Have you heard about the oat diet? It is one of the most beneficial diets for weight loss and healthy living. Initially, it can seem boring and unbalanced. The truth is that it is full of selenium, fiber, and more nutrients that the body desperately needs and is often deficient in. Getting a balance of the nutrients will instantly help to improve weight loss efforts.
You’ll also follow a diet that is filling. Hunger pangs are kept to a minimum, so you’re less likely to suffer from cravings and give into them. You’ll find reducing your calorie intake is easier since you don’t feel like you’re on a diet.
But you need variety. That’s where we come in with this article. We want to give you the ultimate list of recipes for the oat diet for weight loss.
What Exactly Is the Oatmeal Diet?
Let’s start with a look at the oatmeal diet to get a basic idea of what you will need to eat for weight loss. It is one of the most basic diets to follow and is split into three diets. On paper, it is the easiest diet to follow. The foods that you need to cut out are clear, and there is a maintenance phase to make sure you keep the weight off.
In practice, it can be difficult. The first stage is extremely restrictive, following an oatmeal only diet. This is the part that seems boring, so you need to find some powerful oat recipes to make this weight loss plan work to your best advantage.
The aim in the first stage is to cut your calorie intake to between 900 and 1200 a day. There’s nothing wrong with being on the higher side of that range if that’s what makes you feel fuller.
One of the best things you will hear is that this oat-only diet only lasts a week. It’s a restrictive phase to get you ready for the rest of the plan, where you add a few more ingredients. You want to use plain oats that you make yourself, rather than any instant oatmeal.
Phase two integrates a regular diet in with your oatmeal. The focus is on getting fruit and vegetables to keep the fiber and nutrient count. This lasts for 30 days and reduces your calories to between 1000 and 1300 a day.
After that, you can focus on cutting down on the oatmeal and eating a regular diet again. The maintenance plan is to focus on a healthier and more balanced diet to help you keep the weight off that you lose. If you want to lose more weight, you can remain in phase two for more than 30 days.
So how do you make oatmeal exciting? Here are some recipes that are worth getting out of bed for. Many of these recipes are perfect for after your first week on a diet.
Start with a Strawberry Overnight Oats
Let’s start with some easy recipes to make. This is a recipe that you can prepare the night before and leave it in the fridge. When it comes to the morning, you just pull it out, give it all a mix, and you’re ready to eat. Overnight oats are perfect for those who have hectic mornings or need something on the go.
This strawberry overnight oat recipe can be made completely gluten and vegan free. For the gluten, free recipe, you’ll need to find the gluten-free oatmeal. While plain oats are gluten free, some companies add it in! Look out for those.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of oats
- 2tbsp chia seeds
- ½ a cup of strawberries, sliced
- ½ a banana, sliced
- 2tbsp walnuts
- 1 cup of milk, a milk alternative can be used
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- Maple syrup for drizzling
Method:
- Mix the oats, banana, strawberries and seeds in a bowl
- Mix the milk and extract together in a separate bowl and then add to the oat mixture
- Place in the fridge overnight
- Top with the walnuts the next morning with a few extra strawberries
- Drizzle with the maple syrup and serve
You can soak the nuts in the mixture overnight if you want. This is a personal choice, as it will depend on how soft you want the nuts to be. I prefer them with a crunch.
Try Some Goat’s Cheese with Your Oatmeal
Who would have thought that goat’s cheese and oatmeal would work together? Well, this can become an exciting lunch or dinner option for the second phase of your diet. With goat’s cheese, you get some healthy fats and calcium in your day. The main benefit of the goat’s cheese addition is due to the fruit that you’ll add to your oatmeal. Cheese is an alkaline, so helps to remove some of the acids from your mouth that fruit creates. Your oral health is protected, along with your waist line.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of oats
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/4tsp of vanilla extract
- 1tbsp honey or maple syrup
- Handful of blueberries
- 3tbsp of goat’s cheese
- Pinch of salt and basil
Method:
- Add the oats in the milk with the pinch of salt in a pot, cooking until the oats absorb the liquid
- Once thick, add in the honey and vanilla and stir in your basil
- Crumble in 1.5tbsp of the goat’s cheese and allow it to melt
- Transfer into a bowl and top with the rest of the goat’s cheese and the blueberries
You can use other fruits if you’d prefer. This also works well with blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Also, consider adding some nut or seeds to the toppings for a little extra crunch.
