When it comes to ensuring we start our day off right, there’s nothing quite as good for us as having a healthy breakfast. This will start our metabolism working, prevent us from snacking, and help us be more productive around the house, at work, or at school. 

The problem is that breakfast does tend to be rather dull. We can spend a lot more time thinking about dinner and even lunch, but when we’re in a rush in the morning, breakfast doesn’t get the same treatment, meaning that it is usually a quick bowl of cereal or a slice of toast or, worse, nothing at all. 

Oatmeal is one of the best things you can have for breakfast since it’s inexpensive, filling, and full of the right nutrients to help you make the most of the day. Yet it’s often ignored because it’s pretty boring. With the following ways to make your oatmeal more interesting, you may well want to start eating it more and give yourself a breakfast to be proud of. 

Soak Overnight 

When you soak your oats overnight, they become much easier and quicker to cook, saving you time in the morning. Soaking them in water is the usual method, but if you soak them in something with more flavor like the tea from healthy K-cups, the oats take on that flavor too. So now, not only can you quickly throw them in the microwave and have a healthy breakfast in just a few minutes, it will taste amazing too. Experiment with different flavors and try new ones as often as you can. Oats tend to work with almost anything, including savory tastes like chicken stock or a vegan broth, so the choice is entirely yours. 

Add Other Grains 

Oatmeal on its own can be bland, that’s true, and it’s not all about the flavor either. For some people, it’s the texture. A large bowl of oats isn’t always easy to get through because it’s the same old thing, mouthful after mouthful. This is why it can be a great idea to throw some different grains in with your oatmeal. When you do this, you automatically change things, even if the flavor stays the same. Some great grains to use include buckwheat, millet, or amaranth.  

Don’t Use Sugar 

Sweet oats might be exactly what you’re craving, but sugar is bad for you and can cause a crash in energy mid-way through the morning, which leads to unproductivity and fatigue. If you want to stay full by eating oats but you need them to be sweet to enjoy them to the fullest, switch sugar for honey, date syrup, or perhaps agave nectar. These are naturally sweet and aren’t as bad for you as pure sugar is, and they won’t cause you to lose energy, but they will satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Make It Fruity

Another way to sweeten your oats, change the texture, make them healthier, and even change their color is to add fruit to your mixture. Applesauce works well, but the best thing to add is berries. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries are all ideal – you can even combine them and add nuts for some extra crunch.