Saturday, February 8, 2014

Superfood Saturday- Overnight Cinnamon Raisian Oatmeal

Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight Oatmeal- Cinnamon Raisin



  • 1 Cup Steel cut or regular oats (NOT Quick Oats!)
  • 4 Cups Water
  • 1/2 Cup Milk
  • 1/4 Cup Brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Raisins

Directions

1.    Step One

Spray crock pot with cooking spray before adding ingredients.
Combine all in slow cooker. I used a small dip crock pot and set to low. A big crock pot, it will get too dry. This oatmeal is firm, use more water if you like it thinner or add milk when you eat.

2.    Step Two

Cook on low for 7hrs. Set to warm until you are ready to eat.
The cinnamon will rise to the top, Just give it a stir.

3.    Step Three


Serve with milk and cinnamon sugar. I added fat free half and half. I ate for the next three days. It re-heats great in the microwave.

Today's Super food recipe features steel -cut oatmeal. This recipe is so easy to make. I put it together in a few minutes and had breakfast ready when I got up.  There are endless flavor variations on this basic recipe and you may see those pop up in the next few week. I love to experiment with flavors when cooking and got lots of ideas from the Internet and a recent article in Fitness Magazine.


Steel Cut Oatmeal Health Benefits.
Recently my coach recommended I substitute steel cut oatmeal for the instant oatmeal I was eating for breakfast, so I took a look at some of the health benefits of steel cut oats. Instant oatmeal can have lots of added sugar and salt. Rolled oats are healthy especially if you eat them without sugar like I do, but steel cut oats are more nutrient dense. Adding them to my diet is just one of those small changes I have been making.

Feel Fuller
Steel-cut oats are , rich in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in sodium and unsaturated fat.  One cup of steel-cut oats contains 8g of fiber. Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats, the inner portion of the oat kernel, which have been cut into two or three pieces rather than flattened. It takes longer to digest, making you feel ful longer. 
Rolled oats lose some of their nutritional value due to all of this additional processing.

Reduce Diabetes Risk
Oats are a  whole grain, which reduce cholesterol, high blood pressure and help prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes. They are a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes, including enzymes involved in the body's use of glucose and insulin secretion. Steel-cut oats have a lower glycemic index than instant oatmeal (42 versus 65), causing a smaller insulin spike when consumed. 

Studies have indicated consuming  five servings of steel-cut oats (serving = one cup cooked) a week, there was a corresponding 39 percent reduction in the risk of onset of type 2 diabetes.

Reduce Heart Disease
Steel-cut oats is that they help eliminate fat and cholesterol from the body. Studies show individuals with high cholesterol (above 220) consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease.

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Author National Duathlon Championship 2014

Chris Wodke
Founder & Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com

Chris is a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a two time participant of the Boston Marathon.  She was the 2012 National Champion Paratriathlon Open Division. In 2013 she qualified as a member of the Team USA Duathlon Team. She will compete in 2014 at the Age Group World Duathlon Sprint Championship in Pontevedre Spain.

She is the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a CMT affected athlete.
Team CMT is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a cure for CMT. We have 143 members in 28 states. We also have members in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Turkey, Finland and Iran. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org


CMT or Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS).  It is a disease of the nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.

Symptoms include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual dexterity.

Structural foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.

Poor tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold hands and feet.

Additional symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing loss.

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