When an athlete consults with me on daily/sport nutrition, it's becoming more of a regular occurrence to receive a "thank you" (along with a huge sigh of relief) when I tell an athlete that they are allowed to eat carbohydrates. Recently, I had an athlete tell me how happy she was that I told her that she could eat oatmeal for breakfast. She told me that she really missed having a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning before work (and after a workout) because she recently cut it out of her diet because she heard that oatmeal was unhealthy.
Can you believe that......oatmeal is now considered unhealthy? Another case of nutrition quakery!
Oats - from steel-cut to quick and rolled - are a form of complex carbohydrates. Which means they are far superior to their store-shelf counterparts...lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch.
Can you believe that......oatmeal is now considered unhealthy? Another case of nutrition quakery!
Oats - from steel-cut to quick and rolled - are a form of complex carbohydrates. Which means they are far superior to their store-shelf counterparts...lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch.
Oats are rich in B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, iron, calcium and protein. Oats are low in salt, sugar and fat. Rich in both soluble and insolube fiber, oats are a powerfully nutritious food!
The beautiful thing about oats (specifically when cooked) is that they make a wonderful blank canvas when it comes to ingredient dress-up. From fruits and veggies (yes veggies - like shredded carrots) to colorful fruits, nuts and seeds, oatmeal is an extremely satiating and delicious food that packs a lot of yum per bite. Oats also pair well with protein - like eggs or yogurt.
Although the United States is renowned for giving engineered cereals their own aisle in the grocery store and targeting these cereals "breakfast" foods, countries like Iceland, Switzerland, Scotland, Sweden and Russia (to name a few) often start their day with a bowl of oats/muesli/porridge - and have a much smaller selection of processed cereals.
I'm not dismissing processed food as you deserve to indulge in your favorite childhood cereal every now and then.......oh so many memories of me devoring a full box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch while watching Saved By The Bell after an exhausting 5am morning swim practice before high school.
But, if you've recently sworn off this comfort food because you were told it was unhealthy, I give you permission to add oats back into your diet.
You are welcome.
The beautiful thing about oats (specifically when cooked) is that they make a wonderful blank canvas when it comes to ingredient dress-up. From fruits and veggies (yes veggies - like shredded carrots) to colorful fruits, nuts and seeds, oatmeal is an extremely satiating and delicious food that packs a lot of yum per bite. Oats also pair well with protein - like eggs or yogurt.
Although the United States is renowned for giving engineered cereals their own aisle in the grocery store and targeting these cereals "breakfast" foods, countries like Iceland, Switzerland, Scotland, Sweden and Russia (to name a few) often start their day with a bowl of oats/muesli/porridge - and have a much smaller selection of processed cereals.
I'm not dismissing processed food as you deserve to indulge in your favorite childhood cereal every now and then.......oh so many memories of me devoring a full box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch while watching Saved By The Bell after an exhausting 5am morning swim practice before high school.
But, if you've recently sworn off this comfort food because you were told it was unhealthy, I give you permission to add oats back into your diet.
You are welcome.
Now that you are "allowed" to eat carbs again, here are a few recipes/tips to enjoy:
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pecan Maple Oatmeal
- The Scoop on Oatmeal (an article I wrote for USA Triathlon in 2011)
- The Best pre-run foods (an article I contributed to in Outside Magazine in 2016)
- The best breakfast foods for runners (an article I contribute to in Runner's World in 2017)
- What should my nutrition plan be for a sprint triathlon? (an article I wrote for Triathlete magazine in 2018)