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Healthy Breakfast: Eating Oatmeal is Amazing!

By Mandi Mellen

Posted on July 27, 2016

I’ve always been a big fan of breakfast, needing something healthy to get me through my day. Over the years I’ve tried many different things, until I fell in love with oatmeal, my favorite healthy breakfast!

Growing up as a child was when I first discovered oatmeal. I ate oatmeal in the morning before school a few times a week. My mom would microwave me a bowl of oats and sometimes I would love it, while other times I would get disgusted if my oatmeal spilled all over. Somewhere along the way I fell out of love with oatmeal. It seems crazy now, but I switched to eating either cereal, pancakes, waffles, or when I lived in a dorm, a nice egg white omelet. All can be good breakfasts, but the healthy meal that is oatmeal kept calling me back.

When I moved out on my own I got into eating flavored instant oatmeal. Yes, do not hold it against me. I went through a long period of loving those artificial oatmeal packets, however processed and unhealthy they may be. I’m not really sure why I ate them for so long. I guess I just didn’t know any better. Thankfully I gave them up and have never looked back.

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A few years ago I got back into the oatmeal game. I started buying organic oats and making them on the stove. So amazing! This is still my current breakfast. I use a 1/4 cup of oats (only 70 calories) and start by putting blueberries and strawberries at the bottom of my bowl. I top them with my oatmeal, then add a little Greek yogurt and some pecans too. This is my go to breakfast. I love it. I run in the mornings and it definitely fuels me after a run!

For awhile I contemplated whether I should give up my oatmeal eating ways. I read an article about a woman who gave up her love affair with oatmeal. She claimed that eating berries and yogurt was just as satisfying. She said she felt like she used oatmeal as her crutch in the morning. It was her go to breakfast and she felt like she “needed” it. After reading her article I decided to not eat oatmeal as much. I tried just eating berries and yogurt for a long time. Now don’t get me wrong, I love that combination, but I was definitely a lot hungrier much earlier in the day! I felt like I was being silly, depriving myself of a filling and healthy breakfast. I’d been measuring my breakfast out, only eating a 1/4 cup of oats. That’s a perfectly respectable serving!

After my experiment I decided to switch back. I enjoy eating my oatmeal every morning. It does keep me full longer. I also like having the mixture of a hot/cold breakfast. There are days that I’m on the go all morning and don’t even eat a snack, but having eaten my oatmeal for breakfast makes it fine. I don’t feel like I’m about to go hangry on someone. On days I don’t run I contemplated not eating my oatmeal, but really I would only be saving 70 calories at breakfast. I shouldn’t skimp on the fuel my body needs after not eating all night long. That’s just silly!

I don’t add any sugar to my oatmeal. I do add cinnamon and just a splash of almond milk. It’s a wonderful combination! I always add fruit to balance it off as well. I really love how much energy I get from this healthy breakfast. For me, I enjoy it and I crave it. It’s not a super large breakfast. It clocks in right around 300 calories, which I always find to be perfect for me!

Most weeks I’ll eat this breakfast five or six days, especially if I’ve worked out early in the morning. I need a good filling breakfast with some carbs to get me going. I’m a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It always sets the tone for my day. That really is the true reason why I eat oatmeal for breakfast. I love the way it makes me feel during the day and I know I’ve set myself up for success!

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp. She’s an actress, writer, and producer. Get lost in her youtube comedy channel PillowTalk TV. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram