Several recent studies have shown that when people take the following five steps, they achieve greater weight loss and improve their glucose and insulin concentrations, compared with control subjects.
One recent study led by Jaakko Tuomilehto, MD, of the National Public Health Institute in Helsinik, Finland, showed that key lifestyle changes reduced the risk of progression to diabetes by a striking 58% over four years in overweight people with impaired glucose tolerance. Here’s the bottom line to their study—and there’s nothing new here. But oh how it’s so hard to live!
Get as close to your ideal weight as possible. Increase physical activity. Eat less saturated fat. Keep excess calories to a minimum. Increase dietary fiber.
To do what we can to make it easier to practice this information, we thought we’d start with some good dietary fiber recipes — not hard at all really, since we’re simply talking whole foods. We thought for now we’d concentrate on our best friend, OATMEAL:
Spicy Oat-Crusted Chicken with Sunshine Salsa
Courtesy Quaker Oats
3/4 cup prepared salsa
3/4 cup coarsely-chopped orange sections
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups Quaker quick oats, uncooked
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
4 boned and skinned chicken breast halves (about 5 to 6 ounces each)
Chopped cilantro (optional)
In small bowl, combine salsa and orange sections. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time.
Heat oven to 375°F. In flat, shallow dish, stir together oil, melted margarine, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Add oats, stirring until evenly moistened.
In second flat, shallow dish, beat egg and water with fork until frothy. Dip chicken into combined egg and water, then coat completely in seasoned oats. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet. Pat any extra oat mixture onto top of chicken.
Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and oat coating is golden brown. Serve with Sunshine Salsa. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired. Cook time: 30 min.
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Baked Oatmeal
2 cups Quick Quaker® Oats OR 2-1/4 cups Old Fashioned Quaker® Oats, uncooked
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3-1/3 cups fat-free milk
2 eggs OR 1/2 cup egg substitute, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Heat oven to 350º F. Spray 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In large bowl, combine oats and granulated sugar. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to oat mixture; mix well. Pour into baking dish.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until center jiggles slightly. Remove from oven to cooling rack.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over top of oatmeal. Using back of spoon, gently spread sugar into a thin layer across entire surface of oatmeal. Return to oven; bake just until sugar melts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set oven to broil. Broil 3 inches from heat until sugar bubbles and browns slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. (Watch carefully to prevent burning. It may be necessary to turn baking dish.) Spoon into bowls to serve.
ADD IT IN
Oatmeal can be added to soups, stews, the bean pot (all in small quantities, about ¼ to ½ C), biscuits, breads, muffins of course, dry cereals. And toasted, it can be added to puddings, on top of ice cream, and of course it tops fruit crisps and is great in the cobbler batter. And another great use, though not nutritionally helpful: Alice washes her face with it and adds it to her bath water with essential oils.
Download this recipe.
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