The Low-Carb Vegetable You Should Add To Your Morning Oatmeal To Help Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

Oatmeal is one of the healthiest foods you can add to your diet, providing you with whole grains to control inflammation, manage blood sugar, and lower your cholesterol. You can credit oatmeal's nutritional value to its fiber content, which slows down digestion so you'll not only feel full but also curb your insulin response. Your gut bacteria also love the fiber in oatmeal.

Those yummy oatmeal packets have 3 grams of fiber, but the 10 grams of added sugar aren't great if you're trying to keep tabs on your blood sugar. Besides, the 160 calories can quickly burn off in a few hours. You can make your morning oatmeal a little more wholesome if you add cauliflower to it.

Now, before you start protesting, you'll also be adding some sweet goodies like apples, chia seeds, and walnuts. Adding cauliflower to your oatmeal recipe will kick up the fiber in your breakfast to help keep you full. Cauliflower is also low on the glycemic index, which means it has little impact on your blood sugar.

Keto lovers probably already know that cauliflower is low in net carbs. Cauliflower is part of the Brassica family of vegetables, also known as cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables can help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a 2022 review in Pharmacological Research. In clinical trials, people who ate cruciferous vegetables and vegetables from the onion and garlic family saw their fasting blood glucose levels drop by almost 13 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter). If you're already taking medication for type 2 diabetes, you could see your blood sugar drop by almost 7 mg/dl by eating these vegetables.

(Here's a great recipe for spicy roasted cauliflower.)

What is it about these vegetables that could control blood sugar? It might have something to do with hydrogen sulfide, which may affect how the body regulates glucose. People with type 2 diabetes produce less hydrogen sulfide. Vegetables like cauliflower release hydrogen sulfide when you eat them, so they might help people control their blood sugar. The isothiocyanates in cruciferous vegetables also can support healthy blood sugar levels.

This recipe, based on one from Prevention, might need a little tweaking at first if the idea of adding cauliflower to your oatmeal grosses you out. You can start by adding a little bit of cauliflower as you slow-cook your oatmeal on the stove, and work in a little more each week. You're going to need old-fashioned rolled oats rather than the quick-cooking kind that you can zap in the microwave. Slow-cooked oats take a little longer to cook on the stove, but they're much creamier.

In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of milk, plant-based milk, or water on high until boiling, then reduce to medium-low. Add a cup of oatmeal, 2 cups of riced cauliflower (frozen is fine), a teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, then stir occasionally. Add some of your favorite warming spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Let the oatmeal mixture cook for 10 to 15 minutes while you work on your oatmeal's topping.

Core 3 apples and chop into small pieces. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat, then cook the apples for a minute. Add ½ cup of walnuts, and sauté the mixture for another two or three minutes. Set aside, and add any sweetener (such as agave or maple syrup), if desired.

Once the oatmeal has absorbed most of the liquid, spoon it into 4 bowls. Top with the apple-walnut mixture, and enjoy more than 10 grams of fiber for breakfast.