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You could make oatmeal for breakfast every day for a week and not repeat ingredients. There is so much to do with a bowl of oats. Not only does this blank canvas of good carbs have protein, it also has soluble fiber to keep you feeling full for longer (maybe even full enough to nix a mid-morning snack). Oatmeal is a friendly carb. That means your body can convert it energy to use for exercise and burn fat. Less snacking and more energy is a healthy to reducing belly fat.
“People who eat good carbs like oatmeal have more energy, reduced sugar cravings, lose more weight and even have more regular bowel movements”, says Dr. Jennifer Stagg, a naturopathic physician. But instant doesn’t qualify because it’s been refined and lost most of its health benefits. Make sure you choose steel-cut oats over rolled or instant. They’re not pre-cooked and are processed in a manner that helps them maintain more fiber and protein than other versions. Plus the hearty, chewy feel of steel-cut oats helps you to slow down breakfast and feel full.
One of the best qualities oatmeal has going for it as a good carb is fiber. Fiber is a weight loss ally. It keeps you satiated and helps you digest. Try a breakfast combo of two major fiber players – quinoa and steel-cut oatmeal. Quinoa is loaded with fiber that slows sugar digestion and prevents a sugar spike. Without the sugar spike there’s no quick release of insulin that causes sugar to convert to and be stored as fat. And without fat storage, belly bloat is minimized and the inches can melt off your waist. There are so many mornings that we want a hot breakfast but lack time. Clearly we all have time to prep and set this recipe for slow cooker quinoa and oats before bed. It’s brilliant!
Another flat tummy food: berries. They have lots of water to battle bloat and pair well with oatmeal. The water and fiber help food move through your system quickly before you suffer from gas and puffiness. “Studies suggest raspberries may actually assist in weight loss because they contain compounds that could increase the production of leptin, the appetite suppressing hormone,” says Dr. Luiza Petre, MD, director of the Medi-Weightloss Clinics. When fresh berries aren’t available, frozen are just as healthy. Defrost a half-cup of berries in the microwave. The result is softened berries plus deliciously sweet juice. Pour it over oatmeal with a sprinkling of flax seeds.
Do you need incentive to wake up? Same. This recipe for overnight oats is pretty radical: it has spinach. Don’t stop reading! If you’re not into leafy greens this is a way to get the anti-inflammatory effects without eating salad after salad after salad. Green tea, chia seeds and almond milk round out the anti-inflammatory ingredients. Consider using matcha, a super potent, specially harvested, and most pure of pure version of green tea that comes in a powder form. Green tea contains the compound EGCG, a catechin, which shines as an anti-inflammatory superstar thanks to its proven effects on a wide-ranging spectrum of conditions and diseases. It also has the ability to raise your metabolic rate, too, allowing you to burn more calories.
