Can You Eat Oatmeal On Keto?

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Oatmeal is widely famous as a comforting breakfast dish that is popular for its heavenly creaminess, delicious taste and chewy texture. Oatmeal is pretty versatile as it can be incorporated into a wide range of mouthwatering recipes. On top of that, it’s a great source of essential nutrients, but is it ok to eat oatmeal on a keto diet?

Low-carbohydrate diets restrict the consumption of carbohydrates, however oat fiber is pure insoluble fiber. Dietary fiber is low-carb and keto friendly because it does not dissolve in water and is not absorbed into the digestive tract.

You have already revealed all the benefits of oatmeal in the above sections. Now, the question arises – whether oatmeal is preferred for the keto diet. Are you allowed to eat oatmeal on keto? Or, is there any restriction as such?

Well, oatmeal is 66% carbohydrates including 11% dietary fiber and can’t be directly allowed for those who are following a keto diet. However, there are a few special factors and points that you must note to understand how you can incorporate oatmeal on keto.

What is the keto diet?

Keto diet, alternatively termed as the ketogenic diet, has been so popular nowadays. This diet has three special features i.e. it relies on moderate protein, low-carb, and higher-fat food options.

The high fat diet will even help you when it comes to weight loss because the selection of food is aimed to help you burn excess body fats more effectively. But, how does eating fat help you to lose body fat?

This diet plan will drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat.

Needless to say, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for our body cells, organs, and tissues. Your body will break down carbohydrates into blood sugar or glucose.

However, for the ketogenic diet, the above process won’t be applicable. High consumption of fat will allow your body to shift the energy source from glucose to fat.

Rather, your body will rely on fat (instead of carbohydrates) for getting the required energy. This particular state of the body is known as ketosis where it limits your carb intakes and even shifts consumption to burning fat from stored energy within the body.

Can you eat oatmeal on a low-carb diet?

Oatmeal contains a large percentage of nutritional value in the form of complex carbohydrates. For example, if you consume a big bowl of oatmeals (around 100 grams), it will have carbohydrate content of around 66 grams.

That’s why oatmeal may not be 100% suitable if you are following a strict low-carb diet or keto diet. However, it all depends on which low-carb diet you are following and it’s also based on your personal dietary choice options. Therefore, it is not advised to eat oatmeal on keto.

So, if you can pair up a small portion of oatmeal with a hefty portion of fats and protein, then it will reduce the overall carb intake. In this way, not only will will fulfill your carbohydrate allotment for the day, but it will also further allow you to follow a keto diet regime.

Can you eat oat fiber on a keto diet?

Yes, you can. Oat fiber is the outer hulls of the whole grain oats, which are not digestible in the body, therefore oat fiber is completely keto-friendly.

Oat fiber is not the same as oat flour. It’s not processed from the grounded oat groats. Check out Is Oat Fiber Keto?

Instead, it’s made from the fibrous outer husk of the oat. That’s why it’s purely insoluble fiber.

The best part of oat fiber is that it contains just three grams of dietary carbs per teaspoon. Since its carb content is indigestible compared to the regular oatmeal, it can be a perfect addition to your keto diet.

Why is oatmeal bad for keto?

Oats may not be completely bad for keto, but the only problem lies in its carb content of oatmeal. Since oatmeal is derived from the whole-grain content, it constitutes a good portion of carbs. Therefore, it is generally not advised to eat oatmeal on keto.

As already mentioned, a 100-gram serving of oatmeal will have 66 grams of carbs, including 55 grams of net carbs. Due to its high carb content, oatmeal is not directly preferred for keto.

Note, ketogenic diet followers rely on low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein food options. If you are following a keto diet, you will require to reduce your carb content.

But, it’s not like that your keto diet won’t have any place for a carb-content food option like oatmeal.

Keto diet does not ask you to reduce your carb content to 0%. Rather, you will have to wisely balance out your options.

For example, you can balance your oatmeal (carb content) with other food options that have increased levels of fats and proteins. In this way, your keto diet will be maintained as well as your body will get a wealth of nutrition and health benefits from oatmeal.

Are oatmeal carbs bad?

No, oatmeal carbs are not bad. Rather, these are known as healthy carbs.

Rest assured that these whole, fiber-rich foods are extremely healthy for your body. Most people have a common misconception carbohydrate contents lead to weight gain, but this is not the case for oatmeal.

There is a huge difference between healthy carbs and bad carbs. Healthy carbs will never induce weight gain.

Instead, they supply a bunch of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and many essential nutrients. The perfect example is oatmeal, a nutritionally wholesome food.

On the contrary, bad carbs are closely linked to weight gain. That’s why you are recommended to reduce the intake of bad carbs as much as possible.

For keto diet, you are required to follow a low-carb diet i.e. you should reduce the intake of those food options that contain bad carbs. Since oatmeal is based on healthy carbs, please feel free to include small portions in your calculated diet.

Can you eat oatmeal and still lose weight?

Yes, you can eat oatmeal and you will still lose weight. Oatmeal carbs are essential for your health and in fact the oatmeal diet is entirely based on eating whole grain oats for every meal.

Oatmeal is very filling i.e. it means they will keep your stomach and appetite full for a long time. Plus, they reduce unwanted hunger pains as well.

Furthermore, many bodybuilders and high performance athletes incorporate oatmeal recipes into their power packed diet.

Since oatmeal keeps your stomach full for a significantly long time and decreases hunger pangs, it will definitely help you lose weight. When consumed in moderation, there is no doubt about it.

Keto Oatmeal: Final Thoughts

With this analysis, we have revealed the complete information about eating oatmeal on a keto diet. It’s indeed true that oatmeal is a rich source of carbohydrates, but the good thing is that these are healthy carbs.

Oat fiber is the ultimate addition to the keto diet. Oat fiber is a byproduct of whole grain oats, but it is not oatmeal.

The carbs are net neutral because the insoluble fiber content is not digested in the body. Therefore, the dietary fiber passes though the digestive tract without nutritional value being absorbed.

Modest consumption of healthy carbs will not increase your body weight. In fact, a small amount of healthy carbs are allowed for keto diets, thats why it’s a low carb diet and not a zero carb regimen.

Even if the keto diet focuses on low-carb food options, you can still intake oatmeal without a dilemma (considering it as a healthy carb food option). Just make sure to balance your diet with some high fat and moderate protein food options for the best outcomes.

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