Best Types of Oatmeal to Support Your Weight Loss Goals

There's a reason oatmeal is a beneficial part of a weight-loss diet: High in fiber, vitamins and minerals, it can keep you full, and like most other things, is full of good health supporting benefits. So, what oatmeal is good for someone looking to lose weight?

Read here to learn about the benefits of oatmeal, what kinds of oats are best for weight loss, how to eat them and recipes to try.

The Weight Loss Benefits of Oatmeal

Oatmeal isn't just tasty — it also has a number of benefits that can help you lose weight, including:

1. It's Nutrient-Dense

Whether you’re seeking to lose weight or not, oats are a nutrient dense grain to add to your diet. Oats, unlike other common grains like wheat or rice, are always processed as a whole grain, meaning the nutritious bran and germ are preserved, said the Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council.

Per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one 1/2 cup serving of dry Quaker oats contains:

‌Calories:‌ 134

‌Protein:‌ 5 g

‌Fat:‌ 1.1 g

‌Carbs:‌ 29 g

‌Fiber:‌ 4.8 g

‌Sugar:‌ 1 g

‌Calcium:‌ 14.4 mg

‌Iron:‌ 1.15 mg

‌Magnesium:‌ 46 mg

‌Phosphorus:‌ 138 mg

‌Potassium:‌ 129 mg

‌Sodium:‌ 2.8 mg

‌Zinc:‌ 1.28 mg

2. It Keeps You Full

Fiber is a nutrient you probably want to get more of in your diet, and oats, specifically a type of omega 3 fat known as beta glucan, are high source of fiber, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Fiber can help us feel full. When mixed with water they thicken food in your intestines and slow down your digestion, allowing you to feel full longer.

Feeling full can lead to you eating less overall — and this can contribute to weight loss, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

3. It Gives You Energy

The Mayo Clinic says regular exercise is an important part of any weight loss endeavor.

And oatmeal is a great snack to fuel your workout: The AAFP says its complex carbohydrates provide a steady supply of energy during a training session and the low fat won't give you the energy drag of many fat laden snacks or slow you down like they would.

As long as you don't do it close to your workout and don't coat it in butter or whole milk, just be sure to eat it an hour or so beforehand.

4. It may also help regulate blood sugar.

The fiber in oatmeal also may help lower blood sugar levels, says the Mayo Clinic. This is because it can slow your body’s absorption of sugar so you are not abruptly high or low with your blood glucose.

High blood sugar produces hunger. The Cleveland Clinic says that keeping your levels in check can help prevent you from overeating and becoming overweight.

5. Low in Cholesterol Levels.

Likewise even the fiber within oatmeal can also aid in lowering your cholesterol levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explains that beta glucan can bind to cholesterol containing substances in your body, then lets them pass through your digestive track, where they are then flushed out.

Oatmeal can also regulate your appetite and help to lower high cholesterol levels, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

6. Lowering Blood Pressure It May Help

According to Autoinfu, having overweight or obesity may be a cause of hypertension. The Mayo Clinic says oatmeal's high fiber could help lower blood pressure.

Fiber isn't the only nutrient for blood pressure — oats also contain antioxidants, avenanthramides, which may also help lower blood pressure in adults, with pre or early stage hypertension, according to May 2020 research published in ‌Current Developments in Nutrition‌.

7. It Can Prevent Constipation

The fiber in oatmeal is also good for your digestive health: The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says it can help you have regular bowel movements, add bulk to your stool and prevent constipation.

Although constipation can’t cause weight gain, managing weight and bowel troubles through eating lots of fiber can go both ways, a 2013 Mayo Clinic.

The Best Oats for Weight Loss

If you are wondering which oats are best for weight loss, you need to know that some types of oatmeal aren’t like others. Oats are usually processed in three ways, and while all do keep the whole grain and calorie content, there are some differences in how it affects your digestion.

1. Steel-Cut Oats

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health defines these oats as the type that is chopped with a steel blade on freshly harvested oat groats‘ as the name suggests.

According to studies, like a 2015 British Journal of Nutrition study, the minimally processed steel cut oats have a lower glycemic response (which aids for your blood sugar and total energy), even though they take more time to digest. They’re also the oatmeal that’s best for weight loss.

2. Rolled Oats

They're steamed oat groats that are then flattened into flakes for cooking and digestion, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Yet the research published in the ‌British Journal of Nutrition‌ above noted that although the processing that makes rolled oats easier to cook and digest also increases their glycemic index. But the Mayo Clinic warns that foods with a higher glycemic index may also cause your blood sugar to increase, leading to weight gain over time. Rolling oat is therefore not as ideal for which want to lose weight as it is steel cut oats.

3. Instant Oats

They’re of the same school as rolled oats but are more steamed for longer and flatter than rolled oats to cook faster. Just like rolled oats, they have a higher glycemic index that could result in blood sugar fluctuations, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Though the nutritional panels of these plain oats are roughly the same when it comes to picking the best oatmeal to eat to lose weight, steel cut oats are leading the pack because they have a lower glycemic index. Flavored and sweetened oatmeal is nutritionally inferior and adds unnecessary calories and sugar to your diet, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests they increase your risk of weight gain.

Eating Oats for Weight Loss

Now that you’re in the know as to the best oatmeal for weight loss, here are some things to remember when you’re eating it.

1. Mind Your Portion Size

A low calorie oatmeal snack is 1/2 cup dry oats. However, oats are very nutritious and caloric, so larger amounts could result in additional energy intake, which can undo your momentum toward weight loss, according to the Mayo Clinic.

2. Choose Limited or Avoided Sugary Toppings

Don’t add sugar to your oatmeal or load it with butter: While those toppings add sweetness, calories, trans and saturated fats, all of which go counter to weight loss, Cleveland Clinic. Instead, dress up your oatmeal with fresh fruit, a nut butter or seeds for flavor.

3. Skip Flavored Oats

Similarly, skip sweetened or flavored oatmeals and go for plain oatmeal with plant based toppings. Oats that are flavored often contain added sugars that can thwart weight loss, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

4. Ease Into Fiber

If you don’t already eat fiber, ease into it, says the Mayo Clinic. Eating too much fiber too fast can cause gas, bloating or stomach cramping. To help your body adjust to this change, and to keep those symptoms away, slowly add more fiber to your diet for a few weeks until you’re eating the amount your body needs each day.

References

American Academy of Family Physicians: “The amount of fiber in our diets.”

“Fiber: How to increase the amount in your diet.”

American Academy of Family Physicians: “Nutrition for Athletes”

Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council: “Oats”

USDA FoodData Central: “Cereals, Oats, Instant”

Mayo Clinic: "Dietary fiber: an essential part of a healthy diet"

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Oats"

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "2020 - 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"

Current Developments in Nutrition: "Chronic vascular effects of oat phenolic acids and avenanthramides in pre- or stage 1 hypertensive adults"

Cleveland Clinic: "Although my Diabetes Is Controlled — Why am I Gaining Weight?"

Johns Hopkins Medicine: "Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)"

Mayo Clinic: "Back to basics: Counting calories to get back to weight-loss basics"

Mayo Clinic: "Wedges: A glycemic index diet."

Cleveland Clinic: "Weight Loss Tips You Need to Know – The Best (and Only) Weight Loss Tips You’ll Ever Need"