I really like oatmeal! I have to have a little butter and brown sugar though. Just wondering if any of the yogurt eaters have ever made their own? Its a fairly simple process and is much better for your digestive system. And you control all the additives.

I had a yogurt maker once - a very useless kitchen gadget that made ok tasting stuff - very similar to the greek style yogurt...

The time invested wasn't worth the output.. it's easier and just as cost efficient to get organic stuff...

the only real bonus to the home made yogurt is that for tree hugger types -- there's no packaging waste...

Not quite, the homemade yogurt I make is fermented for 24 hrs, unlike commercial yoghurt which is only fermented for about 4. The long 24 hour fermentation ensures that all the lactose (milk sugar) in the milk is used up. The Lactose in the milk is a disaccharide and the fermentation converts it to galactose which is a monosaccharide that is easy to absorb as well as to L-lactic acid (the form the body can use). You can also restrict the bacteria cultures that are used to ferment the milk to specific ones that have been found to be very beneficial. Also, Because the cultures produce lactic acid from the lactose in the milk, many people who are lactose intolerant are able to tolerate this type of yogurt.

Due to a digestive disorder I have this was a very large portion of my daily diet for quite a while.

do you use a yogurt maker? i had a machine that had 6 glass jars - and made a bunch of noise while it ran... the stuff it made I didn't really like...

I generally used a heating pad. I always meant to buy a maker but fortunately I was able to go off of the diet before I got around to it. I always mixed mine with fruit and honey. It was pretty good. I had some frozen recipes that were especially tasty.

the book French Women Don't Get Fat - which was fairly popular a year or so ago - really goes on about the virtues of homemade yogurt...

I don't like most of the commerical yogurts like dannon or yoplait because they are too sweet, but the organic ones, stonyfield farms and cascade fresh aren't as sweet and taste good...

I've made my own yoghurt--from dried milk, no less. It wasn't a big bother; I just put the milk and leftover yoghurt on the back of the stove with the oven on "warm" overnight and then had yoghurt! It was nice and mild tasting, too.

Sophie

I put raw oatmeal in my smoothie so I don't eat it. But what would be good if I did would be Agave nectar. Google it and read about it. It is from a cactus, very sweet, kind of a cross between maple syrup and honey, but not unhealthy.

My wife occasionally makes oatmeal with sliced apples and nuts with cinnamon (although I know you said nuts were off limits). I do the raisin, raw almond, honey combo.

I eat oatmeal maybe once every 7 to 10 days. When I have it I make Quaker Weight Control Maple & Brown Sugar but they have other flavours available. Here's the nutritional info if you prepare it with water:

Per 1 pouch (38g)
Calories: 150
Fat: 2g (Saturated 0.3g, Trans 0g)
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 150mg
Carbohydrate: 26g (Fibre 6g [soluble 2g, insoluble 4g], Sugars 5g)
Protein: 6g

Vitamin A: 0%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 6%
Iron: 40%
Thiamine: 60%
Niacin: 10%
Vitamin B6: 15%
Folate: 10%
Pantothenate: 10%


As far as yogurt goes, I have it pretty regularly, whether on its own or in a smoothie for breakfast. I used to eat Activia, but Silhouette has more flavours and is lower in calories so I've made the switch. Although I have to admit, I tried the Activia prune that just came out and as horrible as it sounds, it's actually REALLY good.

If Kashi Go Lean Crunch is available, try using that in your yogurt instead. No nuts and it's has lots of fiber and protein.

I eat my oatmeal raw and in plain yogurt. I usually add some kind of fruit, orange, or banana, or whatever I have on hand. I also add some kind of nut, walnut, chopped almond, whatever. Then I add cinnamon (really good for you and your blood sugar) or caraway (it works!)

The oatmeal tastes better uncooked It isn't slimy or anything like that, you know? So try it. Try even eating a handful raw, you might be surprised. I keep mine in the freezer and it is just great cold! Trust me.

I must echo the suggestion of steel cut oats (pinhead oats, irish/scotch oats.) The flavor is more robust and the texture is delightful. For one cup of steel cut oats I use some flax oil to roast the oats in the bottom of a pan. I then cook them with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of ff buttermilk. The buttermilk adds a wonderful tang. It might sound horribly unhealthy, but a batch like this can make me 3-4 servings. To that I add some splenda for sweetness and the dried fruit of the week steeped in near boiling water for about 10 mins. (Save the steep water to use in the oatmeal next time you make it!)

It is heavenly.

ohhh what a good idea. I never thought of that.

right now I've just been sticking with a lil bit of brown sugar and milk. sometimes I use stevia and blueberries instead. I tried the yogurt with my oatmeal and about gagged it was soo gross. I also tried it with applesauce and didn't like that either.

also I bought some steel cut oats to try...just haven't got around to them yet. but I'm looking forward to seeing what the difference is.