Make Some Bites with Pumpkin and Oatmeal
This isn’t just an oatmeal diet recipe for weight loss. It’s also a delicious snack for the rest of your family. Kids will love taking the bites to school with them, and they make excellent first foods for toddlers.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- ½ cup of pumpkin
- 1 cup of oats
- 1 egg
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup of raisins
- ¾ cup of milk
- Pinch of baking powder
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a muffin tin well
- In a bowl, beat the eggs and then add in the rest of the ingredients
- Pour the batter into the muffin tin equally, filling to the brim
- Bake for 15 minutes
When cooked, you’ll be able to stick a knife through, and it will come out clean. Allow the bites to cool completely before you remove from the tin to avoid them sticking. You can use some liners if you’re worried about the clean up afterward!
It will feel like you’re eating pumpkin flapjacks in a muffin shape. When you want a snack during the second or third phase of the oatmeal diet, this is something that you want to consider.
Add Some Kiwi to Lemon Oatmeal
How about adding more fruit to your oatmeal? There are so many options, and they all work extremely well. Many of us forget about the likes of Kiwi and tend to stick to eating them on their own. Well, it’s time to add them to your oatmeal recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of milk
- ½ cup of oats
- 1 banana, preferably ripe
- 1tsp lemon extract or the juice of a lemon
- 1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- Pour the milk into a pan and bring to boil, before adding the oats and reducing the heat to a medium
- Mash the banana and add the oats, stirring to combine
- Add the salt and lemon juice
- Serve topped with the kiwi
You can top with some chia seeds and nuts if you would like. Another option is to add the chia seeds into the oats when they are being cooked on the hob.
Make a Cashew Cream for Blueberry Overnight Oats
Another overnight oat mixture involves cashew cream. If you’re allergic to nuts, you’ll need to make a sunflower seed cream instead. Like with the overnight oats with strawberries, this is something you make the night before and is perfect for those mornings when you’re in a rush.
Ingredients:
- ½ a banana, mashed
- ½ cup of oats
- ¼ cup of milk
- 1tbsp chia seeds
- 1tbsp flaxseeds
Ingredients for the Cream:
- ½ a banana
- ½ cup of blueberries
- 1 date
- 2tbsp cashew nuts (or sunflower seeds)
- 4tbsp water or milk
Method:
- Mix the oat mixture in a bowl
- Add all the cream ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
- Place the oats at the bottom of a jar and add the cream on top
Don’t mix the ingredients together. Overnight the cream will slowly work its way into the oats, so they’re not soggy the next morning. In the morning, you can mix together to catch any oats that haven’t been soaked in the cream. Top with some fresh blueberries and cashew nuts (or sunflower seeds)
Make a Pudding with Oatmeal and Chocolate
Sometimes you want something sweet for a dessert or a snack. When you’ve reached the end of the first phase of the oatmeal diet, this is likely to be the first recipe you reach for to satisfy some of your sugar or chocolate cravings. There’s nothing wrong with this being one of the first things you eat, but do keep it in moderation to put your diet first.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of oats
- 1tsp Mexican chocolate spice
- 1tbsp cocoa powder
- 2tsp sweetener
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup of milk
- ½ cup of water
- 1tsp coconut oil
- 2 egg whites, beaten lightly
Method:
- Combine everything but the coconut oil and egg whites in a saucepan, covering with a lid
- Bring to the boil and then lower heat to a simmer
- Cook for about five minutes, until the oats are cooked to your preference
- Reduce the heat to low and then add in the coconut oil, before slowly pouring in the egg whites
- Stir while cooking for another three minutes, until you get a thicker mixture
You’ll get a brownie taste with this recipe, making it feel like you’re having something naughty that is good for you.
Another Overnight Oats with Lemon and Honey
Now it’s time to add something sweet and fancy to your overnight oats. Start your day in the best way possible. Lemons are excellent for the start of the day because of the antioxidants and vitamin C that you get. There’s a reason lemon water is so popular!
These oats take minutes to make and will be left overnight to set. They’re perfect for your busy school run morning.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of oats
- 1tsp lemon zest and juice
- 1/4tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup of Greek yogurt
- ½ cup of milk
- 2 springs of thyme, leaves removed from the stems
- 1tsp honey, with some extra for serving
Method:
- Mix the oats with everything except the thyme and honey in a bowl
- Add the thyme and honey and combine
- Cover your bowl with some plastic wrap and then leave in the fridge overnight
- You can eat straight from the bowl or add into a transportable bowl if you need to eat on the go.
The first week of your oatmeal diet is going to be different to follow for some. It sounds boring just having oatmeal and some skimmed milk. The good news is that it only lasts a week. You can do that and then switch to phase two. This is the time that you’ll get to try out the delicious recipes above. They recipes above are also perfect for the maintenance part of the diet.
Who would have thought that you could have so much fun with oatmeal? Try some out for your lunch or add them to your list of breakfast ideas. There will always be a reason to get up in the morning.
