My kids love waffles. Well, one of them might love the syrup more… as the ratio of syrup to waffle is far from reasonable. 😀 Either way, they could eat them everyday. Waffles are great, you can make them ahead and pop them in the toaster to reheat. My waffles are made with toasted oatmeal and flax. Oats and flax are a great sources of fiber… here is some information on fiber and a yummy recipe for oatmeal waffles.
Fiber
Fiber is basically parts of foods that can’t be easily digested. There 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, 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 like grapes and apples, grains, root vegetable skins
Soluble fiber: oats, citrus fruits, legumes, apples, carrots
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
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add oats and toast, stirring frequently, until oats turn golden brown about 5 to 8 minutes, careful not to burn. The oats will develop a toasted aroma…that’s when you know they are done.
Place the toasted oats in a food processor and process into fine meal, about 15-20 seconds. Add flour, flax, salt, sugar, and baking powder to oats and pulse until combined, several quick pulses.
I use a 4 square waffle iron, it takes 1 1/4 cup of the batter to fill. Cook waffles according to manufactures directions. I cook mine on a low setting (#2).
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp milled flax
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1½ cup fat-free milk
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add oats and stir frequently, cook until oats turn golden brown about 5 to 8 minutes, take care not to burn. Oats will develop a "popcorn" aroma, that's when they are done.
- Place toasted oats in a food processor and process into fine meal, about 15-20 seconds. Add flour,flax, sugar, salt, and baking powder to oats and pulse until combined, several quick pulses.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, butter and vanilla and 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. Stir in cinnamon and set aside batter to thicken. While batter is resting, heat waffle iron on low setting.
- Lightly coat waffle iron with cooking spray. Fill waffle iron with batter, gently spread to cover bottom. Close and cook according to manufactures directions for a light coloring.
- Serve warm.
You will love these waffles! They are light, crisp and deliciously flavorful. The toasted oatmeal gives the waffle a wonderful flavor and adds soluble fiber.
These have some good staying power to get you through the morning.
Enjoy!
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