I just finished a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries. I was inspired by an article today in The Cape Cod Times. Even though I know all the benefits of eating a good breakfast, ( I've blogged about it here) and I never skip my morning meal, I can see that I can do better. In fact, I want to do BEST! See what I mean below from the article:
BEST: A bowl of slow cooking oatmeal topped with fresh berries and a hard boiled egg.
This meal is a nutritional powerhouse and easy to pull off if you make the oatmeal and the eggs the night before. Fiber and protein help slow down the digestive process, making you feel full longer and keeping your blood sugar steady. To make this meal even better, add good fats by spreading peanut butter or avocado on whole grain toast or an English muffin.
As surprising as it may be, the warm comfort breakfast food you ate as a kid is actually a powerful fat burning food source-oatmeal! Packed full of oats, soluble fiber, and protein, oatmeal boosts weight loss and fat burning processes as it keeps consumers feeling fuller longer.
The Fat Burning Powers of Oatmeal
Oatmeal's most powerful fat burning agent is its incredible fiber source. The fiber in oatmeal is soluble, which means that your body slowly moves this food product through your digestive tract, making you feel fuller and more satisfied for longer periods of time. Oatmeal, as well as most other unprocessed whole grains, is an outstanding source of fiber which boosts weight loss results; yet the other key benefit to oatmeal is its ability to stabilize blood sugar levels and boost the body's metabolic fat burning engines.
- Oatmeal and Fiber
As consumers of oatmeal feel more satisfied with the intake of fiber, dieters will feel less tempted to overeat or indulge in snacks or unhealthy temptations. When your hunger pangs are naturally suppressed, you are more capable of limiting the caloric and food intake; as a result, the body begins to feed on stored fat cells in order to generate energy. Simply by consuming oatmeal, the body should naturally go into a fat burning mode, resulting in the utilization of fatty cells for energy, support, and body functioning.
- Oatmeal and Blood Sugar Levels
As oatmeal boosts the body's intake of fiber, it simultaneously serves as a fat fighting agent because it stabilizes the body's blood sugar levels. Essentially, anytime you consume a food, your body converts the food into glucose, or sugar. This intake of food and rise in glucose levels leads to an immediate energy rush, followed by an inevitable energy crash, as eventually you feel lethargic, tired, and may even experience headaches after eating high-sugar or highly-processed foods. Unlike most foods, however, oatmeal has the opposite glucose-rising effect on the body. As oatmeal's fiber content allows the body to digest this food more slowly, the body does not react to this intake of food by immediately producing glucose and energy; on the contrary, oatmeal keeps the blood sugar levels more stable, as a steady amount of glucose is released at a steady and safe rate. As a result, you'll feel less tired after consuming this fat burning food, and you'll also be less likely to encounter an energy crash later in the day. The greatest fat burning benefit of this helpful side-effect is that the body's natural response to tiredness or fatigue is to crave or eat a sugary food or treat, as this will provide the body with quick and short-term energy. Because the body is less likely to feel fatigued when consuming oatmeal, dieters are ultimately less likely to crave sweeter foods and unhealthy snack options; therefore, dieters can again avoid temptations with minimal physical cravings or distractions, allowing the body to continue to burn up fat stores for energy supplies.
Choosing the Best Fat Burning Oatmeal Products
While dieters will benefit from traditional or instant oatmeal, individuals can also try out new and scientifically engineered oatmeal products in order to experience enhanced fat burning benefits. For example, companies today, such as Quaker Oats and Kashi, sell oatmeal varieties that are higher in protein. When paired with the natural benefit of fiber, this added protein boost will help consumers feel even more satisfied and satiated, again reinforcing the body's ability to limit caloric intake while burning stored body fat.
When perusing the oatmeal aisle at the grocery store, however, avoid the sugar-laden sweeter varieties, as an excess in sugar will essentially eliminate all of the fat burning potentials that oatmeal has to offer. If you can't eat your oatmeal plain, add some nuts, a small amount of honey (as this is a natural and unprocessed sugar), or a handful of blueberries into your bowl. This will add a bit of natural flavor without stealing all of your fat burning benefits! Also, as you are experiencing enhanced fat burning benefits, keep in mind that a steady intake of oatmeal as part of a regular diet also lowers harmful cholesterol levels, and lowers risks of certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Eat up, lose weight, and enjoy all of the wellness perks of oatmeal.
So, I'm off to the health food store today to get a big bag of gluten free oatmeal. I'll cook up a big batch to keep in the fridge so I just have to microwave it in the morning.
Tip of the Day
So, I found a recipe using black beans AND apples:The Definitive Flat Tummy Rules
You have to include fiber in your diet
If you want to lose weight and trim inches off your waist, fiber is HUGE. And the reason it's huge is because it fills your stomach with much fewer calories. It also keeps you feeling full much longer. To sum it up, fiber enables you to not only eat less now, but also later in the day.
But you need plenty of fiber to accomplish this. The FDA advises 25 grams of fiber a day. But, that's not nearly enough if you want to flatten your gut now and keep it that way. You should shoot for a minimum of 20 grams of fiber per day. And it's not difficult to do. I'll show you how easy it is.
Go to Wal Mart and pick up a can of black beans and three apples. Eat that every single day. How hard it is that?
Black beans should only be used a side dish. They should not be the main course of your meal. With that said, you can fit black beans in just about kind of meal.
You can probably figure out how to eat 3 apples a day. Just substitute an apple for that king-size bag of chips you devour 20 minutes before going to bed.
Walk Up and Down Stairs
If you have stairs in your home or the building you live in, tie on some shoes and get stepping.
All you need to do is walk up and down them for 10 minutes a day, 5 days per week. Better yet, do it every single day.
Don't tell me you can't do that!
That may not seem like much, but you'll notice immediate and long-term benefits. If you commit to this for just two weeks, you'll see what I mean.
See, how easy it all can be?
All you have to do is follow these 2 easy flat tummy rules and your stomach will be something you'll be showing off sooner than you think.
From the American Institute for Cancer Research
Combining apples and black beans in a tangy salsa provides special health benefits as well as great taste. Both apples and black beans are rich in phytochemicals, the natural substances that have been linked to cancer protection.
lemon juice for dipping apple slices
2-3 red Delicious apples, peeled, enough to make 2 cups diced fruit
3 Tbsp. lime juice, preferably freshly squeezed
3 Tbsp. orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. diced green chili pepper (canned version)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro leaves
salt and pepper, preferably white
Place lemon juice in wide shallow bowl. Peel and slice apples, then dip slices into juice to prevent browning. Dice slices to makes 2 cups.
In a mixing bowl, place apples, beans, chili pepper, cilantro, lime juice and orange juice. Mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours before serving. (Salsa can be prepared up to one day ahead.) Before serving, drain off excess liquid.
Serve with chicken or fish.
Makes 8 servings, each containing 28 calories and 0 grams of fat.
No comments:
Post a Comment