Why Overnight Oat Bran is the Healthy Choice for Breakfast

Last Updated on January 6, 2022

Do you have a busy morning schedule and don’t have time to prepare a fresh and delicious breakfast? Or perhaps you just don’t want to have to spend time in the kitchen first thing in the morning. Get up, get going, grab a nutritious breakfast, and get on with your day.

If you’re nodding in agreement with either of those typical scenarios, overnight oat bran might be the perfect solution. It is so easy to prepare in advance, usually the night before, and there are a wide variety of ways to turn this simple, nutritious breakfast into a tasty treat.

Let’s learn more about why oat bran is so doggone good for us, and then we’ll dive into how to put together a simple overnight oat recipe.

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Why Eat Oat Bran?

Health-conscious individuals prefer to eat delicious oat bran over other types of grains as it is rich in fiber, minerals, and essential vitamins.

Beyond that, many clinical studies also shown the health benefits of oat bran indicating that it can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, improve blood sugar control and promote healthier bowel function. Here are some additional reasons you should consider adding oat bran to your healthy diet.

Rich in Essential Nutrients

Although oat bran and regular oatmeal share the same amount of fat and carbs, the former contains a higher amount of fiber and protein with fewer calories. 

Aside from that, it is also a good source of beta-glucan, which is an essential soluble fiber that our body needs.

A Good Source of Antioxidants

Oat bran contains several antioxidants that are known to protect your health from developing chronic diseases. 

Beyond that, it is also rich in powerful avanenthramides, ferulic acid, and phytic acid. 

Oat brans are also proven to be gluten free and contain anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Lowers Your Chances for Developing Heart-Related Diseases

One of the health benefits of oat bran is that it help to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 

The good thing is that the oat bran recipe consists of soluble fiber (beta-glucans) that is proven to balance your blood pressure and cholesterol. 

What are the Health Benefits of Oat Bran?

One of the healthiest oats is oat bran, and it can play a role in your overall healthy diet.

Improves Digestive Health

Overnight oat bran is a fiber-rich recipe that pairs well with milk and other fruits, like strawberries, nuts, and more. 

A fiber-rich breakfast is an essential compound for your digestive health. With that, oat bran reduces your susceptibility to constipation. 

Diabetes Management

Consuming oat bran as your regular breakfast has been proven to minimize carbs digestion. With that, it can maintain the right amount of blood sugar in your system. 

Beyond that, it also contributes to your insulin production, which works by minimizing your blood sugar concentrations. 

Weight Loss

Another benefit of eating oat bran as your breakfast is the high fiber content that can help in your weight loss journey. 

According to statistics, individuals who consume fiber-rich breakfast are more likely to have healthier BMIs or Body Mass Indexes. 

With enough fiber in your body, it will make you feel full faster and stay with you longer.

 

What are the Different Types of Oats?

You probably know the different types of oats available. There are various types of oats, including rolled-cut oats and oat bran. Here is a quick overview of the different types of oats. 

Quick Oats

Quick oats are a variety of rolled oats. They are rolled thinner and steamed longer than their cousins, rolled oats.

Since they are thin and small, they will cook quickly. So, if you don’t have lots of time for breakfast you can cook this type of oat in just a few minutes. 

Rolled Oats

Old fashioned rolled oats are considered one of the most popular types of oats because they can be cooked and eaten as is, with fruits and other additions, or in baking. As its name suggests, rolled oats are oat groats that are steamed and then rolled in flakes.

They take longer to cook than quick oats and have the most texture of all of the oats.

You can use it for different purposes, such as granola bars, muesli, baked goods, and even in smoothies. 

Oat Bran

As we mentioned earlier, delicious oat bran is a product produced using the external layer of the oat groat. It is one of the nutritious types of oats because it is a good source of fiber and has fewer calories and fat than other forms of oats. 

Oat bran also cooks fairly quickly, prep time 5 minutes or less.

The Difference Between Oatmeal and Oat Bran

The oat groat produces oat bran and regular oatmeal. The inner part of the groat produces oatmeal while the outer part produces oat bran. 

