Overnight Oats
Serves 1 - just double, triple, quadruple …..as needed
Ingredients
40g rolled or whole oats (maybe more if you are very active or less if trying to lose weight), you can use gluten-free oats or mix the grains and include barley or malted wheat flakes for variation)
2 tbsp chopped nuts and/or seeds*
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon & 1/4 tsp ground ginger **
Fruit - can be added now, eg 1 grated apple or pear, or in the morning, eg handful of berries or chopped nectarine. In the winter you can use frozen berries, add them now and they’ll defrost overnight. You could add a tbsp dried fruit like raisins
1-2 tbsp plain bio-live yoghurt (optional but adds creaminess and probiotics )
100ml fluid (can be water, milk or plant milk)
Overnight Oats Ready to Take to Work
Method
Night before:
Add the ingredients to a bowl, stir and cover. Or transfer to a container you can take to work with you.
You can leave on the side overnight. Or if the kitchen is warm, pop in the fridge.
In the morning:
Serve as is or If you like a hot porridge, heat through before eating
Top with fruit, if you didn’t add last night, and you could add some extra seeds for crunch
Why make Overnight Oats?
Whole oats are high in antioxidants. One class of antioxidants, avenanthramides, are almost solely found in oats. Avenanthramides have anti-inflammatory and anti-itching properties and may help lower blood pressure levels by increasing the production of nitric oxide (this gas molecule helps dilate blood vessels and leads to better blood flow).
Oats are high in the soluble fibre beta-glucan, which has numerous benefits. It can help increase insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels, promotes heart health by helping reduce LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, provides fibre and fuel for healthy gut bacteria and increases feelings of fullness.
Whole oats are also a great source of B vitamins and minerals.
Opt for porridge or overnight oats using whole oats and add sweetness, if needed, in the form of whole fruit. The processed ready packets of instant oats, particularly the flavoured ones, have a higher glycaemic load and are more expensive so are best avoided.
*varying the nuts and seeds means you get a wider range of nutrients and omega fats.
Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and linseeds /flaxseeds are highest in omega 3.
Almonds, hazelnuts, cob nuts, pistachios, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds provide a higher amount of omega 6.
Linseeds/flaxseeds and hulled hemp seeds are best ground and you will need more fluid if you use these or chia seeds, as they soak up lots of fluid.
** adding spices adds flavour and polyphenols (the fabulous plant compounds that have loads of health-giving properties and feed our friendly gut bacteria). Cinnamon adds sweetness and may help blood sugar control. Ginger adds zing and warmth and is has potent anti-inflammatory properties
