Protein oats are a great pre-workout meal. Oats provide complex carbohydrates for sustained energy while protein increases fullness and supports muscle growth and repair.
Plain protein oatmeal can get bland and boring. Adding ingredients like nut butter and berries can boost the nutritional profile and add variety.
Keep reading to learn about the four best ingredients to add to protein oatmeal to supercharge your pre-workout meal.
1. Nut Butters
Lots of athletes add nuts to protein oats, but nut butters can be a fantastic option to boost your protein oats.
Nutritional benefits: healthy fats, protein, and fiber
Nut butters are made from various nuts or legumes (in the case of peanut butter).
Almond butter, peanut butter, and other nut butters offer about 14-16 grams of healthy plant-based monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats per serving.
These healthy fats increase satiety, and may help reduce LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) and boost HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol).
Most nut butters also provide between 7-9 grams of protein per 2-tablespoons serving, increasing the protein content of your protein oatmeal.
Nut butters also contain fiber as well as several minerals.
How nut butters add creaminess and flavor
Nuts themselves can add pops of crunch to protein oats, whereas nut butter in protein oats offers a creaminess and flavor that gets distributed throughout.
This is one of the major benefits of using nut butters over regular nuts in protein oat recipes.
The healthy fats in nuts give a luscious mouth feel, and the nut butter will be thinned out by the milk or other liquid component to the protein oats, creating a cohesive, flavor-boosted binding agent.
Popular options: almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter
There isn’t a single “best nut butter” to add to protein oats. Almost any natural nut butter with little to no added sugar and no processed oils will work well.
All nuts provide some protein, healthy fats, and some vitamins and minerals, but almond butter, peanut butter, and cashew butter tend to be particularly popular due to their cost and availability.
You can also sprinkle on nuts, including walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and Brazil nuts.
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are often overlooked in favor of flaxseeds, but chia seeds can be excellent in protein oats recipes.
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein
Chia seeds provide protein, fiber, and minerals like selenium, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Plus, chia seeds contain more than 5,000 mg of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids per ounce.
Benefits for digestion and sustained energy
Chia seeds are packed with fiber, which slows digestion, helping control appetite.
Tips for incorporating chia seeds into protein oats
Sprinkle chia seeds in while you cook the oats because they will swell into a gel and absorb water. You can also add them to overnight protein oats, and they will pump up.
3. Greek Yogurt
If you aren’t sensitive to dairy, Greek yogurt is one of the best ingredients to enhance the nutrition of protein oats.
High in protein and probiotics
Greek yogurt is packed with protein (about 17 grams per cup or 10 grams per 100 grams) as well as probiotics.
Probiotics support the beneficial gut bacteria, which in turn, aid digestion and immunity.
How Greek yogurt enhances the creaminess and texture of oats
Another benefit of adding Greek yogurt to protein oats is that the yogurt imparts a pleasant creaminess to the texture of the oatmeal.
Using full-fat Greek yogurt will offer the most creaminess, and healthy fats enhance satiety, helping you feel fuller for longer.
If you like the lumpy textural nature of oatmeal, you may prefer to use cottage cheese in protein oats in place of Greek yogurt. This will still provide protein but with the more of a toothsome, curds-and-whey texture.
4. Berries
Berries are one of the best ingredients to add to protein oatmeal.
Antioxidants, vitamins, and natural sweetness
Although many athletes are wary of eating fruit because of sugar content, berries are among the lowest sugar fruits, yet they still provide natural sweetness, and a ton of flavor with very little sugar and calories.
Berries are also packed with vitamins (such as vitamin C), antioxidants, and polyphenols. These are potent plant compounds that fight free radicals to prevent oxidative damage.
Diets high in antioxidants can help reduce inflammation and may protect against certain diseases.
Dark berries like dark blueberries and blackberries are especially rich in anthocyanins, which are a type of antioxidants.
Benefits of adding fresh or frozen berries to oats
Fresh, frozen, dried, and even freeze-dried berries can be great add-ins for protein oats.
Frozen berries tend to be the most cost-effective option, particularly if you live in an area, where berries are not in season.
If you are going to be heating your oats and making protein oatmeal, it won’t matter that the berries start in a frozen state.
Plus, some frozen berries are partially macerated so you will get more juices that permeate the protein oats for richer flavor and color.
You can buy frozen mixed berries packages, which typically contain strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. It is also possible to buy standalone berries so that you can mix and match your favorite berry combinations.
Fresh berries are delicious but may be expensive or difficult to buy out of season.
It is very important to buy organic berries because these crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Dried berries will plump up in cooked protein oatmeal or overnight protein oats, but you may need to add additional liquid to prevent your protein oats from feeling dry.
Freeze-dried berries have a delectable crunchiness and airy texture. Add them on top at the last minute to retain this crunch.
Recommended berry combinations for flavor variety
There are nearly endless combinations of berries you can add to protein oats.
Blueberries and strawberries tend to be sweeter than raspberries and blackberries, so pairing a sweet and tart berry can work well.
Conclusion
Adding nut butter, seeds, Greek yogurt, and/or berries is a fantastic way to increase the nutrient density of protein oats. These ingredients provide additional healthy fats, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
They also add flavor and texture. Remember: just as it’s important to keep your workouts varied to prevent boredom and stagnation, so too is variety in your pre-workout protein oats recipes important!
