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Oatmeal is delicious and a convenient breakfast and a good source of fibre, vitamins and nutrients. Hence, it is usually considered a healthy food choice but Is oatmeal keto1 friendly? Here’s what you need to know.
It is easy to cook an oatmeal recipe; you can do it on the stove, in the microwave, or in the cooker. Overnight oats are also quite popular. You can soak the oats overnight in milk, water, or yogurt, and have it the next morning.
1. What is Oatmeal?
A breakfast food item made out of oats with either milk or water is called oatmeal. This superfood is not just a comfort food but also one with healthy fats and a good meal to start your day with.
Oatmeal has vitamins like Vitamin E, B, and Vitamin K, making it a healthy meal. If you love oatmeal, instant oatmeal packets are available in the market making your breakfast routine easier. If you have a gluten allergy2, gluten-free oatmeal is available in the market if you are on a gluten-free diet.
2. Health Benefits of Oatmeal Breakfast
- Decreases cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) – Oatmeal has the soluble fibre beta-glucan, which helps reduce the total cholesterol levels and bad cholesterol levels.
- Good for gut health3
- Improved bowel movement
- Increases antioxidants in the body – Oats are rich in antioxidants known as avenanthramides4, and this antioxidant is found only in oats. Nitric oxide helps to widen blood vessels and boost blood flow, and avenanthramides do a good job of increasing this production. This antioxidant can help lower your blood pressure too.
- Manage your weight well by making you feel full. Since following a keto diet aids in quick weight loss, and benefits HDL5, the good cholesterol, it might help prevent coronary heart disease.
- Relief from itching and skin irritation – If you are on a ketogenic diet and cannot include oatmeal, you can try using it on your skin. It works as a good scrub, and many of these oatmeal-based beauty products will help to reduce skin irritation and itchiness.
- Reduces blood sugar levels – Oatmeal contains the soluble fiber beta-glucan which is useful for reducing blood sugar levels.
- Reduces the chances of colon cancer
3. Different Types of Oatmeal
Different types of oats are available in the market based on whole oat kernel. They are:
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Instant Oats – steamed and flaked oat groats are called instant oats
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Irish Oats – The whole oat kernel is fully cut up in Irish oats, also known as steel-cut oats. It will take around 20 minutes of cooking time.
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Oat Groats – there is no cutting or grinding in this type of oats; it is the whole oat kernel and takes around 50-60 minutes of cooking time after the water boils.
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Rolled Oats – this type of oats can also be called the conventional or the regular type of oats. The oat groats are thicker than instant oats. The cooking time of rolled oats is longer than instant oats because of this.
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Scottish Oats – this type of oats is similar to steel-cut oats, just that it is ground instead of being cut.
4. Is Oatmeal Keto Friendly?
This brings us to the topic, is oatmeal keto-friendly? If you are on a ketogenic diet and want to add oatmeal to your breakfast ritual, you might have to skip it because oatmeal is not keto-friendly.
Eating something that will fit into your keto diet if you are following one is important. Different types of foods are available to suit the keto diet because they have no carbohydrates in them, or the carb intake is less. The body burns fat when it consumes less carbohydrate intake, which can put your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
In ketosis, the liver converts fat into ketones, which can be used for energy by the other organs in your body.
Half a cup of oatmeal is said to contain around 51 grams of carbohydrates with 8 grams of fiber. The oatmeal will have 43 grams of net carbs which can put you over your carbohydrate requirement if you want to consume less carbohydrates.
5. Oatmeal Alternatives for Those on a Keto Diet
For all those on a keto diet, it is advisable to avoid having oatmeal because it will not help with your weight loss. There are options in the ketogenic diet, and they can be classified as a low-carb diet with moderate protein, and higher-fat food options.
Let us look at some of the oatmeal alternatives you can try eating if you are on a keto diet and looking for a substitute for this breakfast cereal. You can whip up good low-carb keto recipes with good dietary fibre, and they can be called a superfood.
5.1. Hemp Hearts Porridge
Hemp seeds have good nutritional value and health benefits, and the low-carb Hemp Hearts Porridge is an excellent substitute for your morning cereal. The flavour borders closer to nuts, and you can add some keto-friendly ingredients, like chia seeds, to suit your taste buds.
Hemp seeds have minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur, and zinc, and healthy fats like Omega-3 and Omega-6. This keto oatmeal breakfast with Hemp Hearts is gluten-free, easy to digest, and a good way to begin your day.
5.2. Keto Oatmeal
Is oatmeal keto-friendly? Keto oatmeal is coined by those who follow a keto diet, and a keto oatmeal recipe is good for health if you include almond flour, chia seeds, nuts, and unsweetened shredded coconut. These ingredients are good if you are following a keto diet, and will give you a high protein, high fat, and high fibre superfood.
