Oatmeal Is Great Diet Food

You might remember those commercials touting oatmeal to lower cholesterol levels. Now it seems the mighty but little oat is a good diet food as well.

Researchers at the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center suggest eating oatmeal for breakfast can help with weight control by curbing your appetite at lunch. The study, conducted by Dr. Allan Geliebter and colleagues, validates the old saying that oatmeal "sticks to your ribs."

In fact, the researchers say oatmeal fiber does slow down the rate at which your stomach empties out, which means you feel full longer. They say two study groups -- one lean and one overweight -- were each given a breakfast of either 350 calories of oatmeal, 350 calories of sugared corn flakes or water as a control.

The results show when hunger and appetite were rated after breakfast and at lunchtime, the oatmeal eaters had lower ratings at all points. They say the oatmeal group ate 30 percent less at lunch than when they ate corn flakes or just had water.