Want to make morning your favorite part of the day? Then start it with a taste of the tropics. This hearty and healthy cereal puts all of those supermarket sugar bombs to shame.

Oats are fantastic for your health and great if you’re looking to lose a few pounds. The key is buying plain oats as the sweetened or flavored ones tend to come with tons of added sugar. 

While we all love the fact that oats help us lose weight and are great for our all-over health, it’s fabulous hair that we’re really after. Antioxidant properties in oatmeal are what give our hair a boost by benefitting our scalp. They help treat dry and itchy skin, which can be particularly bad if it’s your scalp that itches. 

The nutrients in oats also work to fuel your scalp, which adds strength, shine and that coveted silky finish to your hair.

In addition to oats, this recipe calls upon our new favorite food, pumpkin seeds. The health benefits of pumpkin seeds are getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason. 

Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are a great source of healthy oils that promote lustrous hair. They’re also packed with magnesium, potassium, and calcium, which are all important nutrients to strengthen your hair and feed the roots. 

There are many more reasons to give this breakfast cereal a try, but the taste is what’s going to make you want to make it a regular morning treat.

Tropical Breakfast Cereal

Ingredients: 

250 grams jumbo oats

50 grams desiccated coconut

25 grams dark muscovado sugar

50 grams pumpkin seeds

100 grams, combined coarsely chopped brazil nuts and whole raw cashews

250 gram packet ready-to-eat mixed tropical fruit

Optional ingredients:

Yogurt, fresh blueberries, sliced banana and/or honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 390°. Place oats, coconut, sugar, pumpkin seeds on a non-stick baking tray with sides. Then sprinkle sugar on top and add the nuts.

Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The sugar will begin to melt and nuts will get lightly toasted. When this happens, pour into a large bowl.

Use kitchen scissors to cut the tropical fruit mix into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl of roasted ingredients. This mix is delicious as a dry treat, and it goes great with the optional ingredients above. You can even come up with your own favorite mix to make the most of this delicious treat.

Because this can be stored for up to 2 months in an airtight container, you might want to make a double batch, so you always have some on hand.