Oatmeal is one of the best breakfast options who are trying to reduce weight. But if you don’t take a few things into consideration, even oatmeal can make you gain weight.
1. Avoid Sugary packaged and Instant oats – Always prefer plain oats with no added flavours. Packaged and flavoured oats are usually loaded with sugar, which adds unwanted calories and decreases the nutritional value.
Packaged and flavoured oatmeal might seem convenient and time-saving, but they are full of chemicals and sugar. Some instant oatmeal packets contain as much as 14gms of sugar and questionable ingredients like inflammatory vegetable oil and artificial dyes.
Although the calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein content in various oats are similar, their effects on blood sugar are not. Because instant oats are more highly processed and have less fibre and a high glycemic index.
2. Kind of Toppings – Is your oatmeal bowl filled with toppings? If YES, it can sabotage your weight loss process.
If you are adding healthy items like almonds, raisins or even fresh fruits, but adding in large portions can add to overall calories. So, the portion of the toppings is the first point.
Choosing the right toppings – Oatmeal is healthy, but this should not be an excuse to add a spoonful of Nutella or Coco chips or honey/maple syrup, which offers a little nutritional value and more calories. Avoid adding peanut butter to your oats, which has more calories with no nutritional value.
Dried fruits pack a ton of extra sugar without the necessary fibre of fresh fruits.
If you are craving sweetness in your oatmeal, opt for fresh fruits and cinnamon instead. A handful of chopped apple slices or fruits will add a little natural sugar with some essential fibre to keep you full.
3. You are eating too much – Oats are a very good and nutritious option for breakfast, but if you eat healthy options also in a larger portion, it becomes unhealthy.
4. You are eating it plain-Oatmeal is low in calories and high in fibre and protein. But even though it’s made with whole grain oats, oatmeal is pretty carb heavy. To maximize satiety and prevent spikes in blood sugar, add a little more fat, fibre and protein to your oatmeal.
Tossing in some chia seeds, almonds, fruits and homemade peanut butter can make it more interesting.
In one study, 1000 people were asked to follow three small behaviour changes including eating oatmeal for breakfast, surprisingly they gained weight. They were loading it with sugar and eating more than the recommended portion size.
Since the taste of the oatmeal is bland, people make themselves eat it because they know it is good for them. And that can backfire, they often pile with sugar.
If you do not like the taste of oatmeal, it defeats the purpose of eating it because you are going to find some other ways to compensate, such as putting lots of sugar.
Important Tip - Also known as Scottish or Irish oats, steel-cut oats are a less processed type of oats. They’re made by chopping hulled oat grains with a steel blade (hence the metal name). This helps steel-cut oats retain more fibre than rolled oats that get smoothed in the production process.
Steel-cut oats do take longer to cook than other types of oats, but they can add a new texture and a nutty flavour to your diet.
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