By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published November 29, 2007, The Maine Switch

I’ve had an on-and-off relationship with the Quaker man for years. As a youngster, I spent many mornings admiring his broad-brimmed hat and white neck ruffle while eating instant oatmeal flavored with ‘raisins and spice.’ He joined me for ‘apples and cinnamon’ on cool autumn days, and kept me company in the winter with ‘maple and brown sugar.’ His convenient brown-paper packets eased me into my grade school existence.

Then, for many years, the relationship went south. In college, breakfast was diet Coke and an orange (OK, you can groan now), while I was lucky to eat at all during parts of my medical training (yes, pretty ironic for a healer-of-others-to be). While I understood the importance of the morning meal, I found that being a vegetarian with little love for milk or wheat tended to limit one’s dietary choices.

My pregnancies forced me to find new options. I wanted to provide my babies with sustenance so their tiny bodies would strengthen and grow as they somersaulted inside my belly. Also, my body was starting to reject the notion that breakfast was optional. Perhaps due to years of diet Coke/oranges and erratic eating, my stomach began staging regular morning rebellions.

In an effort to soothe my stomach and grow my babies, I went back to breakfast eating. I experimented with non-wheat cereals and non-dairy milk substitutes (soy, rice and almond milk), but I wasn’t completely satisfied. I again felt drawn to my Quaker acquaintance.

Older and wiser, I veered away from the packages of porridge that had populated my elementary school days. The Quaker man now greeted me from a cardboard carton. Together we added raisins, dates and various nuts to our bubbling breakfast pot. I became more international in my oat experimentation, inviting the Quaker guy’s Irish and Scottish cousins to the table. Then one day, I made the ultimate leap of oat-love: I bought some oat groats (the whole grain, minus the inedible outer husk). These hearty bits required coaxing—overnight soaking and prolonged cooking—before they could be consumed. They represented a true commitment to my morning health routine.

We’ve known about the benefits oats for years. As author Jessica Porter says “Oats are so strong, they make horses run, fast.” Oats:

• reduce high cholesterol and prevent heart disease,
• are good sources of protein, B vitamins and Vitamin E,
• prevent cancer,
• help regulate blood sugar.

In addition to being good for the body, oats can be good for the soul. Preparing my grain-based breakfast (sometimes I throw in some millet, amaranth or rye) is the ultimate mindfulness experience. I get up early so that I can play with my grains. Then I drink my tea and quietly welcome the day.

My mind, my body and my babies (now older) have been nourished by my morning grains. I’ve thrived on oats—they make me run, fast. And all because of my relationship with the Quaker man.