YumSugar

Warm Up With a Healthier Bowl of Oatmeal

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:13:41 PST

In celebration of National Oatmeal Month (I know, I had no idea January was devoted to this whole grain either!), here are some tips on how to whip up a healthy bowl of this whole grain.

To increase the fiber and protein: Choose rolled oats over quick oats. They'll take slightly longer to cook, but a half-cup serving offers five grams of fiber and seven grams of protein - the quick oats only offer four grams of fiber and five grams of protein.

To increase the protein: After your oats have cooked, stir in a tablespoon of almond butter, peanut butter, or half a cup of plain Greek yogurt.

To increase the fiber: Cut up some dried apricots, throw in some fresh or frozen berries, or toss in some diced fresh pear or mango. Chia seeds are also bursting with fiber - one tablespoon has over five grams.

To get your fill of omega-3s: Sprinkle on one tablespoon of ground flaxseed. It offers 1.6 grams of omega-3s (1.1 is the recommended amount per day).

To decrease the amount of sugar: Instead of adding maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey to your bowl, sweeten your breakfast with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, or pureed strawberries.

Source: Flickr User norwichnuts

3 Ways to Make Oatmeal More Exciting

Susannah Chen — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:29:23 PST

Oatmeal is one way to incorporate healthy eating into your diet, but sometimes plain oatmeal can be bland. Here, we show you three ways to make your meal a bit more exciting by introducing sweet, savory, and healthy ingredients. Watch our video to find out how to make an Asian-inspired oatmeal for the adventurous eater, a chocolate and dried cherry mix for those with a sweet tooth, and a heart-healthy version with blueberries and walnuts.

A Reader Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal With Cranberry and Pecan

Fit Community — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:45:07 PDT

Check out this recipe for pumpkin oatmeal with pecans and cranberries from FitSugar reader For The Love Of Fiber. She shared it in the Healthy Recipe community group.

This oatmeal is a powerful and nutritious breakfast for any Fall morning. Combining all of the flavors of the season with heart-healthy and glycemic index-friendly steel cut oats and metabolism-boosting cinnamon, this meal will keep you going well until lunch. Use organic ingredients when possible.

See the recipe after the break!

A Reader Recipe: Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

Fit Community — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:27:47 PDT

It's easy to see why breakfast is the most important meal of the day when you eye these delicious-looking blueberry oatmeal pancakes, which FitSugar reader HealthyDiva posted in our Healthy Recipe group.

Love oats? Love pancakes?
Have both!

Check out the recipe after the break.

Burger King's Now On Board the Oatmeal Train

Susannah Chen — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:41:08 PDT

We were just pondering the next big health food trend - and perhaps one to consider is oatmeal, bearing in mind the pivotal role it's taken on as the star of morning menus at Starbucks, Jamba Juice, McDonald's, and other fast food chains.

Oatmeal's looking like the big cash cow in fast food's breakfast wars. The latest big chain on the oatmeal breakfast train? Burger King, which debuted its whole grain breakfast offering Monday. BK's customers can choose from either the chain's original or fruit-topped maple oatmeal for $1.99 - the exact same price as the pictured oats from McDonald's.

It remains to be seen whether wholesome offerings like oatmeal will help Burger King improve its flagging sales. What do you think?

A Reader Recipe: Zucchini Oatmeal With Blackberry Syrup

Fit Community — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:19:52 PDT

Vegetables can be just what your breakfast needs. Just ask FitSugar reader Sprint2theTable, who shared this recipe for zucchini oatmeal in our Healthy Recipe group.

I like zucchini bread for breakfast. Zucchinis are in season and especially delicious from the local farmer's market. These factors lead me down a path to an obvious breakfast conclusion . . . zucchini oatmeal.

Read on for the full recipe!

Quick Tips: 5 Belly-Shrinking, De-Bloating Foods

Self — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:00:15 PST

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

We're not going to lie: transforming your body from head to toe isn't always the fastest process, because it takes time to burn fat and build muscle. However, there is an exception: With the right diet and workout, you can see a difference in your belly (and maybe even reveal an ab or two!) in just a couple of days. The secret? Beat bloat.

Generally, the best way to avoid bloat is to stay away from soda, alcohol and greasy, salty, fatty meals, which slow the stomach and the intestines from emptying, according to Timothy S. Harlan (a.k.a. Dr. Gourmet), M.D., medical director of Tulane University's School of Medicine.

Here are 5 of our favorite bloat-busting foods, and a few moves to add to your belly-shrinking workout routine.

Papaya: There's some research that says the enzyme in papaya may aid digestion. Try mixing diced papaya into plain organic yogurt for breakfast.
Oatmeal: According to Harlan, in a recent meta-analysis of a number of studies related to digestion, researchers found that oat bran can be particularly beneficial. Harlan recommends having oatmeal for breakfast. Warning: Avoid McDonald's new oatmeal, which has more sugar than a Snickers bar, according to this recent New York Times article. Yikes!

More foods to decrease the bloat, so keep reading.

A Reader Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Fit Community — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 04:00:49 PST

FitSugar reader prepel shared this recipe for an apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe in the Healthy Recipe Community group.

Apple cinnamon oatmeal made from scratch. Total time - 10 minutes!

Get this fast and easy breakfast recipe by just reading more.

Yummy Links: From Packaged Chicken to Alcohol

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:39:18 PST

Packaged chicken is more likely to give you salmonella than fresh chicken. - The Telegraph
An inside look at America's team at the Bocuse d'Or. - Eater
The newest Iron Chef, Marc Forgione, has lost his first battle in kitchen stadium. - The Feast NY
New coffee words you should learn in 2011. - Esquire
Natives of Vermont will get real maple syrup in their McDonald's oatmeal. - The Consumerist
Speaking of McDonald's, as its profit increases, so will its prices. - The New York Times
DiGiorno has released new packaging that combines pizza with cookies and wings. - Huffington Post Food
Thomas Keller is planning a pop-up restaurant to open at London's Harrods. - Big Hospitality
Grant Achatz's memoir is now on sale for preorder. - Grant Achatz Memoir
Good news: alcohol doesn't actually kill brain cells! - The Atlantic

Do You Order From the Healthy Menu at Fast Food Joints?

Michele Foley — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:00:31 PST

As a rule, I try to stay away from fast food restaurants. Menu choices tend to be processed and high in fat, sugar, and sodium. As much as I'd love for fast food to go away, it's easy, convenient, and inexpensive - it's also addictive. As obesity rates continue to grow, and movies like Super Size Me expose the dark side of America's diet choices, fast food restaurants are giving themselves a makeover by offering healthy menu options like like salads, grilled chicken, and yogurt. While it's a nice first move, the food is often laden with sugar and salt and overly processed. And as a friend of mine can attest to, even when she goes to McDonald's with the intention to eat healthy, she always walks out with a large fry.

Keeping in line with the healthy makeover, McDonald's has a new Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. The dish is made with whole-grain oats, light cream, brown sugar, red and green apples, dried cranberries, and two types of raisins. Each bowl is made to order, which means you have some control in its nutritional content. But YumSugar points out that it's made with things like modified corn starch, doesn't contain real maple syrup, and the apples are tasteless. And while the oatmeal is a much better breakfast option than the McGriddle, I'd rather make my own healthy oatmeal at home - how about you?