5.3. Noatmeal
When the keto diet caught on with people, and keto oatmeal started to become popular, the word noatmeal was formed. Noatmeal is low-carb oatmeal, has more protein, and has a net carb of five grams compared to regular oatmeal.
There are a lot of delicious recipes for your morning keto oatmeal recipe that will make your breakfast routine exciting. The meal prep time for these recipes is just a few minutes and is perfect for the morning before you start the day.
6. Keto Oatmeal Recipes
6.1. Keto Oatmeal Recipe
This keto oatmeal recipe is gluten- and sugar-free; you can cook it on a stove or microwave. Customize it with options to suit your palate. Cinnamon is a good way to add flavour if you are on a keto diet.
Ingredients and steps-
- Almond flour or ground almonds
- Whole hemp seeds or ground hemp seeds
- Whole flax seed or ground flax seed
- Black or white chia seeds
- Unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
- Heat the almond milk on the stove or microwave, and add almond flour along with the other dry ingredients
- Cook them together till it thickens and to your desired consistency
- Pour it into a bowl while still hot, and use your favourite toppings to garnish
- This low-carb breakfast will be perfect if you are on a keto diet. In case you want to avoid cooking in the morning, you can soak all the dry ingredients in milk overnight and cook in the morning.
6.2. No-Oats Keto Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients and steps-
- Chia seeds
- Flax seed
- Nuts (of your choice)
- Almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk of your choice)
- Cook them together to the consistency you prefer, and if you want to make it creamy, adding some heavy whipping cream (HWC) will help.
- Coconut flakes or shredded coconut flour are good alternatives if you are on a low-carb diet.
6.3. Keto Coconut Flour Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients and Steps-
- Coconut flour
- Shredded coconut
- Nut butter (either almond butter or peanut butter)
- Flax seed (ground)
- Almond milk
- Fresh or frozen berries for topping
- Mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat.
- Serve hot.
- You can use blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries as a topping.
- The mixture becomes if you cook for a longer time. You can add nut milk to get the consistency you prefer.
7. Keto Bread Recipe
Keto bread is good to help you with your cravings. This recipe is easy to make, and you can have that perfect for sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
7.1. Ingredients
- Large eggs (7)
- Butter melted and cooled (1/2 cup)
- Olive oil (2 tbsp)
- Blanched almond flour (2 cups)
- Baking Powder (1 tsp)
- Sea salt (1/2 tsp)
- Xanthan gum (1/2 tsp)
- Cooking spray
7.2. Steps
- Grease the tray with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk the eggs till they are smooth, and blend well with melted butter and olive oil.
- Mix almond flour, baking powder, sea salt, and xanthan gum in another tray. Mix the two mixtures till they blend together well, and the batter is thick.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven.
8. In the End
Is oatmeal keto-friendly? Oatmeal is not recommended for those who prefer to be in ketosis. A combination of chia seeds, flax seeds, and nuts is a good choice if you are looking for a keto-friendly alternative with a delicious taste.
Healthy keto protein powder is also available in the market, has a good balance of protein and nutrients, and is low in net carbs.
9. FAQs
Q1. What Can I Use Instead of Oats for Keto?
Flaxmeal – This is another ingredient that works well as a substitute or addition to regular oatmeal. Full of juice and omega-3. Chia Seeds – Chia seeds are a great food, like flaxseeds, that have an oat-like consistency when added to liquid.
Q2. Is Oatmeal High in Carbs?
According to the USDA, ½ cup of dry oats (or 1 cup of cooked oats) contains about 27 grams of carbohydrates. But that’s not really a bad thing; Oats are actually high in healthy carbohydrates that your body needs for fuel
Q3. Is Oatmeal a Carb or Bad Carb?
A good source of carbohydrates and fibre, including the powerful fibre beta-glucan (1). It is also a source of high-quality protein and a good balance of amino acids (2).
- Gillespie, Rachel, and Gene J. Ahlborn. “Mechanical, sensory, and consumer evaluation of ketogenic, gluten‐free breads.” Food Science & Nutrition 9.6 (2021): 3327-3335. ↩︎
- Cabanillas, Beatriz. “Gluten-related disorders: Celiac disease, wheat allergy, and nonceliac gluten sensitivity.” Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 60.15 (2020): 2606-2621. ↩︎
- Fassarella, Marina, et al. “Gut microbiome stability and resilience: elucidating the response to perturbations in order to modulate gut health.” Gut (2020). ↩︎
- Yu, Yonghui, et al. “The progress of nomenclature, structure, metabolism, and bioactivities of oat novel phytochemical: avenanthramides.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 70.2 (2022): 446-457. ↩︎
- Rohatgi, Anand, et al. “HDL in the 21st century: a multifunctional roadmap for future HDL research.” Circulation 143.23 (2021): 2293-2309. ↩︎
- Musa-Veloso, Kathy, et al. “A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effects of oats and oat processing on postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses.” The Journal of nutrition 151.2 (2021): 341-351. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology