People often explore dietary restrictions as a way to overcome various health concerns. Reducing carbohydrate consumption is a common diet, but is it ok to eat overnight oats while you are on a low carb diet?
Being overweight and obese are common problems that leads to various health problems. Therefore, almost every one of us would be trying to find out ways to overcome this problem.
While dieting, exercising and improving lifestyle choices are the best ways to overcome the problem of health issues, in this article we will be looking at a very special low carb diet that is catching the attention of thousands of health conscious individuals.
So, can you eat overnight oats on a low carb diet? Oats are a whole grain plant based food that is packed with 33 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Based on the high carb content, overnight oats are not recommended for eating while on a low carb diet.
Many of them believe that eating overnight oats could be considered as an effective food item even while sticking to low carb diet. However, not many people are aware of strict dietary requirements and specifics of the food selection.
We hope by the end of this article, the readers will be able to have a reasonably good idea about eating overnight oats while on this particular type of diet. We will discuss the role that carbohydrates from overnight oats could play in the results of a low carb.
Is it healthy to eat overnight oats?
While there are two schools of thought regarding eating overnight oats, if you ask any experts they will certainly say overnight oats are healthy and vouch for the various health benefits associated with eating oatmeal.
It is hard to deny that whole grain oats are healthy, you can even make vegan overnight oats, but that doesn’t stop them from putting your lo-carb diet at risk.
Here are some highlight that we hope give you a new perspective about eating overnight oats:
- It could increase overall digestibility. When oats are soaked overnight it is almost equal to cooking, however the process happens much longer and slower. Most importantly it is done without heat as soaking helps to break down starch-content in the oats and bring down the levels of natural phytic acid. Experts believe that this reduction could lead to better absorption of the various nutrients that are available in the oats. It also could become easier to digest compared to cooked oatmeal.
- They also could contain increased quantities of resistant starch. Resistant starch is found in almost all food items and the quantity is perhaps more in overnight-soaked oats when compared to cooked oats. Resistant Starch or RS could help in improving weight loss and digestion. In fact, overnight oats are good for weight loss because they are a rich source of fiber which helps to increase the feeling of fullness.
- No cook oats are also versatile. From blueberry lemon overnight oats to banana yogurt overnight oats are just the beginning. Explore the endless variety of fun, tasty and unique recipe ideas.
- Most importantly, oats are not expensive. If you are on a budget and would like to enjoy a nutritious food that has all the required ingredients, soaked oats make a healthy and affordable meal prep that makes you feel full for longer periods of time.
Are Overnight Oats Keto?
This is a common question that often comes to the minds of people who are planning to switch over to overnight oats diet. So, is eating overnight oats considered to be part of a keto diet?
No, overnight oats cannot be a part of any keto diet because oats contain relatively high levels of carbohydrates that are not proportionate to the fat, fiber and protein content.
According to experts, it may not be suitable to eat oatmeal on keto as it is a grain-derived food. For all those who are planning to go in for a keto lifestyle, the carb based foods are mostly off limits.
This doesn’t mean that oats are bad for weight loss. Eating oatmeal can reduce belly fat and the oatmeal diet is an entire regimen centered around eating oatmeal for every meal.
How many carbs are in oats overnight?
Each serving of rolled oats contains a 33 grams of carbs per serving, which include 3 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of total sugars. Rolled oats also contain 3 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein.
Additionally, there are many other essential vitamins and nutrients that are part of each serving of overnight oats. You get a variety of micronutrients as well as receiving beneficial plant based compounds and antioxidants.
These include vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin C. You also get some health minerals like copper, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, Selenium, riboflavin, Phosphorous, and zinc apart from traces of other minerals like Thiamin and Pantothenic acid.
Hence, when all the above are taken into account, oats are certainly high quality carbs that are easily digestible apart from being packed with many other important nutrients.
Are there low carb oats?
Though there are different types of oats, there are no such thing as low carb oats.
On the whole, there is no doubt that overnight oats are not fattening and are one of the best foods for weight loss and improving overall health problems. Each serving as mentioned above contains around 33 grams of high quality carbohydrates.
To be considered for a low carb diets, the portion size of oats must be substantially reduced and the meal must be packed with higher amounts of fat and protein.
There are reasons to believe that overnight oats could be one of the healthiest food options, but that doesn’t imply that it is good for lo carb eaters. The reason for this has been explained above.
For example, overnight coats are a rich source of RS or Resistant Starch. This helps in ensuring that you get the required energy for your day to activities, and also have the stamina for workouts and exercises.
At the same time, the carbs get burned out quite easily compared to other types of oats where the digestive system and the metabolism process is often put under strain. If you are looking for low carb diets, oats are simply not recommended.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that there are a number of obvious benefits for eating oats. As far as eating overnight oats while on a low carb diet is concerned, the amount of carbohydrates in whole grain oats exceed the recommended values of a reduced carb diet.
Though there could be some people who may have a different opinion and viewpoint about the issue, it seems that the 33 grams of carbohydrates per serving are far greater than the recommended daily intake based on a low carb diet plan.