Ginger
You may have never thought of adding this surprising spice to your overnight oats, but it turns out that ginger can be the perfect ingredient to kickstart your morning and your metabolism.
"Studies show ginger can affect energy metabolism through a few different mechanisms," LaVardera says. "Research finds ginger can help the body metabolize and utilize food more efficiently, and that ginger can stimulate brown fat cells." These brown fat cells then help your body break down sugar and fat, making ginger an ideal addition to your fat-blasting breakfast. Plus, it tastes fantastic in overnight oats!
Cinnamon
While cinnamon is a classic ingredient in many sweet breakfast foods, you may be surprised to learn that it has fat-burning benefits. LaVardera says it's one of the best spices to add to your overnight oats if you want to boost your metabolism.
"Research shows cinnamon is especially helpful in carbohydrate metabolism and keeping blood sugar levels stable," she explains. "It's complex, but basically cinnamon works with enzymes to help our bodies know where there is sugar in the blood that needs to be sent to cells for energy, and when blood sugar is running low and we need to pull more out of sugar."
Long story short, incorporating cinnamon into your breakfast is a great way to regulate your blood sugar levels and metabolize carbs!
Use ginger and cinnamon in "carrot cake" oats
Want to spice things up and get the best of both worlds? Both of these metabolism-boosting spices come together in a delicious way in LaVardera's "carrot cake" overnight oats recipe.
To try it out for yourself, follow her instructions: "Combine half a cup of oats with 1 cup of your preferred milk. Add some shredded carrots, coconut and golden raisins, plus a dash of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract and maple syrup."
You know the drill after that: let your oats soak overnight in the fridge. When it's time to eat in the morning, add some walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and your favorite fruit.
After eating this quick and easy breakfast, you'll be able to take on whatever the day throws at you. In addition to all the opportunities to pack in metabolism-boosting ingredients, overnight oats offer a ton of other health benefits. "Oats contain a specific type of fiber called beta-glucan that can help with lowering blood sugar and cholesterol. Oats also contain antioxidants that can help curb inflammation and even help boost your immune system," LaVardera notes. All of this can lead to a healthier gut, heart, immune system, and more!
When you add fat-burning spices like cinnamon and ginger to the picture, there's no beating this top-tier meal when it comes to both the flavor and the health benefits!