Oats 101: Why health experts love them for breakfast

Ask any nutritionist to recommend their top healthy breakfast options, and you can bet they’ll tell you to eat oats.

Not only are oats cheap and quick to prepare, which removes barriers for budget-conscious and time poor people, they’re also a nutritional powerhouse packed with important micronutrients, and will keep you full for hours after breakfast.

“Oats are filled with heart healthy beta glucan, soluble dietary fibre for digestive health, resistant starch for gut health, and have a slow release of energy due to the low glycemic index of the carbohydrates,” Kara Landau, gut health expert, dietitian and founder of Travelling Dietitian told Coach.

“Oats also have no artificial additives or preservatives.”

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What type of oats should I eat?

Not all oats are created equal. Instant varieties, while handy if you’ve only got a few minutes to make and scoff down breakfast, aren’t as good as other options.

“Instant oats have often had their bran layer removed, and are put through a partial steaming or cooking process to enable them to be cooked more rapidly by the consumer, leading to a depletion of nutritional content,” Landau explains.

“They often have more added sugar. maybe in the form of honey or added fruit, and a higher glycemic index that can lead to bigger blood sugar spikes.”

If you can, go for rolled or steel cut oats instead.

“Steel cut oats are simply hulled oats that have been cut into smaller pieces with a steel blade, while rolled oats have been hulled, steamed and flattened,” Landau explains.

“Steel cut oats are the least processed, and retain the maximum nutrition available from the original oats.”

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How much should I eat?

Accidentally consuming oversized portions is a common reason for putting on unwanted weight, or not being able to lose weight despite smashing it at the gym.

It’s easy to overdo it on oats when you pour them into your bowl without measuring first, so be sure to use a measuring cup.

As for how much you should eat per serve, it depends on your size and activity levels, but a quarter to half a cup of dry oats is about the right amount.

What should I eat them with?

Yet another reason nutritionists are on Team Oats is because of how versatile they are – there’s a virtually endless number of topping combinations to enjoy them with.

“Ideally, you should add ingredients that boost the protein, healthy fats, prebiotic dietary fibres, probiotics and antioxidant content of the meal,” Landau says.

It’s a good opportunity to get one of the two recommended daily serves of fruit in – a handful of blueberries is a great choice, or half a banana, apple or pear.

If you don’t have fresh fruit available, sprinkling some cacao powder in your bowl is a quick way to boost the antioxidant content of your oats.

Natural yoghurt will give you a serve of protein, calcium and good bacteria. Go for a heaped tablespoon of yoghurt with no added sugars – Greek is a good choice.

If you don’t or can’t eat yoghurt, add some plant based protein powder instead.

Landau also recommends sprinkling some seeds and nuts on your oats.

“Chia seeds, hemp seeds, and sacha inchi seeds are all rich in plant based omega 3’s healthy fats, protein and fibre.

“I’d also recommend adding some tigernuts for prebiotic fibre benefits.”

Any nuts you’ve got in the cupboard are worth adding though, such as shaved almonds, walnuts or unsalted cashews.

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