We all love our yogurt and granola, and nothing says comfort food better than a steaming bowl of oatmeal before a long ski day. But when was the last time you tried soaking your oats?
Without using heat, soaking overnight slowly cooks the oats, while preserving much of the goodness. Adding an apple, yogurt, or a dash of apple cider or lemon juice ferments the oats which promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria in the digestive tract.
Whichever way you eat them, oats and oatmeal are among the most nutrient dense foods that you can eat.
Why are they so great?
Oats are rich in antioxidants and both soluble and non-soluble fibre that may help lower blood pressure levels, reduce blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, boost heart health, reduce constipation, and aid in weight loss.
1/2 cup of dry oats contains 151 calories, 25 grams of carbs, 6.5 grams of protein, 2.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fibre, and are packed with the following vitamins and minerals:
- Manganese: 63.91% of the daily value (DV)
- Phosphorus: 13.3% of the DV
- Magnesium: 13.3% of the DV
- Copper: 17.6% of the DV
- Iron: 9.4% of the DV
- Zinc: 13.4% of the DV
- Folate: 3.24% of the DV
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 15.5% of the DV
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 9.07% of the DV
- smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B3 (niacin)
There are so many recipes you can choose from to keep your oats interesting, however, be careful that you aren’t adding too much extra sugar, to what should be a very healthy breakfast choice.
Here is my personal favourite recipe. Feel free to adapt based on your taste buds. As you can see there are lots of different ways you can adjust the recipe. You can add almost any combination of fruits, nuts, and seeds, even peanut butter! Just remember to keep the ratio of milk to dry ingredients 1:1 at a minimum.
Apple Cinnamon Soaked Oats
Makes 2 servings
1 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 – 1/3 cup coarsely chopped raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, or a combination of a few of them (the more variety the better)
1 apple grated (skin on)
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon (I use more because I love cinnamon and its anti-inflammatory properties)
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional – can also use pumpkin spice)
dash of sea salt
1-2 tbsp raisins
1 1/2 – 2 cups milk or milk substitute of your choice (or half milk and half cold water)
Place everything in a bowl, together with the milk. Place in fridge overnight or for 10 – 24hrs.
Whole oats work the best but steel cut oats work as well, especially if you like a chewier recipe. Quick oats are not recommended.
If you have kids or a sweet tooth, you have to check out these super quick tasty recipes.
