a little crunch, you’ll find that it’s less mushy. I like these hemp hearts from Manitoba Harvest. 

This particular recipe I whipped up was made with 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, a scoop of nut butter and chia seeds. I combined this mixture in a mason jar and kept it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I stirred the mixture and added banana and some hemp hearts. 

Do you like oatmeal? How do you eat oats? 

References:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/68158.php

http://www.eatmoreoats.com/health.html

 

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