Is Oatmeal Good For You When Trying To Lose Weight

Who knew that a single bowl of this go-to easy breakfast may help lower your cholesterol, encourage weight loss, and keep your gut healthy.

Oatmeal seems so innocent, but it’s actually one of the more polarizing breakfasts. On one hand, it’s gained a reputation as this uninteresting, gluey, plain slop sprinkled with raisins. On the other, social media has raised up oatmeal as something droolworthy, piled high with pretty toppings. (Go search #oatmeal on Instagram right now.)

If you haven’t been on team oatmeal, it’s time to give it another shot. Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast that's packed with complex carbohydrates (including fiber), vitamins, and minerals, and it can be an excellent vehicle for nutritious toppings like nuts, seeds, and fruit, says Ginger Hultin, RDN, Seattle-based owner of Ginger Hultin Nutrition and author of the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep e-book.

What Really Happens To Your Body When You Eat Oats Every Day

What’s more, oats are naturally gluten-free, making them a good source of carbs for people with specific dietary needs (such as those with celiac disease), says Hultin. (Some oats can still contain traces of gluten, however, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation, so always check the brand you’re buying.)

Another thing to pay attention to is the type of oats you’re eating. For the most health benefits, opt for steel-cut, old-fashioned, or rolled oats instead of instant or quick oats. Although these choices have about the same amount of fiber, steel-cut oats are lowest on the glycemic index, per Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That means your body will digest them more slowly, helping keep blood sugar and energy levels more stable.

A bowl of oats can help you consume the recommended amount of fiber per day. According to the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans (PDF) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),  men under 50 years old should aim for at least 31 grams (g) per day, while women in the same age group should eat 25 g or more per day. Most Americans are eating just half of that, points out the International Food Information Council Foundation. With 4 g of fiber per cup, cooked oatmeal covers about 14 percent of the daily value (DV) of this nutrient, making it a good source, according to the USDA. Eating a diet rich in whole grains and other food sources of fiber has been shown to be protective against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast, colon, and rectal cancers, according to one study.

Oatmeal Mistakes To Avoid, Plus The Health Benefits Of Oats

A bowl of oats is rich in carbs, so to make your morning meal more balanced, you can add toppings that are packed with protein and healthy fat, says Hultin. Try nuts like walnuts, almonds, or pecans; nut butter like almond or peanut butter; or seeds like chia, hemp, or ground flax. “These add protein, unsaturated fats, and even more fiber, ” she says. Fresh fruit is another option — try sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries for additional nutrients and fiber, per the National Institute on Aging.

The fiber in oats is good for your overall health, but it’s particularly important for a well-functioning digestive system, points out the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Not only do oats provide insoluble fiber, which promotes regularity, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, but also soluble fiber, according to Mayo Clinic. Sources of soluble fiber have prebiotic properties, per Oregon State University. “This can help feed the good bacteria living in the gut for a healthier microbiome, ” says Hultin.

Oats pack a particular soluble fiber called beta-glucan, notes one review. “The soluble fiber in oats has been shown to decrease cholesterol. It acts like a Roto-Rooter to clear out cholesterol that may be building up in arterial walls, ” explains Jessica Crandall Snyder, RDN, CEO of Vital RD in Centennial, Colorado. Daily intake of 3 or more grams of beta-glucan was found to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol compared with control groups, according to a meta-analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials. An elevated LDL cholesterol level raises your risk of heart disease, notes the American Heart Association (AHA). Oatmeal’s cholesterol-lowering benefit is one reason people who eat oats are 14 percent less likely to have cardiovascular disease compared with oat-avoiders, research shows. That same study found that, compared with people who eat the least amount of oats, those who eat the most also have a 22 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Is Oatmeal Healthy?

Another win for oatmeal’s soluble fiber: It may help reduce visceral fat, the type of fat in your midsection that hugs your organs and raises your risk of heart disease and stroke — even if your body mass index is deemed normal, notes the AHA. According to a study that looked at adults who have type 2 diabetes, oats helped reduce blood sugar, blood lipids, and weight better than a control group that ate a healthy diet but no oats. Snyder points to research that looked at a variety of lifestyle factors that lead to a reduction in visceral fat and prevented its accumulation over the years: “They found soluble fiber was one of the biggest things that helped clear out fat stores in this area, ” she says.

When you belly up to a bowl in the morning, you’re serving up B vitamins, plus minerals including manganese, iron, magnesium, and zinc, says Hultin. For example, 1 cup of cooked oats has about 2 milligrams (mg) of iron, or 11 percent of your DV, per the USDA. As the NIH points out, iron energizes the body and helps trigger the process of carrying oxygen through your body from your lungs. Oats also provide 2 mg of zinc, a nutrient necessary for immune function, according to the NIH, which is 18 percent of your daily need.

Often, you think about fruits and veggies offering disease-fighting antioxidants, but your bowl of oatmeal is brimming with them, too. Hultin points to a study that shows that oats contain a range of antioxidants that, among other functions, improve the gut microbiome to boost health and potentially reduce the risk of chronic disease. “My specialty is working with people with cancer and other chronic diseases, and I often recommend oats for the healthful nutrients and antioxidants they provide, ” she says. But did you really need another reason to grab a spoon?

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Oatmeal: the most innocent of breakfasts. At least that's probably what you though until other FKA healthy foods—like granola—started taking a hit. (Dear god, the sugar...)

Let’s cover the basics first. This is what you're getting when you prep that half cup of plain old rolled oats in the a.m.:

Oatmeal For Weight Loss: Maximize Benefits Of This Nutrient

For starters, oats are a whole grain and complex carbohydrate and that’s pretty great, says New York-based R.D. Jessica Cording. “It will break down more slowly in your body than white rice and white bread, ” she says. It’s also a good source of B vitamins and iron, she points out. Oats also have fiber that can help keep you feeling fuller, longer, and keep your blood sugar stable, Rumsey says.

BTW: You’ve probably seen steel cut and rolled oats on shelves and wondered if one is better than the other. Steel-cut oats, in case you don’t know, are whole oat kernels (also known as, yes, groats) that have been chopped into two or three pieces with a steel blade.

Rolled oats, on the other hand, have been dehusked and steamed, before they were rolled into flat flakes, Rumsey explains. Steel-cut oats take longer to cook, but they’re actually pretty similar in nutrients to rolled oats since they both come from oat groats, she says.

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However, it’s worth keeping in mind that instant or quick-cooking oats are more broken down, so they are digested faster than rolled or steel-cut oats, and may not keep you full for quite as long. (Yeah, sorry about that.)

While oatmeal is a pretty healthy food on its own, people tend to do some not-so-healthy stuff with it like loading it up with brown sugar or adding dried raisins to it.

“Then you’re just putting carbs on top of

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