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Claudio Silvestrini

Easy Meal #1: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Nutritional breakdown:

371 Calories

  • 81g Carbs
  • 7.4g Protein
  • 3.7g Fat
  • 12.7g Fibre (50% of recommended daily fibre intake)

Vitamins and Minerals

  • 12% of daily Potassium intake
  • 14% of daily Iron intake
  • 16% of daily Calcium intake
  • 17% of daily Vitamin C intake

Ingredients:

  • 1 large apple
  • 40g of Oats
  • 50ml (3 tablespoons) milk
  • 1tablespoon of honey
  • 1tablespoon of Cinnamon

Preparation and Cooking time (10 minutes)

  • Slice up the apple into small pieces and place in a cooking pot with enough water to cover the apple pieces
  • Add 1Tbsp of honey and 1Tbsp of cinnamon into the pot and lightly stir
  • Cook for 5 minutes at high heat
  • Once the apple pieces are soft enough, blend them using a hand blender (skip this step if you prefer eating the apple chunks)
  • Add 40g of Oats and 50ml of milk and lightly stir
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes at medium-high heat

Breakdown: Why is this is a good meal to help me lose weight?

This is a great meal if you are looking for a healthy alternative to cereal. It takes very little preparation time, is a great source of healthy slow-digesting carbs to fuel your muscles while exercising and has 50% of your daily fibre content. This makes it an excellent high-carb option for weight loss as it will keep you feeling full for longer as well as help improve your digestive function by facilitating motion throughout the GI (gastrointestinal) tract. Additionally, fibre can help lower blood cholesterol and boost your overall gut health.

This meal is also a good source of micronutrients to integrate in your diet. The vitamin C from the apple helps build collagen which is an important structural protein required by your body as well as protects cells from free radicals and helps metabolize cholesterol. The calcium is involved in transmitting nerve impulses, contracting muscles, secreting hormones and forming teeth/bones. The Iron contained in this meal helps form blood cells, produce energy and make up hundreds of proteins and enzymes throughout your body. Finally, the potassium works to balance sodium (salt) in your body which in turn regulates your blood pressure as well as your nerve transmissions, cardiac function and your muscle contractions.

Overall this is an excellent meal since it requires very few ingredients, is easy to make even if you don't cook often and provides your body with many key nutrients. You can also substitute the apple with a different fruit you prefer such as a pear instead. Additionally if you'd prefer a less sweet version of this meal you could omit the honey which would also reduce the overall calories by 65.