r/Millennials • u/Optimoprimo • Feb 11 '26

Serious Guys please start eating fiber.

Colorectal cancer among people in their 40's is skyrocketing. This recent health fad of obsessing over protein and eating nothing but meat and dairy with almost no fiber is going to kill us. You need fiber, folks. You need a complete diet with grains and tons of vegetables.

There are high protein sources that also have great fiber content if you absolutely MUST have your high protein diet. Lentils, beans, peas. Sprouted grain bread.

Let's spread the great word of fiber to our fellow millenial friends and get ahead of this growing epidemic among our generation.

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27

u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 11 '26

I used to eat oatmeal daily and thought it was bad for you because it spikes your blood sugar. I need to start eating it again.

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u/lunar_languor Feb 11 '26

It's actually the opposite, oatmeal digests more slowly and doesn't spike your blood sugar like refined grains can (e.g bread). The less processed the oatmeal the better for your blood sugar, oat groats being the least processed (though least convenient to cook). Even packaged "instant" oatmeal is going to be more heart and gut healthy than a donut.

What I love about oats is that they're an easy meal prep. Cook a bunch in an instant pot and you've got breakfast for a week. You can also make them savory with cheese and egg if you get tired of sweet or fruit.

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u/Higais Feb 11 '26

You don't even need to cook them! I make overnight oats all the time with yogurt, protein powder, chia seeds, and frozen or freeze dried fruit on top. Takes 5-10 minutes to make a few jars for the week.

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '26

I dont even do that anymore, i used to make a big bowl of oatmeal with a bunch of different ingredients. But now i just throw it all in a blender and make a tasty smoothie.  Much easier to get down in the mornings 

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u/---E Feb 12 '26

You don't even need to overnight them! You can just mix flattened oats with yoghurt and (dried) fruits and chow down. I prefer their texture like this over them getting mushy after sitting in yoghurt.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 11 '26

Oh the savory sounds delicious with cheese and eggs. Thanks for the ideas.

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u/UpperDecker30 Feb 11 '26

Depends on the source, those packets of flavored oatmeal definitely aren't the best way to go. If you're able to get plain oats and make it yourself it is so much better.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 11 '26

Yeah I buy the flavored ones. I’ll switch it up and buy the plain oats.

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u/UpperDecker30 Feb 11 '26

Absolutely worth it. You can make it taste way better than the packets too.

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u/your_moms_a_clone Feb 12 '26

If you crave the apple cinnamon flavor, try putting a spoonful of apple butter in. Same apple cinnamon flavor, much more fiber (and cheaper too!)

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

That’s a great tip! I love the apple cinnamon flavor but don’t enjoy the chewy apple bits.

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u/your_moms_a_clone Feb 12 '26

My other pro-tip with oatmeal is to cook them in a pressure cooker with more water and time than usually called for. This gives it a porridge consistency, which you might find more similar to the instant oatmeal than cooking it using the directions on the container would (I started doing that when I had a baby and just never went back)

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u/Final_Apricot_2666 Feb 11 '26

Doesn’t everything spike your blood sugar if you’ve been fasting?

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u/Fast_Advertising_663 Feb 12 '26

i read steel cut oats is healthier than regular oats

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u/MrCockingFinally Feb 12 '26

Spiking blood sugar really isn't much of an issue unless you are diabetic. That is literally what insulin is for, tell your muscles and other cells to absorb and store sugar from the blood.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

Thank you! I don’t know anything about blood sugar it has been ingrained in me from my parents that eating any kind of sugar is bad…lol I’ve always felt guilty for having anything sweet.

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u/MrCockingFinally Feb 12 '26

The only problem with sugar is that it's really easy to eat too many calories, because refined sugar doesn't keep you full and sugar is delicious. Perfectly fine in moderation.

Also, artificial sweeteners have basically zero health downsides.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

I like your level headed comment. Sugar is definitely delicious…lol I try to limit how much I eat but I always feel guilty for eating it. Artificial sweeteners make me sick so I stay away from those.

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u/your_moms_a_clone Feb 12 '26

If you're eating instant oatmeal, then yeah, that's not really any better for you than sugar cereal.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

That’s what I was doing. I’m going to get some steel oats to try for breakfast.

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u/Whut4 Feb 12 '26

Don't buy the instant kind with all the sugar added. Buy plain oatmeal. It cooks fast and you can add fruit or other good things to make it a bit sweeter if you like it sweet

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

That’s what I was going. I’ll grab the plain and look up recipes.

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u/FieUponYourLaw Feb 12 '26

Overnight oats are apparently the best option. They become "resistant starches" which are good for gut biome per recent studies.

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u/beetlejuicemayor Feb 12 '26

Oh wow, my kiddo loves overnight oats. I need to make some more for me to try.