oatmeal ... bleh!

I hate oatmeal. It's not logical.. we all know it actually tastes good.. it's a throwback from my childhood. I was traumatized by oatmeal.. I have PTOD (post traumatic oatmeal disorder). But alas, I must overcome my mental roadblock and learn to eat the s**t. I've known this for years, but I've been fighting it, fairly successfully actually. In keeping with my goals, (weightloss, health, running a half marathon) seems oatmeal is one of those golden tickets. So I will boldly wade into the world of oatmeal. Big D eats it almost everyday for the bennies.. helps regulate glucose levels.. so I'll just make some for both of us. I'm hoping it's like water and once you start you get used to it and don't know how you ever went a day without drinking a gallon of it.

Some benefits of eating oatmeal:

The benefits of oatmeal are due to the fact that it's made from oats and oats are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

1. Insoluble fiber's cancer-fighting properties are due to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.

2. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch. This may be beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.

4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease, a disease that is currently widespread in the United States.

5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.

6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.