Nutrition tip: Oatmeal as a running breakfast

Oatmeal is beloved not only by many bodybuilders and other strength athletes, it is also a good sports breakfast for those who regularly do endurance runs. Replacing your brown bread with a bowl of oatmeal or oatmeal porridge will help you to achieve your maximum during your workout.

Breakfast cereal

Oatmeal belongs to the breakfast cereals, together with cornflakes and muesli, among others. Just like bread, potatoes, rice, legumes, couscous and pasta, oatmeal is included in section 2 of the Dutch Nutrition Centre’s food guide pyramid [Schijf van Vijf].

Full of dietary fibre

Oatmeal is brimming with dietary fibre. These fibres boost your metabolism and digestion and are therefore also important for good intestinal function. Oatmeal contains a high concentration of slow and complex carbohydrates. Those carbohydrates are digested at a low rate. This way, you don’t experience a sudden spike in your blood sugar after your oatmeal breakfast, but instead you can distribute the energy well throughout your workout. Oatmeal also contains protein. That is important for the recovery and building of your muscles after running.

Gluten free

Unlike most other cereals, oats are naturally gluten-free. You can therefore also have oatmeal for breakfast if you want to reduce your gluten intake. Unfortunately, this does not mean that you can also eat oatmeal if you are celiac, or gluten intolerant. This is because oats are almost always processed in mills and factories that also store and process other grains that do contain gluten.

Not for the first time on race day

Have you never eaten oatmeal for breakfast? First do this a few times on a training day, not on the day of an important race. Due to the high content of dietary fibre in oat flakes, eating oatmeal ensures regular bowel movements – but of course you don’t want to discover during a race that it is a little too effective for your bowels.