Oats have a high fat content for cereals - up to 9%. However, those who want to lose weight are often advised to have breakfast with dishes made from this cereal. Special "oatmeal" diets have also been developed. Is it paradoxical? Not at all.
How oatmeal can help with weight loss
Oats contain an optimal combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and starch for humans. When consumed, porridge from this grain does not immediately saturate a person, but it gives energy for a long time. After such a breakfast, it is quite possible to do without a snack before lunch.
Oatmeal contains amino acids necessary for a person, many vitamins and microelements. Among the latter are iron, as well as "deficient" zinc and iodine. And the fat of this cereal is perfectly absorbed by the human digestive system.
Oatmeal not only "right" saturates, but helps the body to work better:
- thanks to B vitamins, it is able to cheer up;
- helps to cleanse the body of toxins, heavy metal salts;
- normalizes metabolism;
- helps to eliminate cholesterol;
- improves bowel function.
All this has a beneficial effect on the beauty of both the figure and the face.
What cereal to choose for food
It is impossible to convey all the richness of proteins, vitamins and microelements of oat grain to the human stomach. Some of them will certainly collapse during cooking. In addition, the cleaning, steaming and flattening of oat during cereal production negatively affects nutritional value.
If you want to get the most out of your porridge, eat whole oatmeal. Disadvantage: it takes a whole hour to cook. Quite a long time you will have to mess around with crushed cereals.
Saving time makes us choose flakes. Actually, that's not bad either. The main thing is to choose the ones you need.
Since Soviet times, oatmeal has been divided into categories according to the fineness of grinding:
- Coarse, coarsely ground, known as "Hercules". The cooking time is 15-20 minutes, and in the recipes they usually suggest pouring the cereals directly into cold water (milk). But the composition of the flakes is closest to the whole grain.
- Petal flakes. They are boiled for about 10 minutes.
- Extra. The thinnest flakes that need to be boiled for no more than five minutes. In turn, they are divided by size into large ones - this is №1, medium - №2 and small - №3.
"Hercules" is best suited for dietary nutrition. Of course, thinner flakes also retain many of the valuable properties of oats. But the body absorbs their carbohydrates faster, which is why the feeling of hunger returns pretty soon. And in trying to lose weight, this is a problem.
It is strictly necessary to avoid "instant" cereals. These cereals have gone through too many stages of processing, and there is not much left of the genuine oatmeal in them. Not only that: manufacturers often add sugar, flavorings and fruit substitutes to cereals. It turns out a low-value mass, saturated with carbohydrates.
Whole Grain Oatmeal
The healthiest oatmeal. Recipe for two to three servings.
Required products:
- oatmeal - 1 faceted glass (250 ml) without "slide"
- drinking water - 0.5 l
- salt to taste.
We cook as follows:
- Sort out the grain and rinse it in a sieve under running cold water.
- Pour the cereal into the bottom of the pot. For cooking, it is better to choose dishes with a thick bottom - this way the porridge will not burn. To fill with water.
- Put on medium heat. Do not cover the pot until the water boils. Stir the porridge periodically.
- After boiling porridge, salt it. Reduce heat supply to a minimum. Cover the pot with a lid.
- Cook for an hour, skimming off the foam from time to time. During this time, the cereal will swell and absorb all the water. Towards the end of cooking, make sure that the porridge does not start to burn! In this case, turn off a little early.
- Let the porridge stand under the lid for about ten minutes.
Usually, the porridge is flavored with butter before serving. For the dietary option, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable: sunflower or olive.
You can also diversify the taste with a spoonful of honey, pieces of fresh or dried fruit. But note that very sweet fruits (like bananas) will increase your calories.
And one more piece of advice. It is advisable to soak whole oatmeal groats for several hours or even overnight before cooking. For this, the washed grain is poured with drinking water in the evening. In the morning, boil is boiled, slightly reducing the volume of cooking liquid.
Thanks to soaking, the porridge will be ready one and a half to two times faster. In addition, it is better absorbed in the stomach, since when oat is kept in water, the complex protein gluten is partially destroyed.
Cereal porridge on the water
The simplest, "classic" recipe for oatmeal porridge in water. Enough to feed two or three people.
Products:
- oat flakes - 1 glass
- water - 1, 5-2 glasses
- salt to taste
Cooking is extremely easy:
- Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil.
- Gently add the flakes while stirring the contents of the saucepan.
- Salt.
- Bring to boil again and reduce gas.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, removing the froth as needed.
- Remove the dishes from the heat, cover with a lid. Let the porridge stand for five minutes.
You can season such porridge in the same ways as in the previous recipe.
Oatmeal with dried fruits
Based on the two recipes given, you can make porridge with various useful additives. For example, with raisins, dried pears and peaches, dried apricots or prunes. A couple of handfuls will suffice.
- Rinse dried fruits thoroughly, add hot water and leave under the lid for about half an hour.
- Drain and dry on a napkin.
- Cut large dried fruits into pieces (size - whatever you like), leave the raisins as they are.
- Add to the finished porridge.
Raisins, dried peaches and pears will make the oatmeal taste sweeter. But dried apricots and prunes give a slight sourness, so you should put a spoonful of honey in the porridge with them.
Oatmeal without cooking
An interesting "quick" recipe. Not to be confused with cereals - "minutes" from the store packs! The dosage is based on one eater.
