oats

PERFECT portions: 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 cup, and the GL moves into the high range. Fill up the rest of your bowl with fresh fruit and a sprinkling of nuts.

A steaming bowl of oatmeal—sprinkled with Magic 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.

Soluble fiber is the reason oatmeal is top-notch for steady blood sugar. This type of fiber 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 living the second secret of Magic eating, Make 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 fiber, 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. (The bran of the oat is just as good for your blood sugar as flakes, so be sure to read the bran entry.)

Health Bonus

The soluble fiber 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.

OATS glossary

While all oats have the power to tame your blood sugar, there are differences in taste and texture among types.

Oat groats: Oats that have been cleaned, toasted, hulled, and cleaned again. These are the most minimally processed of all the oat varieties and must be soaked and cooked for a long time.

Steel-cut oats: Whole grain groats that have been cut into two or three pieces using steel disks. These take 30 to 45 minutes to cook and have a hearty oat flavor and a chewier texture than rolled oats.

Rolled (old–fashioned) oats: Oats that have been steamed, rolled, resteamed, and toasted. They take about 15 minutes to cook.

Instant oats: These are prepared the same way as rolled oats but cut into smaller pieces so they cook faster. Because they are easier to digest, instant oats have a higher GL than regular oats. No actual cooking is required; just pour boiling water over them and stir.

Oat flour: Flour made by grinding groats and separating out the bran. It is gluten free.

Oat bran: This is made by grinding oat groats and separating the bran from the flour. It’s higher in insoluble fiber than whole oats and can be prepared as a hot cereal like oatmeal.

Are Some Oats Better than Others?

Some oats have been processed more or less than others. On the “less” end of the scale are steel-cut oats (see “Oats Glossary”). The GL of less processed oats is about 20 percent lower than that of more processed forms, but even instant oats are a good source of fiber and have a moderate GL. Shop carefully for instant oatmeal, though; most brands have added sugar—as much as 4 teaspoons per packet. Generally, only “regular” (unflavored) instant oatmeal is sugar free.

Cooks Tips

Don’t substitute instant oats in a recipe that calls for quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats. The texture is different, and instant oats usually have other flavors added.

Menu Magic

 Grind oats in the blender and use them to coat fish and chicken.

 Make a batch of oat bran muffins and keep them on hand for tasty breakfast treats.

 Next time you make pancakes or waffles, replace up to one-third of the flour in the batter with oatmeal ground to a fine powder in the blender.

 Bake up a tray of oatmeal cookies (using whole wheat flour in place of one-third of the white flour) and include Magic cinnamon, of course!

 Make fresh oat biscuits.

 Use oat flour as a thickener for stews and soups.

 For dessert, serve oat-rich fruit crisps and cobblers. Just watch the butter content. It’s better to use a good-for-you brand of margarine such as Smart Balance instead.

Smart Substitutions

Instead of sugary cereal: Have steel-cut or old-fashioned oatmeal with raisins and walnuts for a hearty and filling breakfast.

Instead of bread crumbs: Use oats in meat loaf and meatballs.

Instead of wheat flour: Substitute oat flour for a third of the wheat flour in baked goods.

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