Quick Oats for Weight Loss

Quick Oats for Weight Loss

On the go and don’t have time to eat healthy? You are looking to gain control over your weight? You are tracking calories and looking for low calorie foods that keep you energized? Quick Oats may be your answer!

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Quick oats are good for you and great on your wallet! In these times of increasing food prices, this is one food you should check out. The cost is far below that of the average box of cereal and does not have all that sugar! Slim your waist and grow your wallet as you eat.

Quick Oats are a very nutritious food with a relatively low calorie count coming in at approximately 75 calories for 1/4 cup. The reputation of Quick Oats is the lack of flavor when eaten alone. That may be true, but there are many ways to add flavor without adding calories. Customize them to meet your goals. You can flavor the oats without adding calories. You can flavor them adding additional nutrients with minimal calories. If adding weight is your goal, quick oats can also help you there by providing a great base to higher calorie healthy foods and supplements.

Before we dive into this, the old saying “you can’t out train a bad diet” is totally true. Your caloric intake needs to match your goals for any weight loss or weight gain goals. A great and easy way to track your calories is with Myfitnesspal app. It is available for Android and iOS mobile phone operating systems. While there is a paid version, the free version has all that most people will ever need. Myfitnesspal is also compatible with many smart watches.

Note: There is a quick calorie reference table at the bottom of this post with great flavor low calorie options!

Making Quick Oats Quick!

To make you reach for quick oats when its your time to fuel up, the process needs to be easy and quick. Food that takes longer to prepare will make you less like to consume it. If you don’t have some already, an inexpensive measuring cup set makes scooping oats and other ingredients quick and easy. It also allows for accurate calorie tracking.

Making Quick Oats Delicious!

There are many options available to flavor your oats. They come in a wide range of calorie levels. This post primarily will focus on keeping calories low. These are some of the best ways to add flavor to your quick oats, but it is impossible to capture them all here.

Liquid Base: For those looking to cut calories, water ( 0 calories!) is without a doubt the best liquid base. The next great option would be unsweetened almond milk that comes in at 30 calories/ cup. After that would be your skim, reduced fat, and whole milks.

Spices: There are no shortages of options when adding spices. Try some of the popular ones or experiments with what you know you like. This list are some of the most delicious options that will keep your calories low!

Cinnamon is a very popular spice that adds great flavor without the calories. Great any time of the day. It adds a nice sweetness and aroma to your meal. Great low price and will last a long time!

Pumpkin Pie Spice is often thought of a holiday or fall item. The truth is, this is great year round. This will also add great smell and sweetness to your oats without the calories! Another affordable spice that will not run out fast.

Nutmeg is another great option. Sweet and pungent, this will jazz up your quick oats! A little goes a long way. Low cost and effective in adding flavor. Not for everyone, but something to consider.

Syrup & Honey: Honey probably deserves its own category due to it being natural and great. We are including it here because it is generally added at the same point in the mixing process. However, syrup is not to be overshadowed. Some great syrup options are available with 0 (yes zero!) calories as well as very low calories.

Honey is a great way to add flavor and sweeten food naturally. There is not much more that can be said about honey that has not been stated a million times already. Honey is the gold standard of great natural flavoring. Great in moderation, honey comes in at around 60 calories per serving.

Walden Farms Sugar Free Syrups are great for flavoring without adding any calories. You read that right. Zero calories! Walden Farms Caramel Sugar Free syrup and great tasting and very versatile. Try it on almost everything!

Walden Farms Sugar Free Syrups come in a number of great flavors. Try them all and find out which ones you love the most. The Walden Farms variety pack with Strawberry and Blueberry flavor syrup is great for adding fruit flavor to your oats.

Da Vinci Gourmet Syrup Zero Calorie Sugar-free Caramel is a great tasting option. You will be amazed of the taste this has. Hard to believe it has 0 calories! Aside from your quick oats, this flavoring can be added to your favorite beverages also!

Da Vinci Gourmet Syrups also has several syrup flavor options. Get your fruit fix with Da Vinci Sugar Free Blueberry Syrup with Splenda. Great in drinks and on food!

SinFit Blueberry Sugar Free Zero calorie syrup is another great option to flavoring your healthy foods. Add to your favorite foods, smoothies, and beverages for an enhanced fruit flavor experience.

If you are a more traditional type and prefer maple syrup on your quick oats, but don’t want the calories, give Maple Grove Farms Sugar Free Syrup a try. This maple flavored syrup comes in at 15 calories per serving. Fifteen calories is very manageable and will not set you over your daily calorie count.

Protein Powders: Adding protein powders to quick oats is a great way to add flavor and protein to your diet. Protein supplements can help you reach your daily macros while being conscious of your caloric intake. These powders do provide higher protein counts, but also comes with calories. There are many great options that can have pricing that can vary. Here are some of the more widely available options.

Pb Fit All-Natural Peanut Butter Powder is great for mixing into food. Peanut butter flavor and protein can easily be added to your food with Pb Fit. This item has 70 calories per serving with 8 grams of protein.

Pb Fit Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Powder is a great option for someone looking for a product with slightly fewer calories than Pb Fit. Pb Fit Sugar-Free has 60 calories and 8 grams of protein per serving.

Specialized protein powders generally have a higher protein count and come in a variety of flavors. One great option what is widely available and affordably priced is Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder. This product has 25 grams of protein per serving with 130 calories.

MuscleTech Phase8 Protein Powder is a long time established brand with a variety of proteins to choose from. This product comes in at 26 grams of protein and 150 calories per serving.

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein powder has stood the test of time due to its quality. Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor comes in at 130 calories and 24 grams of protein per serving.

Body Fortress Whey Protein Powder, Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavored is a great option from this brand. Body Fortress may be one of the most widely available protein powders. BF comes in at 30 grams of protein and 200 calories per serving.

Recipe and Mixing Instructions

Simplicity is another area where quick oats excels. You don’t need a culinary degree for consistent tasty quick oats meals or snacks. Very easy to throw together and be eating in minutes.

• Measure and pour dry quick oats into a bowl
• Add dry ingredients to oats (spices, powders)
• Dry mix
• Add liquid ingredients (water, almond milk, milk, flavor syrup, honey)
• Microwave for 1 minute
• Allow to cool to your liking
• Add any fresh fruit
• Eat and enjoy!

Quick Calorie Reference Table

*Approximate

Quick Oats are a very underrated and versatile food. They are very customizable to your particular food taste preferences. They can help you cut calories to lose weight. You can also use them to increase your weight without all the fat. This post has many great flavor and nutritional enhancement options, but does not cover everything. Let your food creativity run wild!