Rich in healthy carbs and fibre, oats make a perfect breakfast for weight watchers. But how you serve oats can actually have a big impact on the benefits that they provide. Here we tell you some things you should keep in mind when you eat oats to promote weight loss.
Avoid sugary and instant oats Always prefer plain oats with no added flavours. Packaged and flavoured oats are usually loaded with sugar, which adds unwanted calories and decreases its nutritional value. A cup of flavoured oats has approximately 70 more calories than a cup of plain oats. So, if you switch to plain oats, then you are eating approximately 25,000 less calories in a year (if you eat oats every day). 25,000 less calories are enough to make you lose 2.5 kilos in a year without making any other changes!
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Add fibre-rich toppings The key nutrient for losing weight is fibre. According to a research by University of Massachusetts Medical School, fibre helps you lose weight by keeping you fuller for longer and thus, stopping you from bingeing. Still, if you like your oats sweet, then you can add raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries to them. Berries will help you satisfy your sweet tooth and the fibre content in it will make it healthy for you.
Do not add fatty toppings Adding honey and maple syrup offer only a little nutritional value and more calories. You can add a banana or a drop of stevia (natural calorie-free sweetener) to satisfy your sweet tooth. Avoid adding peanut butter (market bought) to your oats. 2 tbsp of peanut butter has 188 calories with little nutritional value. Swap milk with water to prepare oats in order to make them healthier for your weight-loss programme.
How to serve oats to lose weight One of the best parts about oats is that it is endlessly customisable. You can add different toppings and textures so that you are not bored with your daily breakfast. You can add almond milk, unsweetened banana puree and cinnamon for taste. You can add different spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cayenne pepper to enhance the taste.
To make them even better, you can add 1-2 egg whites while cooking the oats. The egg white does not add any flavour as such, but it adds the beneficial protein that one needs for losing weight. Along with fibre having protein is important and the key to shedding those extra kilos, says a study by Harvard School of Public Health. A meal rich in protein and fibre helps you burn more calories during digestion and also keeps you fuller for longer.
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