Nutritious breakfasts: a healthy guide to oatmeal

A steaming bowl of oatmeal — sprinkled with cinnamon, of course — is more than comfort food. Studies show that oats can reduce postmeal blood sugar and insulin levels in people with and without diabetes. Read on to learn more about the health benefits of this simple dish.

• Soluble fibre is the reason oatmeal is top-notch for steady blood sugar. This type of fibre turns into a gel in your stomach, slowing the digestive process and blunting the rise in blood sugar that normally goes with it.
• Oats are also an excellent source of the mineral manganese, which plays a role in blood sugar metabolism.
• Dozens of studies have concluded that eating oatmeal five or six times a week can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 39 percent.
• And, since oatmeal's a whole grain, starting your day with a bowl will take you one step closer to making three of your carb servings whole grains.
• Oats also fight heart disease, as it says right on the oatmeal box. This has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in more than 40 studies over 30 years of research. It's largely because of the special type of soluble fibre, called beta-glucan, in oatmeal.
• One more benefit of this flaky food: it fills you up and keeps you full. In one study, people who ate oatmeal for breakfast consumed one-third fewer calories at lunch than those who ate a sugared, flaked cereal. Remember, the bran of the oat is just as good for your blood sugar as flakes.

• The soluble fibre called beta-glucan not only helps tame blood sugar and cholesterol, it may also help boost your immune system's ability to fight off infection, as well as reduce high blood pressure.
• Oats are also a good source of natural plant compounds that may help reduce the risk of breast cancer by mimicking estrogen and preventing the natural hormone from triggering the growth of cancer cells.
• And they're packed with powerful disease-fighting antioxidants called polyphenols and saponins.

• One portion is 120 millilitres (1/2 cup), cooked.
• Oats are slow-acting carbs that are good for your blood sugar — if you keep the portion size reasonable.
• Eat more than a 250 millilitres (one cup), and the glycemic load (GL) moves into the high range.
• Fill up the rest of your bowl with fresh fruit and a sprinkling of nuts.

With so many health benefits, oatmeal is the ideal breakfast food. Consider this guide and add oatmeal to your diet today!