Oatmeal with Nuts & Berries! + Heart Lesson: Food as Fuel

Twice a week I like to have a hearty bowl of oatmeal with nuts and berries. It is a far cry different from the oatmeal cooked with milk and topped with brown sugar and butter that I used to eat, though, I'll tell you that!

Here are my two favorite ways to eat it and a few tips on having a healthy bowl of oats!

Blueberries & Pecans

1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 banana, chopped
5-6 pecan halves, broken
1/2 Tbps agave nectar

Raspberries & Cashews

1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup raspberries
1/8 cup raw cashew bits
1 Tbps. agave nectar

NOTES:
- If you are trying for weight loss, making your oatmeal with water is the way to go. If you can handle the extra calories, it is also great to make it with unsweetened coconut milk (creamier) or unsweetened almond milk (nuttier).
- Rolled oats are better than Quick oats and Steel Cut oats are better than Rolled oats... but in the end, the healthy food choice trumps all. If you have quick oats - eat quick oats. The only reason the other things are better is because they aren't as processed, so it is more of a whole food, which gives you more fiber. Fiber leads to you feeling full longer, and having a healthier digestive system.
- When choosing fruits to add in, remember to stick with low sugar fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or apples.
- Don't pass up on those nuts! It is a great way to add protein to your day right away!
- The agave nectar can obviously be omitted, or replaced with honey or xylitol or stevia - whatever your natural choice of sweetener is. I only add a bit to the top recipe because the bananas go a long way to sweeten that one, and I add more to the lower recipe because the raspberries are tart. I find that adding a bit of sweet makes this oatmeal more palatable - like I said, making oatmeal with water tastes quite different than making it with milk, butter, and sugar. But if you find a way you can make yourself eat it, do it.

Heart Lesson: Sometimes you make yourself eat something that is a healthy choice, not because it is delicious. Food is fuel. Believe it or not, once your body detoxes from sugar, the seeming plainness of this dish will eventually be much more appealing. At first I made myself eat this because I knew it was a good choice. Now, I actually enjoy it. When I started eating healthier, I thought I was going to have to learn to not enjoy food - to not like it as much as I did... Wrong! I have just learned to enjoy food in a different way. I still enjoy it, but the pleasure of it doesn't control me as much as it did once. I'm still learning and changing on this journey, but this is one of the most important factors for me.

EAT TO LIVE; DON'T LIVE TO EAT.