While they have a number of similarities, there a definite differences between oat bran and oatmeal:

• Both types of oats are nutritious types of breakfast and provide lots of health benefits. 
• Oatmeal has a higher calorie and fat content than oat bran, which is something to consider if you’re counting calories and/or macros.
• Oat bran is higher in fiber, protein, and sugar content
• You’ll be cooking oatmeal (the original oats) longer than oat bran
• The texture of oatmeal is chewy, where oat bran has a creamier texture (think cream of wheat)
• Oat bran is a little more cost effective than oatmeal if you’re watching the budget
• Oat bran is typically used in bread recipes, where oatmeal can be used as a thickener, or as an ingredient in cookies.

Both are nutritious, but if we take a closer look at the two, we find that oat bran is more beneficial than oatmeal. This is because it has a higher concentration of soluble fiber, B vitamins, and protein. 

Ingredients For Basic Overnight Oat Bran

If you are not familiar with delicious overnight oats, they are a type of oats that have been soaked in liquid for at least eight hours, or overnight. 

The good thing about this delicious overnight oats recipe is that you don’t need to cook it in the morning. This makes it the best on-the-go recipe for busy people. 

The image above is of the simple overnight oat bran recipe detailed below, with the addition of 2 tablespoons of blueberries and 1 teaspoon of honey. Delicious, nutritious, and very filling!

The essentials to prepare overnight oats using oat bran are very simple;

• Oat bran
• Milk – usually unsweetened almond milk is a good choice
• Unsweetened fat free Greek yogurt

The following are the ingredients you can use to create a delicious, filling, healthy breakfast (and make it a bit more sweet) with oat bran as the main ingredient:

• Chia seeds or ground flax seeds
• Protein powder
• Cinnamon
• Sweetener
• Maple syrup
• Peanut butter
• Salt
• Walnuts
• Honey
• Yogurt
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Frozen fruit
• Sliced banana
• Dried fruits
• Walnuts
• Cocoa powder
• Chocolate chips
• You choose!

Simple Overnight Oat Bran Recipe

Here is a simple base recipe for overnight oats that serves 1, and is incredibly flexible! After you let your oats soak in the fridge overnight, you remove the soaked oat bran, then add toppings you desire, sometimes a little more milk, and create a wide variety of delicious oat bran breakfasts.

Note: if you want to make a big batch for the family or to last a few days, increase the ingredients in the basic recipe and divide into multiple mason jars (or use a larger bowl with a cover!)

And, if you prefer a hot cereal you can easily heat your oats and enjoy hot overnight oats.

Nutrition in the basic recipe (without any additional ingredients added to it)

Can You Turn Oatmeal Into Oat Bran?

Since oatmeal and oat bran are both byproducts of oat groat, you may thinking that you can turn oatmeal into oat bran. 

Unfortunately, the answer is no, and you might know the reason why. This is because oatmeal is a product of the internal part of the oat groat while oat bran is produced using the outer layer of the groat. 

Despite that, both types of oat are a healthy choice for breakfast. The only difference between the two is their texture. 

Oat bran is quite creamy and oatmeal is more chewy. But, when it comes to their taste, both are delicious. 

What are the Benefits of Overnight Oats?

To recap, overnight oats offers many health benefits. 

• Aside from being rich in protein, this recipe is also packed with essential nutrients you can eat every morning as your breakfast. 
• The good thing about overnight oats is that you can prepare this breakfast easily and conveniently.
• In addition, you can add chia seeds or ground flax seeds and some types of fruit. 
• You can use any fruit for your overnight oats. You can mix strawberries, blueberries, and tons of milk to soak your 4-cup overnight oats. Stir.
• Blueberries and strawberries are the most recommended fruit toppings for overnight oats. 
• On the other hand, you can also add sliced banana to your creamy and fresh from the fridge oats. 
• Sliced banana is loaded with essential nutrients that will make your oats in a bowl extra creamy. 
• Compared to cooked oatmeal, oat brans taste more delicious, especially when it stays in the fridge for several hours. 
• When you eat a single bowl of oat brans mixed with chia seeds of any form of fruit, you will feel fuller. Thus, it is considered one of the best breakfasts for weight loss. 

DO YOU NEED SOME OAT BRAN?

Final Thoughts

To sum up, preparing overnight oat bran is so easy and nutritious.

If you don’t have time to prepare a quick breakfast, overnight oat bran is one of the on-the-go recipes you may consider.  You can prepare it in less than five minutes using readily available ingredients in your kitchen. 

So, what are you waiting for? Prepare your overnight oats this evening and have a delicious breakfast the next morning!