Sunday 13 July 2014

Oatmeal health benefits

The food hourglass diet advocates against fast absorbed sugars which includes most cereals. The carbohydrate in breakfast cereals and bread is quickly turned into sugar and absorbed through the intestine walls. This as we have read cause spikes in blood sugar and consequent lows which are not good for us and encourage us to eat the wrong things. 

Oatmeal however is a good cereal. This is because oatmeal contains a large amount of fibre which slows down sugar absorption. A study showed that when diabetes patients ate oatmeal porridge they needed to inject 40% less insulin. This is a dramatic result from such a small lifestyle change. 

Oatmeal also has a positive affect on the metabolism. It has been shown to slow down hardening of the arteries and lowers blood pressure. It is a great substitute for toast in the morning.

I have experimented with oatmeal porridge to make it more interesting and tasty. The plain oatmeal is actually rather sweet without any additions, particularly when the porridge is made with hazelnut milk which is naturally sweet too. 

A basic recipe for oatmeal porridge

42 grams oatmeal
430 millilitres soya, or other non dairy milk.
Pinch salt

Put the oatmeal, salt and milk into a pan and bring to simmering point, stirring all the time. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or until the porridge is thickened and the grains are soft. This makes 2 good sized portions. I often make twice the recipe and keep the porridge in the fridge.

You could try adding
Two teaspoons cocoa powder ( high cocoa solids) or a handful of defrosted frozen blueberries.( These are soft and will mix into the porridge giving  a sweet and fruity flavour). If you use fresh blueberries add them a couple of minutes before the end of cooking. Raspberries are also good.

Oatmeal porridge can be eaten any time of day for a treat or a desert with fruit and soya yoghurt. If it is eaten as a snack it won't lead to sugar cravings and will help fill the gap until meal time.

No comments:

Post a Comment