Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal
By Jude Horak, UC patient. Flare-friendly. Breakfast.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Serves
- 2
Oatmeal was one of the few things I could keep eating steadily through my first stretch of active symptoms, and this version is the one I settled on. Instead of cooking it firm and stirring in toppings after, I mash a very ripe banana straight into the pot so the fruit dissolves into the oats and sweetens everything without any chunks. The key detail is liquid: I use almost twice the water and milk the package suggests and cook it longer, so the oats break down into something closer to porridge than chewy cereal. Rolled oats are mostly soluble fiber, which turns into a soft gel rather than adding scratchy bulk, and that seems to be why cooked-soft oatmeal tends to be tolerated better than most other whole grains during a flare. Cinnamon adds warmth without any of the seeds or nuts I would normally throw on top. This makes two bowls and reheats well with a splash more milk, so I usually cook it once and eat it two mornings running.
Why it works for UC
The fiber in oatmeal is mainly beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that absorbs water and thickens into a gel instead of staying rough like wheat bran. Cooking the oats with extra liquid until they are fully soft takes that even further, so there is very little texture left for an inflamed gut to work on. A ripe banana is low in insoluble fiber and mashes smooth, adding potassium and natural sweetness. Lactose-free milk brings protein and calcium without the lactose, and cinnamon flavors the bowl without seeds or nut pieces.
Ingredient pages: Oatmeal, Banana, Lactose-Free Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups lactose-free milk, plus more for serving
- 1 very ripe banana, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup per bowl, optional
Method
- 1Peel the banana and mash it in a small bowl with a fork until nearly smooth. The riper and browner the banana, the sweeter and softer the oatmeal will be.
- 2Combine the oats, water, lactose-free milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring so the oats do not clump on the bottom.
- 3Reduce the heat to low and cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring every minute or so. You want the oats to lose their shape and the mixture to turn thick and creamy.
- 4Stir in the mashed banana and cinnamon and cook two more minutes. The banana will melt into the oats and the color will turn slightly golden.
- 5Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for a minute to thicken. Spoon into bowls, loosen with a splash of milk if it is too thick, and add maple syrup if you want more sweetness.
Tips and swaps
- Quick oats work too and cook in about half the time, but they can turn gluey. Rolled oats cooked long give a nicer spoonable texture.
- Leftovers set up firm in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of milk, stirring, rather than in the microwave, which tends to dry the edges.
- Hold off on nuts, dried fruit, and seeds until you are well into remission. Those toppings are where oatmeal stops being gentle.
- If bananas are a problem for you, a couple tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce stirred in at the end gives a similar soft sweetness.
What a serving gives you
A bowl provides around 6 grams of protein from the oats and milk, slow-release carbohydrate, and a meaningful amount of potassium from the banana. Potassium and other electrolytes drop when diarrhea is frequent, so a food that replaces some of them while sitting gently is worth having on rotation. The soluble fiber can also help firm up loose stool for some people, though everyone responds differently.
Questions about this recipe
Can I use steel-cut oats instead of rolled oats?
You can, but I would not during a flare. Steel-cut oats are the whole groat chopped into pieces, so they stay chewier and more intact even after a long cook, which means more texture for your gut to deal with. Rolled oats are steamed and flattened, so they soften fully. If you love steel-cut, save them for remission and cook them very long with extra liquid.
Does this oatmeal work with almond milk?
Yes, unsweetened almond milk swaps in one for one and is a good choice if all dairy, even lactose-free, bothers you. The oatmeal comes out a little thinner and less rich because almond milk has less protein and fat than lactose-free cow's milk, so I usually cut the water back by about a quarter cup to keep it creamy.