Ingredients:
- traditional oat flakes - 5 tbsp. spoons
- cinnamon - 0.5 tbsp. spoons
- flax seeds - 1 tbsp. the spoon
- low-fat yogurt - 3 tbsp. spoons
- honey - 2 tbsp. spoons
- berries (any) - one or two handfuls.
You will also need fresh boiling water.
Cooking method step by step:
- Take a plate from which you are going to eat porridge later. Lightly pour boiling water from a kettle over the dishes to warm them up.
- Add the flax and cinnamon oatmeal.
- Pour boiling water over to completely cover the contents of the plate. Stir lightly.
- Close with a lid and a towel on top. Leave it on for five to seven minutes.
- Uncover the porridge. Add honey and yogurt, stir. Sprinkle berries on top. The porridge is ready!
The oatmeal in this dish can feel harsh. Therefore, it is not recommended for young children. But, judging by the reviews, this porridge is just perfect for a diet breakfast.
"Lazy" oatmeal
Oatmeal porridge can be prepared without boiling and in another way - steamed in the evening. At the same time, fruits, nuts, berries are usually added. Here, for example, is the variant with apples.
Ingredients:
- flakes - 1 "thin" glass (200 ml)
- water - 1 same glass
- apples - 2 large or 3 medium pieces.
- honey - 1 tsp
- cinnamon - 1 tsp
As a dish, you need a container with a volume of half a liter, which can be tightly closed with a lid. For example, a glass jar or food container.
How to cook:
- Boil the water.
- Pour cereals into the dishes, put cinnamon and honey.
- Fill with water, mix. Cover with a lid.
- Wash the apples, peel and core. Cut into small cubes. Add to porridge, mix again.
- Place the lid on the pan tightly.
- After the porridge has cooled, place it in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, a delicious dietary breakfast is ready.
You can cook oatmeal with other fruits in a similar way. For example, porridge with peeled orange slices turns out to be very tasty (and beautiful). Fruit is well complemented with nuts.
If your diet is not too strict, then you can use boiled or cold milk for steaming. An interesting option is to pour the flakes with cold low-fat kefir or yogurt. Such porridge is sweetened with a spoonful of jam or jam.
Oatmeal and kiwi smoothie
Eating oatmeal is useful not only in the form of cereals. For example, a cereal and fruit smoothie can be a wonderful breakfast. Below is a recipe for two people.
Products:
- oatmeal - 1 tbsp. the spoon
- kiwi - 4 pcs.
- banana - 1 pc.
- honey - 1 tbsp. the spoon
- freshly squeezed orange juice - 0.5 cups.
You will also need a glass of ice.
We do this:
- Grind the ice in a blender to a state of medium-sized fragments. Place two glasses on the bottom.
- Remove the skin from the kiwi, cut each fruit in half.
- Put kiwi, banana, cereal, honey in a blender bowl, pour over juice. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into glasses and mix.
You can serve!
Cherry smoothie
If your diet allows you to include low-fat milk, then try a fluffy smoothie based on this product. The taste of milk and oatmeal will be wonderfully complemented by cherries.
Ingredients:
- pitted cherries - 1 glass
- oatmeal - 2 tbsp. spoons
- milk - 0.5 cups
- honey - 1 tsp
- low-fat yogurt or kefir - 5 tbsp. spoons
- cinnamon - 2 pinches
How to cook:
- Boil the milk and pour over the flakes. Leave covered for 10 minutes.
- Rinse the cherries, dry them, remove the seeds. Set aside a few berries to garnish the finished dish.
- Whisk the cherries, porridge, yogurt and honey in a blender.
- Divide the mixture into glasses, adding a little cinnamon to each.
- When cool, garnish with berries on top and serve.
There are many options for oatmeal smoothies. Having mastered a couple of recipes, feel free to start inventing your own. Try adding other fruits, nuts, juices. And if you combine a diet with active training, then the protein-rich "oatmeal" smoothie with cottage cheese is perfect for you.
Oatmeal jelly
For dietary and medicinal purposes, oat jelly is very good. Here's one easy way to make it at home.
There are only two ingredients: oatmeal (200 g) and drinking water (1 l).
Cook like this:
- Pour the flakes with water.
- Put on medium heat and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Strain the broth through a sieve or colander. While doing this, use a spoon to press down on the oatmeal to squeeze out the liquid.
- Wipe the boiled flakes through a sieve and mix with the broth.
- Put on fire again and bring to a boil.
Kissel can be lightly sprinkled with salt or sweetened with honey.
Traditional oat jelly
In Russia, oatmeal jelly was prepared using fermentation. This made it possible to obtain a unique drink that is extremely beneficial to health.
Previously, only whole grains were used as the main ingredient, but today the recipe is also adapted for cereals. Groats and water are taken in the same proportion by volume. For the first preparation, you still need a stale crust of black bread, which serves as a leaven.
Kissel is made like this:
- Cover oats (or flakes) with water.
- Add sourdough (bread).
- Leave in a dark, warm place for 24 hours.
- Drain the liquid portion into a separate bowl and boil. This is our jelly.
- Put some of the thick residue in a glass, cover and put in the refrigerator. This is the starter for the next jelly preparation.
They drink oatmeal jelly warm. The best time to drink is in the morning, as the drink has an invigorating effect.
