This Breakfast Trend Has a Bizarre Name, But It Will Keep You Full for Hours

This article was written by Marygrace Taylor and provided by our partners at Prevention.

Zoats! It sounds like an endearing alternative to the expletive you normally use when you stub your toe. Or maybe the kind of lunch snack you begged your mom to buy when you were a kid, because they were so much cooler than that dumb box of raisins. (Of course, she always said no.)

But they’re better than either of these things. Zoats is a short, catchy name for zucchini oatmeal, or oatmeal made with the addition of shredded zucchini.

Why is that great? Aside from giving your morning porridge a virtuous green color, zucchini has a lot of volume to make you feel extra full, which is great for weight loss. At the same time, it’s low in calories and practically tasteless. Which makes it a genius way to add bulk to your breakfast without piling on extra calories or adding any weird flavors, says registered dietician Sarah Pflugradt, R.D.

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Of course, feeling satisfied until your next meal isn’t the only benefit. “For many people, fitting in five to six cups of fruit and vegetables in a day can seem pretty challenging,” Pflugradt says. Adding zucchini, which delivers both fiber and vitamin C, to your oatmeal makes it that much easier to reach your daily produce goal. 

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And considering how easy they are to make, you can ride the zoats train pretty much any morning you want. If you’ve got five minutes to make oatmeal, you’ve got six minutes to make zoats. Here’s how:

Step 1: Grate your zucchini with a box grater. (This takes less than a minute, so don’t do it the night before. If you do, your zucchini will be watery and gross when you take it out of the fridge in the morning.)

Step 2: Add the grated zucchini to your uncooked oats. Half a cup should do the trick, though if you want to add more, no one’s stopping you.  

Step 3: Cook your oats as usual, add your favorite toppings, and eat. 

Just like regular oatmeal, it’s a good idea to keep the sugary add-ins like honey, maple syrup, or chocolate chips to a minimum, Pflugradt says.

Let these nine mouthwatering zoat bowls serve as inspiration.