The ideal bowl should be something that fuels you for your activities, keeps you full, all without causing any huge glucose spikes and the dreaded crash that comes with it. The secret: multi-layered nutritional sources!
What's the inspiration behind these oat bowls?
Starting a business is not easy…2 years after starting Prepped, I found myself 10kg heavier and constantly worrying about whether we're on the right path. All that mental worrying and waistline ballooning came to a head during CNY when I weighed in at a very auspicious 88kg (very auspicious indeed but also probably 15 kg more than what was healthy).
My solution to all this: start running! More specifically i picked the big hairy goal of completing UTMB, a 100mile trail race around Mt Blanc. My hypothesis was that the controllable, predictable and consistent nature of all the training required will help reduce all the mental stress from the variable and uncontrollable nature of running a business. Plus all that running should theoretically make me healthier and control my weight!
The big obstacle: How do i fuel my body for all that training?
Through lots of human testing (all on myself) resulting in epic bonks and some unplanned bathroom trips mid run, we've come up with these guiding principles as building blocks for all our bowls:
Fruits and cooked veggies:
- Provides natural sugars needed for an immediate boost to start the day and the first hour of activity
- The natural fibers that come with fruits and veggies are great at slowing down the absorption so that the energy is spread across the hour and avoids large glucose spikes
- We flavor the oatmeal using only roasted veggies and fruits so you get the most natural source of flavor without any artificial ick-ness
Steel cut oats/Quinoa:
- These bad boys digest slower so the energy release happens at the start of hour 2 thus keeping your energy and motivation high
- Steel cut oats are the least processed version of oats and have a lower glycemic index
- The chewier texture helps with palette fatigue (no more eating cardboard first thing in the A.M)
Sure they take much longer to cook…but that's why you have us!
Nuts/Nut butter:
- Healthy fats to keep you satiated throughout the day.
- We can all agree that they taste amazing both flavor and texture wise
Say bye to that dreaded 11 am zone when you're starting to get hangry but it is too early for lunch
So…Do they work?
I think so…From running ultramarathons, supporting others at late night local marathons / early morning triathlons to even a morning park bazaar you name it, we did it….all fueled and hopped up on our oatmeal bowls!
And What was our favorite?
Orhnee of course. I mean…dessert as a healthy breakfast? Nuff said!
- Slow roasted taro blended with coconut milk
- Roasted pumpkin of added sweetness
- Pandan soaked ginkos as the ultimate brain food
- Coconut shreds for a burst of texture and umami
Seriously…do we need to keep describing?
