Keep Oatmeal Tasting Fresh and New

I speak from experience when I talk about eating oatmeal and telling readers that if you eat the same thing day after day you will grow bored with the flavor and be tempted to eat more unhealthy food for breakfast. Irish Steel Cut oatmeal happens to be my favorite and among the most "grain" flavored when you boil it and serve it plain.

Some of the following tips are ways you can spice up the flavor of oatmeal while still keeping it healthy and by changing up flavors every few days you can stave off the fatigue and boredom that comes with eating the same thing over and over.

The most popular is to cut up fresh fruit and mix it in with your oatmeal, you probably have heard or thought of chopping up banana, apples, strawberries and tossing them into your oatmeal to add some fruit flavor as well as more fiber and some extra vitamins and minerals. You can also consider tossing in some fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries which have among the highest levels of antioxidants out of any fruit or vegetable.

Another alternative is to use some dried fruits that are soft and easily chewed, raisins, dried blueberries, Craisins (dried cranberries) are excellent examples as they are very soft and often very potent flavored. You can also add freeze dried fruit bits like apples, pears, apricots but only if they are the freeze dried kind that chews easily and/or dissolves when it touches your saliva. The harder dried fruits will be too chewy and make it a little bit more difficult to enjoy while trying to eat your oatmeal.

Other methods to flavor oatmeal involve sprinkling some cinnamon or nutmeg on the top of your cereal, cinnamon is healthy and helps regulate blood sugar levels, if you are looking for a sweet oatmeal taste without calorie addition you can add Splenda, Sweet & Low or Equal packets to your oatmeal to make it as sweet as you want without adding calories.

Then again maybe you want to thicken your oatmeal and add flavor with milk. Another alternative is to use strawberry, chocolate or vanilla milk slightly mixed with your oatmeal. This will add a creamy texture to the oatmeal as well as flavor and strawberry milk added to oatmeal is a delicious treat to have once and a while.

These are just some tips to help you flavor and enhance your oatmeal experience and keep it fresh so you can continue to enjoy oatmeal day after day without growing bored or tired of it. If you have any additional tips or ideas, please feel free to share them here.