Lower Your Cholesterol: The Tasty Way

Oatmeal has gotten a bad rap. Kids (and adults) may view it as a health food with all the flavor of drywall. There are a lot of ways to get kids of all ages to wake up and WANT oatmeal for their breakfast of choice.

Of course, the health benefits are clear. I’m 34, and while I don’t worry about this kind of stuff, my family history of very high cholesterol had me wondering about the claim Wilford Brimley made about Quaker oats removing cholesterol from your bloodstream. So I decided to run a little self-experiment. In one year, my cholesterol dropped from over 300 down to 164. Call me a believer. (For other articles on cholesterol, check out Conquer High Cholesterol and Lowering Cholesterol the Natural Way.)

But what about that drywall?

I found that oatmeal is one of the most versatile breakfasts you can imagine. Because you’re cooking it (as opposed to dry cereal which you just add milk to), there are any number of things you can work into the pot. My personal favorite combination is a scoop of peanut butter, a handful of raw, unprocessed cacao nibs, and some shredded coconut. I have experimented with all of the following, and would heartily recommend them in just about any combination:

Cacao nibs (raw, unprocessed chocolate).
shredded coconut
peanut butter
raisins
freshly ground flax seeds
crumbled almonds and/or walnuts
cinnamon
nutmeg

Top with just about any kind of fruit and some yogurt, and you have yourself a meal made for a king, in under ten minutes for the whole family (faster if you use “quick oats”).

Green Options Media is a network of environmentally-focused blogs providing users with the information needed to make sustainable choices. Written by experienced professionals, Green Options Media’s blogs engage visitors with authoritative content, compelling discussions, and actionable advice. We invite anyone with questions, or simply curiosity, to add their voices to the community, and share their approaches to achieving abundance.

Read more: Basics, Cholesterol, Health, cholesterol, oatmeal

By Scott Cooney, Green Options

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Jennifer C.

5:21PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

Yummy! Thanks for sharing.

send a green star

Rosemary R.

9:17PM PDT on Aug 31, 2010

Done :)

Ann E.

7:10PM PDT on Aug 31, 2010

Cashews, apple pieces, dried cranberries, and almond butter are some other tasty add-ins.

lorraine c.

12:42PM PDT on Jul 29, 2010

Oatmeal is now my 'regular' breakfast. I always have blueberries and strawberries in the freezer just in case I run out of fresh fruit.

Blu A.

10:12PM PDT on Apr 18, 2010

sounds wonderful

Terry C.

1:09PM PDT on Mar 18, 2010

How to get my husband to even TRY it.

Michelle R.

6:09PM PST on Mar 9, 2010

I can't wait to try!

Past Member .

7:30PM PST on Feb 23, 2010

The word Cholesterol is enough to infuse terror in the hearts of many people but we actually do not know what it really is.Cholesterol has been linked to cardiovascular disease.The information that you have given here is very important to know today as its patients are increasing day by day.Good post!
how to get her back

Carol W.

2:58AM PST on Feb 23, 2010

Porridge is one of the best filling breakfast you can have, it is warming and good for the heart.

John D.

2:04PM PST on Feb 20, 2010

guess give me high cholestrol because I am not going to eat that garbage oat meal.