Playfulbee素食媽咪寶貝

🥦Breakfast Like A King - Oatmeal

What do you eat for breakfast? Growing up, I used to have a toast and a glass of milk. Most of the time, we had whole wheat or white toast, sometimes the three-coloured toast, whole grain toast was not so popular at the time. I had been eating like this for so many years until we moved to Canada. I've learned white flour is not as healthy as the nutrients are lost in processing. Even consuming dairy products can be associated with higher fracture risk (Note 1). Since then, we've started to eat oatmeal for breakfast based on the recommendation from several plant-based doctors.

Oh boy, once I've started the habit of having oatmeal for breakfast, I’ve grown to become addicted to it. 😳!!! My body is waken up and pumped after a warm bowl of oatmeal enters my stomach every morning. My body craves for it if I haven't eaten it for a day or two. When I am away on business trips, I would go to Starbucks to get a bowl of oatmeal or have the unsweetened instant oatmeal in the hotel. It has become my source of energy for the day!

After having kids, oatmeal plays an even more important role when we're introducing solid foods. Because its nutritional value is much higher than white rice, but soft enough to be enjoyed by infants. Little Duckling happily eats up a whole bowl of oatmeal every morning. Whenever there is oatmeal leftover, he likes to eat it as snack throughout the day.

☑️The health benefits of oatmeal are as follows:

1. Lower risk of cardiovascular disease and lower cholesterol

2. Provide a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals

3. Rich in fiber to help digestion

4. Antioxidant, promote blood flow

5. Improved insulin response and lower blood sugar

6. Weight control

I've summarized how we cook and a few simple ways to eat breakfast oatmeal. What we eat at home is the first healthy unsweetened flavor with sesame, flaxseed, mixed nuts and raisins. Other combinations are provided for your reference if you need some sweetness. Most folks eat it sweet. I prefer it unsweetened and it's healthier this way. 

➡️Link to YouTube video: https://youtu.be/BzFrVKMIZC4

➡️Preparing the Oatmeal

In a pot, in addition to quick oats, we would add in a few spoons of millet, quinoa, and chia seeds. We like to eat soft oatmeal so we use the ratio is 5:14 water. You can adjust bases on personal preference.

➡️Cooking Method

Oatmeal is super easy to cook, some people eat it directly in hot water, but we like it cooked.

1. Electric pot: put two bowls of water in the outer pot

2. Pressure cooker: set the pressure at low pressure and cook for 9 minutes

3. Gas stove: boil and stir for a few minutes

➡️4 Ways

After the oatmeal is cooked, you can add the following toppings to taste. They are in the below picture as well as my YouTube video:

1. Healthy Nuts (our family eats this every day):

Flaxseeds, sesame, raisins, cranberries and mixed nuts (almond, cashew, pecan, walnut and hazelnut...etc)

2. Maple Strawberry Blueberry:

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and 100% pure Canadian maple syrup

3. Banana Chocolate:

Bananas, crushed almond, chocolate chips and cinnamon powder

4. Cocoa Apple Kiwi:

Cocoa powder, apples and kiwi

Some people like peanut butter, you can also make a bowl with peanut butter, bananas and cranberries. At home, we have the healthy nuts oatmeal with a cup of soy milk everyday. Fruits are optional, you can eat them as snacks one hour before lunch or in the afternoon. 

註1/Note 1: 鈣與強壯的骨骼 Calcium and Strong Bones

https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/health-concerns-about-dairy/calcium-and-strong-bones