Good nutrition is a prerequisite for fitness. Like they say, you are what you eat. A good, wholesome and healthy diet provides fuel for both body and soul and facilitates the pursuit towards the ultimate fitness goals.
Given the hectic lifestyle and high nutrition requirement of sportspersons, what can be that one superfood that gives them an instant dose of goodness? Going by what we gathered from our recent interactions with Indian sportswomen for ‘The Locker Room‘ campaign, oats came out as the most preferred choice.
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.
Not only did the spokespersons from the four Indian women’s teams (Ice Hockey, Rugby, Kabaddi, Football) that we reached out to hail oats as the ultimate superfood but also shared with us their favorite oats recipes.
Read on for the scrumptious oats recipes shared by them:
Ngangom Bala Devi, Indian Women Football Team’s captain
Whenever we attend camps, we need power packed diets. We require wholesome and nutrient loaded meals and oats offer it all,
shares Bala.
Here is the Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe as shared by her:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp honey
- Toppings of your choice (fresh fruit, slivered almonds, nut butter etc.)
Method:
Combine steel-cut oats, milk, water, salt, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Keep it uncovered and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until the desired thickness is achieved. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Drizzle each serving of the dish with 1/2 teaspoon honey and add additional toppings before serving.
Payel Chowdhury, Indian Women Kabaddi Team’s captain
Payel says, “Our federation ensures that all our dietary and nutrition needs are fulfilled. We are provided with the best quality and healthy food. Oats are my personal favourite.”
Here is the Oats Flour Savoury Pancakes recipe as shared by her:
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ Cup Oats flour
- 2 Tablespoons Semolina (Rawa)
- 2 Tablespoons Chickpea flour (Besan)
- ¼ tbsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ tbsp Red chilli powder
- ¼ tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 Green chilli chopped
- ¼ Cup Non-fat plain yogurt or curd
- 1 Garlic clove (grated)
- ¼ Cup carrot (grated)
- ¼ Cup capsicum (chopped)
- ¼ Cup onion (chopped)
- ½ tbsp Salt
Method
Mix all the ingredients. Add water as needed and make a batter that is not very thin or thick in consistency. Grease a nonstick skillet with coconut oil and place over medium heat. Drop batter by ¼ cup onto skillet and spread out a bit with a bowl or a ladle. Cook until you see bubbles appearing on top (2-3 minutes). Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on the underside.
Diskit Chhonzom Angmo, Indian Women’s Ice Hockey team’s spokesperson
“Since ice hockey is a winter sport there is a shortage of vegetables. We’ve to entirely rely upon cereals, pulses & frozen meat which results in mineral deficiencies,” shares Diskit, adding, “Thus, oats come to an easy rescue.”
Here is the Overnight Oats and chia seed pudding recipe as shared by her:
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp instant oats
- 4 tbsp of milk
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
For the topping
- 1/2 banana
- a handful of raisins
- nuts or pumpkin seeds
- grated apple
- fresh berries or mango slices (or any fruit of your choice)
- raw honey or maple syrup
Method
Place the oats, chia seeds, and milk into a jar and stir them together. Then place the lid on the jar and store it in the fridge overnight, (or for a minimum of four hours). Whenever you want to eat, add your toppings and it’s ready!
Vahbiz Bharucha, Indian Women Rugby 15-a-side Team’s Captain
“We require a balanced diet which involves equal amounts of all food nutrients. The baseline principle is eating homemade food, no junk, and less sugar intake and oats fullfill all these requirements,” says Vahbiz.
Here is the Honey Roasted Oat and Nut Granola recipe as shared by her:
Ingredients
- 80g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 330g rolled oats
- 100g pumpkin seeds
- 100g low-fat butter (melted)
- 140g raisins
- 40g dates (chopped)
- 70g bananas (chopped)
- 80g cashew nuts
- 80g almonds
Method
Mix sugar, honey, oats, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, almonds, and butter together in a mixing bowl. Spread onto a large non-stick pan and toast. Stir every 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and allow to cool down. Add the raisins, dates, and dried bananas. Place in an airtight container. Serve with yogurt and fresh fruit.
“Nutrition is a key aspect of any sporting individuals life. Without the right nutrition, you cannot be at peak levels of performance. Sporting individuals need to be careful with what they eat and drink and need to consume healthy foods such as oats which have proven to help with performance and energy levels,” said Oateo Oats‘ spokesperson in a Twitter interaction with IWB.
He shared in yet another tweet, “Oateo has been calling for the fair and equal treatment of female athletes for a long time now. But we are extremely inspired by the stories of these women and we want to bring change. Stay tuned, as Oateo fights for the equal treatment of women in the sports arena.”
With a resolve to facilitate the country’s sports women’s march to success, the spokesperson said, “Oateo firmly believes that an even playing field needs to be created for men and women in sports. This can be achieved by having a strong support network for our female athletes!” Thus, with their mantra “Eat Right, Feel Right, Do right,” they are putting their might and support behind these teams.
“For a woman, life is a continuous marathon and she needs a constant source of energy to ace it! She requires stamina throughout the day, be it a housewife or an office-going woman – and what’s better than oats, which is a slow-energy releasing carb,” said Raghav Gupta, founder of Oateo Oats in a recent interaction with IWB.
He added, “The major motto of Oateo Oats is ‘to reinvent oats for the modern era.’ Ditching its former image of being a mere breakfast item, we have turned oats into snacks, shakes, cookies and also made it a part of lunch and dinner.”
– Courtesy The Indian Women Blog
http://www.indianwomenblog.org/the-locker-room-talks-take-a-delectable-turn-as-sportswomen-share-their-favourite-oats-recipes/
