#oatmealalternative #oatmeal #comfortfood #fiber #bloodsugar #worstfoodsforbloodsugar #bloodsugarbalancing #insulinresistance #bloodsugarfriendlyrecipes
Most people think of oatmeal as one of the best foods to start your day. After all, we’ve been told for years how oatmeal has a lot of healthy fiber and helps reduce cholesterol. Plus it’s very convenient, cheap and tastes good! I used to have oatmeal for breakfast when
I grew up and it’s a real comfort food for me…
When I did my experiment with the continuous glucose monitor, I found out that just a splash of oatmilk in my coffee after lunch was spiking my blood sugar. But this is also what I see in clients and what new data collected from continuous glucose monitors confirm: oatmeal is one of the worst foods for blood sugar. According to CGM data, it spikes blood sugar levels an average of 34 mg/dL. Just as a reference for you to know: your blood sugar should ideally not increase more than 10 mg/dL post meal, but up to 25mg/dl is considered “normal”.
Does that mean that oats are bad for you?
It really depends on what kind of oats you are eating: typical oatmeal is made from rolled or instant oats, which are actually a pretty transformed product. To speed up cooking time, they have the outer husk removed and are flattened, pre-cooked, and toasted dry. Instant oats are also milled to a smaller size, so they take even less time to prepare. This is very convenient but it also means that your body breaks them down very quickly, which means the carbohydrates in the oats are quickly converted to glucose in your blood. And that leads to a blood sugar spike.
Even worse are prepared mixes that have dried fruit or added sugars and that you can just prepare with hot water like the Quaker Quick Oats or Instant Oatmeal.
How to make a blood sugar friendly oatmeal?
Opt for steel-cut oats or oat groats they have much more fiber and take longer to digest
Reduce the amount of oats (and use more of the nuts, seeds and protein powder to make it a better meal)
Top your oats with foods rich in protein, fat, and fiber, like nuts and seeds or their butters or coconut milk
Add more protein with protein powders (pumpkin, pea and hemp are pretty nice)
Instead of sugar, maple syrup, honey or high sugar fruit use spices like vanilla and cinnamon and if really needed, add some low-glycemic fruit, such as sour apples, pears, or organic berries.
When you combine reasonable portion sizes of carbohydrates with protein, fat, and fiber, it will have less impact on blood sugar. This is because protein, fat & fiber help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and therefore also the release of glucose in your bloodstream.
This healthier oatmeal can still spike blood sugar levels though for many. So if you want to be totally blood sugar safe, make a grain-free porridge!
Since we’re approaching the warmer days now, use the same ingredients to make an overnight pudding and eat it cold in the morning with your favorite toppings.
When you warm this mixture on the stovetop, it transforms into a substantial breakfast cereal that’s low in carbs and high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber - the ideal blood sugar friendly comfort food;
1 cup (500ml) cashew or other organic nut milk (that doesn’t have artificial vitamins and sunflower oil added) or just use ¼ cup full fat coconut milk and ¾ cup water
2 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds
1 heaped tbsp psyllium husk
2 tbsp hempseeds
2 tbsp unsweetened protein powder like pumpkin, pea or hemp
Toppings: sunflower seeds, walnuts, berries, cinnamon
Heat milk in a casserole over low-medium heat. Add seeds & psyllium husk, and stir until the mixture thickens. Once it’s creamy, stir in protein powder. Serve warm in a bowl with toppings as desired.