I have always loved oatmeal, it is one of those foods I could easily eat everyday. Now, my husband and son literally gag trying to eat oatmeal, the texture always gets them. So, to get them to eat oats I add them into breads, cookies, muffins, meatballs and meatloaf. Oats have the highest amount of soluble fiber of any grain and provide some great health benefits. I used them to make my Wholesome Oatmeal Muffins…
Fiber
Fiber is basically parts of foods that can’t be easily digested. There are two types of dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble. Both types are great for our digestive health and can be found in the same whole foods. Soluble fiber is amazing! The soluble fiber in oats is called beta-glucan and it has been shown to help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the foods we eat. Another great benefit is when we eat soluble fiber and it is being digested, it produces these small fatty acids that tell the liver to produce less cholesterol. This results in lower blood cholesterol, which significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.
To increase fiber content, some food companies are using oat bran as a fat replacer in meat products, dairy products, frozen desserts, and baked goods.
A Few Sources:
Insoluble fiber:
Skins of Fruits: Grapes and Apples
Grains: Wheat bran, Rye, Rice, Barley
Root Vegetable Skins, Carrots
Soluble fiber:
Oatmeal, Beans, Rice bran, Barley
Citrus fruits, Strawberries and Apples
Benefits of Fiber
When a diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol soluble fiber can decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood by 10-15%
Fiber can help control insulin levels by slowing down digestion time.
A high fiber diet has also been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Fiber Recommendation:
25-30 grams/ per day
I love the aroma of these Wholesome Oatmeal Muffins baking in the oven. They fill the room with the warm scent of cinnamon and oatmeal.
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 6 tablespoons melted
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1⅓ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1¾ cups milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon in medium bowl. Pour melted butter over mixture. Stir until mixture is moist; set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons in medium pan over medium heat. Add oats and cook, stirring frequently, until oats turn golden brown about 6 to 8 minutes, careful not to burn.
- Place browned oats in a food processor and process into fine meal, about 30 seconds. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to oats and pulse until combined.
- In a large bowl add the brown sugar. Pour the 6 tablespoons of melted butter over the sugar; whisk until smooth. Add beaten eggs and milk; whisk until smooth.
- With the whisk, gently fold half of oat mixture into wet ingredients. Add remaining oat mixture and continue to fold with whisk until no lumps or flour remain.
- Set aside batter to thicken. While batter is resting, place oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease and flour muffin tins or with paper liners.
- Using ice cream scoop or muffin scoop, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Evenly sprinkle topping over muffins (about 1 tablespoon per muffin). Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes.
- Let muffins cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
These nutritious heart-healthy muffins are moist and delicious. The crumb topping gives the muffin a wonderful little cinnamon oatmeal crunch. We like these Wholesome Oatmeal Muffins for breakfast or as a snack, the oats give these muffins some great staying power!
Hungry for more Pick Fresh Foods? Come on over to Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.
Sources:
Mc Williams, M. (2008) Fiber. Foods: Experimental Perspectives. 202-203
Dietary Fiber. Retrieved from http://dietaryfiberinfo.com/soluble-fiber-short-chain-fatty-acids.html