• Home
  • About FFTB
    • The Mission
    • Start Here
    • Disclaimer
  • The Team
    • Contributors
    • Photo Contributors
    • Guest Contributors
    • The Original Crew
  • Contact
facebook
twitter
youtube
google_plus
email
  • Start Here
  • PODCAST
    • About The Podcast
    • Podcast Episode Pages
    • Podcast on iTunes
    • Podcast Official Sponsors
    • Podcast Sponsorship
  • 5 Min Clinics
    • 5 Minute Engine Co Clinic
    • 5 Minute Truck Co Clinic
    • 5 Minute Officer Clinic
    • 5 Minute Clinic Series
  • Product Reviews
  • Articles
    • Eng Co
    • Truck Co
    • Co Officer
    • Safety & FF Rescue
    • General
      • Social Media/ Public Relations
      • FF Communications
      • Art & Science of Firefighting
      • Life Skills
      • Hazardous Materials
      • Rescue Operations
      • Special Operations
        • Marine Operations
        • Airport Fire & Rescue Operations
  • Health & Fitness
  • FF Mindset
BREAKING NEWS
3 Rule Outs of the Medical Patient
“TOP 10” Fire Station Functional Fitness Training Equipment – Part 2
“TOP 10” Fire Station Functional Fitness Training Equipment – Part 1
Keys to Conducting Comprehensive Feedback to Firefighters
3 Keys to Truck Check Success
The 3 Best Types of Workouts for Firefighters – Part 3
PWR Training Sandbag – Product Review
The 3 Best Types of Workouts for Firefighters – Part 2
3 Ways Firefighters can Reduce the Chance of a Back Injury
The 3 Best Types of Workouts for Firefighters – Part 1
Practice How You Play
How to Execute the Proper Kettlebell Swing
What Every Firefighter Needs to Know About NFPA 1583
5 Exercises to Improve Grip Strength for Firefighters
6 Ways Firefighters can Use Exercise Progressions and Regressions
3 Workout Tips for the Volunteer Firefighter
074 – Introduction to Firefighter Functional Fitness
Firefighter Functional Fitness – 7 Tips for Planning Weekly Workouts
The 3 Cornerstones of Firefighter Fitness Success
8 Must-Do Exercises for Serious Firefighter Functional Fitness

Top Five Foods FFs’ Must Eat – #5 Oatmeal

Posted On 06 Nov 2013
By : Dr Karlie Moore
Comments: 8
Tag: Firefighter Fitness, health and wellness

The first of the five foods that firefighters must eat is probably not one that you would have thought as a wonder-food: oatmeal. But don’t underestimate it – eating oatmeal helps you achieve a healthy weight and lowers your cholesterol which reduces your risk of developing the #1 killer of firefighters: heart disease.

The reason that oatmeal is so good for you is because it contains a lot of fiber. Fiber reduces LDL cholesterol and expands in your stomach so you feel full for a longer period of time. Regular and quick-cooking (1-minute) oats have about the same amount of fiber in them. So the only big difference between the two is texture. Steel cut oats have more fiber in them and have a very distinct, gritty texture. They take longer to cook but you can cook a big batch and store it in the fridge.

Adding Fruits To Your Oatmeal

One of the great things about oatmeal is that you can add other healthy foods to it to make it even healthier. Berries and fruits, like peaches, are the best foods to add because they are chock full of fiber, PLUS they have antioxidants in them.

As I mentioned in last week’s article antioxidants fight inflammation and cell damage in the body that’s responsible for cancer, which firefighters are very prone to. A half cup of berries has 2-4 grams of fiber in it.

If you account for the 4 grams of fiber in one cup of regular oatmeal, you’ve already met 25 % of your daily need (~30 grams), just in breakfast!

Recently tons of cereal makers have come out with high fiber cereals. So these are good options too. The only reason I recommend oatmeal over cereal is because you are more likely to add a fruit or berry to oatmeal than you are to cereal.

What about bananas and brown sugar? Many people like to sweeten up their oatmeal that way. Bananas are a good option although they have a little less fiber compared to berries. If you can, skip the brown sugar. Try to just sweeten your oatmeal with a naturally sweet food, like fruits and berries, rather than refined sugar, because you’ll majorly save on calories. Those flavored oatmeal packets also have a lot of added sugars/calories.

