Tired of Making Smoothies? Here's What You Can Eat Instead
Whether you're using them as a substitute for your usual breakfast or enjoying them as a snack between meals, smoothies are a quick and easy way to load your meals with essential vitamins and minerals.
However, if you're breaking out your blender day in and day out to make the same meal over and over, even the tastiest smoothies can start to get tiring.
RELATED: 9 Best Foods to Add to Your Smoothie for a Flat Belly
Fortunately, even if you're sick of smoothies, there are plenty of other easy ways to make a quick and easy breakfast or snack that packs all the essential nutrients you're looking for.
If you're looking for an easy way to replace your go-to smoothie, registered dietitian Courtney D'Angelo, MS, RD, author at Fit Healthy Momma, says that eating oatmeal is a great way to enjoy similar benefits as smoothies while staying full and healthy all day long.
What are the benefits of eating oatmeal?
It's not just your taste buds that may enjoy your switch from smoothies to oatmeal.
"Oatmeal is one of the best sources of fiber, which can help keep you full longer, helps with the digestive system, and helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels," explains D'Angelo.
In fact, a 2012 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that eating oat products over a six-week period reduced study subjects' levels of LDL cholesterol by 18%.
What should you add to your oatmeal for maximum benefit?
If you want to make your oatmeal not only more palatable, but healthier, D'Angelo recommends adding bananas and raspberries to your recipe.
"If you mix in fruits such as bananas and raspberries, you're adding more vitamins and antioxidants," D'Angelo explains. "Bananas are great for potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Raspberries are a great antioxidant fruit that can help with inflammation, gut health and the omega-3 fatty acids in raspberries can help prevent heart disease," D'Angelo adds, citing a 2010 review published in Nutrition Reviews.
In fact, the combination may even help boost your weight loss efforts, research suggests.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of Berry Research found that mice fed high-fat, high-sugar diets who were then given raspberries or raspberry phytochemical supplementation had less weight gain and reduced rates of obesity. Similarly, a 2016 study published in Nutrients found that, among a group of overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes, adding oat products to their diet over a 30-day period lowered their blood sugar levels, lowered blood lipids, and promoted weight loss.
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