Heart Healthy and Low Calorie and Fat Oatmeal Toppings

There are many different options of healthy and low calorie and low fat toppings to put in your oatmeal.

Fruits

The best and most popular healthy option is fresh cut fruit. Many different types of fruit toppings will work, depending on your taste. Some suggestions include: bananas, peaches, apples, blueberries, or raspberries. The type of fruit really depends on both your preference as well as what is in season or on sale. Try your local farmers market for the best priced and bargain fruits. In the case of some fruits, such as bananas this is a prime example where you can purchase slightly browning produce and still use it rather than allow it to go to waste. You can also snag a bargain on these browning bananas in your supermarket or farmer's market. Another option in terms of fruit is frozen or dried fruits. Both taste delicious and frozen fruits can be microwaved along with the actual oatmeal or separately.

Nuts, Seeds, and Raisins

Nuts and raisins are other healthy options. Nuts are a great source of protein and heart healthy Monounsaturated fat. Nuts are also a great source of fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium. If you are a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies adding in some raisins and a hint of cinnamon is a great suggestion. You should be careful with the amount of nuts you stir into the oatmeal though. The fat source may be the healthiest type, but the fact remains that nuts are still very high in fat and calories (One ounce of nuts contains 165-200 calories and typically 14-21 grams of fat (1) so a very small portion is recommended. One suggestion in choosing where to find toppings of this kind is to look for small containers of trail mix. At convenience stores such as Quick Check they sell small containers of trail mixes both of primarily nut mixes and primarily dried fruit. Although these mixes come in small containers, they can last several days if you only use a very small portion.

Artifical Sweetners

Splenda and sugar free jams may seem like healthy toppings, but the jury is still out on the long term affect these sugar replacements have on your health and in particular your appetite. I would generally avoid these options and opt for more natural choices for the majority of the time. I would use these products sparingly.

[1] http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/is-fat-in-nuts-good-bad.html