Some of the firefighters I work with locally like to add dried fruit like raisins and dried cranberries to their oatmeal. While dried fruits do contain the antioxidants that fresh fruits do, they are much higher in calories than fresh fruits, for the same volume. For example, a quarter cup of dried fruit has almost 7 times the calories as a quarter cup of fresh fruit. So, while the health benefits are still there, if you’re watching your calorie intake, fresh fruit and some low-fat milk would be a better choice.

Oatmeal can fit into any family’s budget – it is extremely inexpensive, especially in bulk. It can be found at any grocery store and is so easy to prepare. So don’t overlook the benefits of this power food and start enjoying it today!

(Part 2 of 6)

About the Author
Dr Moore has been helping firefighters improve their health since 2007. Her work includes conducting fitness assessments, research, consulting and developing protocols for fire departments. Her research and expertise is in firefighter exercise/nutrition and improving the methods of assessing back injury and cardiac risk among firefighters. She has developed the only protocol of its kind to predict aerobic capacity in firefighters. Get more free health tips for firefighters at FitForDutyConsulting.com
  • google-share
Previous Story

Top 5 Foods FF’s Must Eat- Introduction

Next Story

Top Five Foods That FFs’ Must Eat – #4

Related Posts

0

“TOP 10” Fire Station Functional Fitness Training Equipment – Part 2

Posted On 07 Nov 2016
, By Firefighter Functional Fitness
1

“TOP 10” Fire Station Functional Fitness Training Equipment – Part 1

Posted On 04 Nov 2016
, By Firefighter Functional Fitness
0

The 3 Best Types of Workouts for Firefighters – Part 3

Posted On 20 Oct 2016
, By Dr Karlie Moore
0

PWR Training Sandbag – Product Review

Posted On 18 Oct 2016
, By Jim Moss

The 3 Best Types of Workouts for Firefighters – Part 2

Posted On 13 Oct 2016
, By Dr Karlie Moore
0

3 Ways Firefighters can Reduce the Chance of a Back Injury

Posted On 07 Oct 2016
, By Firefighter Functional Fitness

8 Comments

  1. Jamie Goodlet November 6, 2013 at 9:36 am

    I add chocolate protein to my oatmeal… it tastes great and I don’t feel as guilty as when I add brown sugar!

  2. Dr. Karlie Moore November 6, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    That’s a great idea Jamie! Adding some protein powder makes it more filling.Thanks for sharing!

  3. Joey Meyers January 4, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    Doc…how about Honey?

  4. Dr. Karlie Moore January 4, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    Joey, honey is often mistakenly thought to be healthier than plain sugar. Unfortunately, that is not true. It’s just sugar in a different form.

  5. Joseph Ficarelli January 29, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    Doc, can you recommend any recipes for making oatmeal?

  6. Dr. Karlie Moore January 30, 2014 at 12:44 am

    Hey Joseph? Do you mean things to add? I always add blueberries to my oatmeal. You may also like some chopped up nuts like walnuts or almonds plus a little 100% pure maple syrup. If you mean how do you make oatmeal – it couldn’t be easier! Put in the same amount of hot water as you do oatmeal for both instant and traditional. I do instant because I don’t like to have to wait long for it to cook. For steel cut oats you need to add a bit more water and cook on the stove for about 10 minutes (bring to a boil then turn down to medium).

  7. Will Fish May 7, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    Peanut butter is very good in oatmeal. It’s a good way to add some healthy fats and protein.

  8. Ben Spencer February 1, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    My breakfast consists of 3/4 cup of oatmeal, Naked blueberry juice instead of water (for flavor), 2 tablespoons ground flax, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 banana sliced, 1 apple diced. Cooked 3.5 minutes in the microwave. Keeps me until lunch.

Search Site

Archives

DOWNLOAD FREE REPORT

Popular Posts

FirefighterToolbox Podcast

FireFighterToolbox Podcast (Internet Radio Interview Show)

48 Comments

Top 6 Reasons To Use A 2-1/2" Handline

29 Comments

The Role Of The Second Due Engine - Part 2

18 Comments
Copyright 2013-2017 FirefighterToolbox.com All Rights Reserved.