The month of January provides for a fresh start: We have goals and resolutions. But we likely spent and ate too much over the holiday season. Thankfully, January is also National Oatmeal Month! Adding oats to your day is an inexpensive way to eating healthfully.

Below, you’ll learn:

• Why oats should be in your bowl.
• Three creative recipes for oats.

Why Oats Should be in Your Bowl: The Health Benefits

Having worked with patients with heart conditions, diabetes, and weight loss concerns, an easy suggestion for them was to add more fiber to their diets.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. When liquid is added to soluble fiber, it expands like a sponge and creates a complex network. In the body, this means that soluble fiber absorbs fluid, traps nutrients like sugar and cholesterol, and keeps you feeling full. Foods high in soluble fiber include apples, oats, flaxseeds, and beans.

With their high levels of soluble fiber, oats have been shown to reduce LDL-cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight.

Three Creative Recipes for Oats: Soaked, Chilled, and Flattened

The season is right for a warm bowl of oats, but my cooking efforts typically end with either an overflowing bowl in the microwave or oats burned into a stovetop pan.

So the easier, the better! See below for Super Soaker Oats, Morning Muesli, and Oatmeal Banana Pancakes.