Lose Weight With Oat Milk
Oats are very popular and a complete cereal often consumed during weight-loss regimes. Oats are originally from Asia Minor and the most widely used variety is Avena Sativa. In this article, we’ll tell you how you can incorporate oat milk as part of your weight-loss strategy.
Oat milk: the properties of oats
Oats are actually a type of grass and as with other edible cereals, they’re a complex carbohydrate and a source of fiber and energy.
Per 100 grams, oats provide 135 calories, 12 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, and 7.1 grams of fat. They also provide significant amounts of calcium, iron, and thiamine.
Their high fiber and plant protein content make you feel full after eating them and in turn, helps to reduce the amount you eat. In fact, oats provide more protein than any other cereal.
They also provide a lot of “slow” carbohydrates, meaning that they are slow to be absorbed. The 7.1 grams of fat include polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 and omega-6.
But, before you start thinking it’s a miracle food, it’s not all good news. Oats contain gluten, and although they contain less than wheat, they’re still not appropriate for celiacs or people who are gluten intolerant.
The benefits of oats
Oats are a great addition to any weight loss program because of their high nutritional value and the fact that they make you feel full. Studies have also shown that they can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve the control of metabolic conditions such as diabetes.
For people who suffer from diabetes, consuming oats helps to control blood glucose levels because of their low glycemic index.
Thie low glycemic index also makes it a great choice for athletes who are searching for a source of long-term energy. They’re also very common in vegetarian or vegan diets as a viable protein source compared to other cereals.
Applications
The good thing about this versatile food is that you can use it in all sorts of recipes. You can include it at breakfast with milk or even make some healthy homemade cookies.
If you want to include it in your lunch or as a snack, it can be the base for an energy bar, which is ideal for a pre-workout or a day trekking in the mountains.
To make energy bars, simply mix some pre-soaked dates with some oak flakes in proportions to suit your taste. Put them in a container to shape, allow to cool, and cut into portions.
You can also use oats as a substitute for breadcrumbs or even for making vegan burgers. In fact, you can use oat flour to make bread or even pancakes. Try then with a banana!
How to make oat milk at home
Ingredients
- A cup of oat flakes.
- Two liters of water.
- One or two teaspoons of vanilla extract.
- Sugar, sweetener, or honey to taste.
- Cinnamon sticks to taste.
- Alternatively, you could use evaporated milk. One cup will be enough.
Process
- Mix the oats with the cinnamon stick.
- Pour water over the oats and leave it to rest for 20 minutes until it acquires a fluffy texture.
- Put the mixture in a blender with the rest of the ingredients (vanilla extract and milk if desired) and blend until you achieve a homogeneous mixture.
- Strain the mixture and add a sweetener if desired.
Oat milk: conclusion
Oat milk isn’t a slimming method on its own. In fact, no one food will do that for you. When it comes to losing weight, there are lots of things to take into consideration. Consuming a glass of oat milk for breakfast is completely pointless if you’re then going to eat a pile of cookies.
If you want to lose weight, you need to keep active. So, as you change your eating habits, try to change your physical exercise habits too.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Zhang J et al. 2012. Randomized controlled trial of oatmeal consumption versus noodle consumption on blood lipids of urban Chinese adults with hypercholesterolemia. Nutrition journal, 11(1), 54
- Braaten JT et al. 1994. High β‐glucan oat bran and oat gum reduce postprandial blood glucose and insulin in subjects with and without type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 11(3), 312-318
- Geliebter A et al. 2015. Effects of oatmeal and corn flakes cereal breakfasts on satiety, gastric emptying, glucose, and appetite-related hormones. Annals of Nutrition and metabolism, 66(2-3), 93-103
- Biörklund M et al. 2005. Changes in serum lipids and postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations after consumption of beverages with β-glucans from oats or barley: a randomised dose-controlled trial. European journal of clinical nutrition, 59(11), 1272
