I don't know about you but I simply love eating oatmeal. I usually have it from Monday to Friday. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate. Opt for 100% whole grain oats as these haven't been processed and are more nutritional. Whole grain oats are good for people who are at risk of heart diseases as well since they can reduce the bad cholesterol levels. In addition, oats are rich in fiber and good for the digestive system too. Oatmeal is a great breakfast meal and for people who are into bodybuilding and lift weights, it can be a top staple food for breakfast.

Oatmeal is easy and quick to prepare and can easily keep you full up to 2-3 hours. So go for it. Unless you can prepare some delicious oatmeal, you can get fed up with it with time. Among the various fillings people put in their oatmeals are milk, chocolate powder, strawberries, bananas, dried raisins, cinnamon, splenda, apple sauce, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Some bodybuilders add whey protein powder to pack more punch on their oatmeals and make it a high protein breakfast. The reason is that bodybuilders require high protein meals to build and maintain muscle mass.

So coming back to the preparation of oatmeal, it can be done in a number of ways but in this article, I'm going to discuss about peanut butter oatmeal. I'm going to give you a simple oatmeal recipe with a dash of peanut butter. If you have eaten peanut butter before, most probably you like the taste. I know many people like peanut butter because it's yummy and delectable. And adding some peanut butter in your oatmeal can make a big difference as far as the taste is concerned. So here is the peanut butter oatmeal recipe:

1 cup of whole grain oats
3 cups of water
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1/2 cup of warm water
3 tablespoons of low fat milk powder
2 tablespoons of brown sugar or 3 tablespoons of honey for sweetening

1st step: Pour the 3 cups of water in a recipient.
2nd step: Add 1 cup of whole grain oats in the water and mix it.
3rd step: Bring to a boil.
4th step: While waiting for the water to boil, pour warm water in a cup at half level.
5th step: Add 3 tablespoons of low fat milk powder and stir.
6th step: Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or 3 tablespoons of honey and stir.
7th step: Once the water starts boiling, reduce fire and stir the water and oatmeal constantly.
8th step: When oatmeal is cooked, pour the cup of low fat milk in it and stir.
9th step: Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the oats and mix well.
10th step: Cover recipient and let the oats simmer for 2 minutes.

Now the peanut butter oatmeal is ready for serving. This is one simple copious breakfast and it's very tasty. It's a meal packed full with vital nutrients which your body needs like protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, vitamins, minerals and calcium. You get good amounts of protein in low fat milk, a 100g quantity can give around 20-35 grams of protein and you also get vitamins, minerals and calcium. Apart from milk, you get good protein from peanut butter, 1 tablespoon can give about 4 grams of protein, so 2 tablespoons 8 grams of protein. Peanut butter also contains high amounts of fats like 16 grams of fats per serving of 2 tablespoons. Fortunately, most of these fats are monounsaturated which means they are healthy fats. Same as with extra virgin olive oil. It's also high in calories like 190-210 calories per 2 tablespoons so this can quickly add up if you eat several tablespoons per day. So for skinny guys bulking up, it's a great weight gain food. But even if you are trying to lose weight, you can still have it but provided you burn more calories than you consume. But it will be more work. If you skip the peanut butter, use something else for eg fruits like dried raisins, bananas or strawberries and you will have less work to burn the excess calories. For fruits like dried raisins, bananas or strawberries, just add them on your oatmeal just before eating. No need to simmer. If you want to be creative with your peanut butter oatmeal, you can add some fruits with it like the ones mentioned above. Good appetite.

About the author

Jean Lam is the webmaster of Body Building Resource which provides articles on weight training, nutrition and fitness, body building book and DVDs.