Raghav Gupta shares five ways to turn oat bran into your go-to kitchen ingredient for weight loss
Want to get rid of the hassle of multiple ingredients to lose weight? We’ve got just the right choice for you! Yes, you guessed it right, it’s the mighty oats! More specifically, oat bran.
Oat bran is the outer layer of the oat groat or seed. In order to make oat bran, the outer shell of the whole oat groat is removed and separated from the endosperm during the processing phase.
Oat bran offers a number of health benefits, including its ability to reduce cholesterol levels, inflammation of the arteries and risk of coronary heart disease. Having said that, oat bran’s biggest attribute perhaps is its soluble fibre content. This promotes its ability to benefit digestion, heart health, weight management and cholesterol levels. In addition, the outer layer of the oat seed is also an excellent source of plant-based protein and micronutrients.
Including ample fibre-rich foods in your diet, such as oat bran, can be exactly what you need. Oats are widely known as one of the healthiest grains out there, as they're packed with many crucial vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Although oat groats and steel-cut oats naturally contain bran, oat bran is also sold as an individual product. Fibre has several benefits for weight loss, including increased satiety, appetite control and blood sugar regulation. Combine a regular intake of oat bran with a healthy diet and some regular exercise and you are successfully on the path to weight loss
From the moment it is consumed, the fibre in the oat bran firstly absorbs the saliva, eventually expanding in the stomach. It then, absorb fluids, twenty-five times its volume. This brings about a feeling of fullness that lasts longer, thus helping us to avoid unnecessary snack breaks in-between meals.
Oat bran is easily available in many health food outlets and online stores. It typically comes ground, and can be prepared on a stove, in the microwave or a slow cooker. Keep reading for five quick ways to include oat bran in your diet—
Add to your smoothies
Is your morning smoothie too light, making you go hungry even before your lunchtime? Then you may want to consider adding some oat bran to your smoothie jar.
Take half a cup of oat bran and grind it before adding the rest of your smoothie ingredients and blend until combined well. The resulting mixture is thicker, giving you a more filling smoothie, which is sure to keep you full, well until your lunchtime.
Use it as a thickening agent
If you want to increase the thickness, or add a boost of nutrition to your soup or a sauce, oat bran is the answer.
Ditch that corn starch and get yourself some oat bran, a healthy thickening agent. But before you toss the oat bran into your soup, make sure to grind it into a fine powder to avoid that lumpy consistency.
Substitute oat bran for breadcrumbs when cooking.
You can replace breadcrumbs, that are used as binding agents, with oat bran.
For instance, instead of using dry or fresh breadcrumbs for coating your burgers and fish fingers, use an equal portion of oat bran instead.
You can also swap out oat bran for breadcrumbs to make a crunchy topping for your casserole.
Combine half a cup of oat bran with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and grated parmesan cheese. Coat chicken tenders or fillets of fish such as salmon or basa with the oat bran coating.
Sprinkle some into omelettes, yoghurt, or cottage cheese
While oat bran is usually cooked, you can also add it raw into some dishes. Stir one or two tablespoons into your omelette, plain or flavoured yoghurt, cottage cheese or some tofu. This will add a slightly nutty flavour and increase the fibre in your snack.
Snacking on handfuls of bran all through the day can aid in feeling fuller for longer periods of time and curb future snacking habits.
Use them in cakes and cookies
Using oat bran to bake your cakes and cookies not only adds a healthy quotient to your favourite desserts but also give you that crunchy texture. So go ahead and whip away your almond date biscotti, date bran muffins or even date squares, adding oat bran provides a soft, chewy texture to these scrumptious baked goods.
So,cut off the hassle of buying multiple ingredients to make your favourite dishes and make that nutritious switch to oat bran!
(The author is the founder and MD of Oateo Oats, a brand which strives to make every oatmeal an exciting affair.)