During our Locker Room Talks with Indian sportswomen, we got to know a lot about them and their lifestyles. Interestingly, when we questioned them about food and nutrition, oats came out as the most preferred meal choice. Wonder why?

Oats are an amazing source of protein and energy and a powerhouse of nutrients. They are extremely versatile and can be easily used for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are also very easily accessible. To add to it, rich in zinc and magnesium (which are anti-cramp vitamins and minerals), oats are one of the best whole food options for women who suffer from painful menstrual cycles.

When we recently reached out to Shraddha Gadit, Nutrition Expert At Gold’s Gym, she also talked about the health benefits of oats and the importance of a post-workout meal.

Shraddha said, “Consuming the right nutrients after you exercise is just as important as what you eat before. This meal has to be consumed immediately after your workout so the best to have would be something that is absorbed very quickly. So, two nutrients are required here, one is carbohydrates and second is proteins. You also need proteins because after the workout your muscles have undergone micro-trauma (breakage of muscle fibers) and there is a need to recover this for you to see hypertrophy (toning) in your muscles.”

She shared that oats can easily become a part of the post-workout meal and make it wholesome and healthy.

She also came up with some important suggestions to include oats in our diets. Shraddha shared, “If you want to remove the stickiness that oats are famous for, you need to dry roast it for 2 minutes in a pan and then add water or milk to it. It is not necessary to have oats in milk only. Make a milkshake, add oats to it.”

She added, “Or you can make a nice tikki and add oats to the mixture. You can also replace rava with oats and make oats upma. Add oats to wheat flour and make yummy rotis or paranthas out of it.”

Inspired by Shraddha’s suggestions and the four teams’ choices, we have thus come up with three interesting post-workout oatmeal recipes, which are yummy and loaded with goodness.

Here are the recipes, full of proteins and approved by the four (Indian women’s Rugby, Ice Hockey, Football, and Kabaddi) teams:

Protein-Packed Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Oateo steel cut oats
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 1/4 cup water (or milk)
• 1 date
• 1 tbsp crunchy almond butter
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup berries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 tbsp bee pollen/flax seeds/pumpkin seeds
• Drizzle of maple syrup (optional)
• Cinnamon

Method

Mix oats and protein powder, then add milk/water and leave for cooking on medium flame. Chop up the date and banana while the oats are cooking. After 10 minutes, add date pieces and cook for another three minutes. Pour the dish in a bowl, top with banana, berries, cinnamon, and bee pollen/ flax seeds/ pumpkin seeds and then drizzle almond butter on top.

Strawberry And Oats Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 250 ml unsweetened almond milk
• 10 strawberries
• 1 banana (peeled)
• 1/3 cup (27 grams) Oateo instant oats
• 1 scoop of plant-based vanilla protein powder
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Method

Start by adding the liquid to your blender followed by strawberry. Add the greens to your blender last. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Cookie Dough Protein Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oateo Rolled Oats,
• pinch of Salt
• 5 tbsp Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Organic Butter Extract
• 1 tbsp Mini Chocolate Chips

Method

Combine the almond milk, oatmeal, and a pinch of salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil on high heat. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until the oats are thick and tender, but still a little runny. Once cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the protein powder, honey, and extract. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.

A big shout-out to our partners – EPIC TV Channel, Oateo Oats, HRX, Gold’s Gym India, for joining us in solidarity and helping us in exploring the challenging road for India’s sportswomen.

Stay tuned for the custom-made anthems, as a part of The Locker Room Talk. We have more sports rush coming your way!