This week we're sharing a recipe for Savory Breakfast Oats. It's a fabulous twist on breakfast and we're hooked. We've been doing variations on it all week long.
But more than just sharing a great breakfast recipe, we wanted to share with you the benefits in whole foods versus processed foods. And since breakfast is the meal that most commonly consists of processed foods so we thought this would be a good place to start.
Join us to hear more.
We understand how the fast pace of life today makes the convenience of processed foods very attractive and has led to a significant shift in dietary habits. Most of the aisles in a grocery store today are lined with packaged meals, refined snacks, and artificially enhanced products. But we hardly ever go down those aisles. We just aren't interested because it's so clear to us that these foods were the underlying cause of the health conditions we overcame with a shift to Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) eating.
The fact is, most of those foods on those shelves are designed to appeal to our taste buds and busy schedules. But, however convenient they are, processed foods often come with hidden costs to our health and well-being.
In contrast to processed foods, whole foods contain a wide spectrum of nutrients that work together in ways science is only beginning to understand. When a food is eaten in its whole form, its vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients are balanced and easily absorbed, which increases how well the body utilizes them.
Processed foods undergo various industrial procedures that strip them of many essential nutrients. They are refined, hydrogenated, and often have chemicals added to preserve them.
For instance, refining grains to produce white flour removes the bran and germ that contain most of the grain’s fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whole grains, on the other hand, provide sustained energy, fiber for digestive health, and important micro-nutrients such as magnesium and B vitamins.
Also, when we eat a diet of whole foods there are complex interactions of nutrients where they work better together than in isolation. For example, absorption of vitamin C from an orange is 80%-90% because of the co-factors of other nutrients that are in the orange. And when we eat an orange, besides getting the vitamin C, we also get fiber, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals that enhance our immune system and reduce inflammation.
Processed foods often lack the natural synergy present in whole foods, often rely on added synthetic vitamins, and typically have little fiber or phytochemicals.
Another benefit of whole foods is that they naturally contain balanced proportions of macro-nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—and don't have the added sugars, unhealthy trans fats, and artificial additives that processed foods frequently contain.
And this provides for better weight management as well because whole foods are naturally more filling due to their fiber and water content. As a result, people eating a whole foods diet typically consume fewer calories without the need for restrictive dieting.
On the other hand, highly processed foods, designed to be hyper-palatable, often lead to overeating and weight gain due to their high sugar, fat content and lack of fiber.
A WFPB diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds provide high-quality nutrients without the adverse health effects and excess weight linked to refined products.
All that being said, if you want to try a great, whole food breakfast, you've got to give these Savoury Breakfast Oats a go. You won't be disappointed.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Savory Breakfast Oats (Serves 2-4) Adapted from Forks over Knives
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats or 3 cups cooked oat groats
- 3 cups of vegetables - your choice:
- grated carrots & beets
- peas & corn
- broccoli & cauliflower
- tomatoes and peppers
- 3 cups filtered water (if cooking rolled oats)
- 2-4 cups spinach
- ¼ cup salsa
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- paprika, ground black pepper and/or red pepper flakes (optional) for garnish
Optional:
- 1 apple, cored and diced
- ½ cup raisins
Combine the oats, your choice of vegetables, apple and raisins (if using) and water (if you’re cooking rolled oats instead of using cooked groats) in a pan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes, until everything is tender, adding a tablespoon or two of water as needed to keep oats from sticking.
Stir in the spinach, salsa, and nutritional yeast, and let simmer until the spinach has wilted.
Transfer to individual serving bowls and top with avocado and pumpkin seeds.
Sprinkle with paprika, pepper and pepper flakes (if using) to taste, and serve.