Is oatmeal bad for you? Let’s talk about it.

The small packets of flavored oatmeal contain a lot of sugar, and even though they may be marketed as healthy—they’re not.

But what about unsweetened oatmeal?

Here are three things you might not know about unsweetened oatmeal:

1. Certain studies show a significant improvement in blood sugar and cholesterol. However, the control in one of these studies is white bread. The study also only showed an improvement in blood sugar right after the meal.

Part of the study referring to cholesterol was only on consuming beta-glucan, which is an isolated compound in oatmeal. In a different study, the participants all had diabetes, and they didn’t see a change in their blood glucose levels.

2. Oats contain a type of gluten called avenin. This protein has been known to increase cytokines.

3. Oat products have often been treated with glyphosate. The World Health Organization classifies glyphosate as a carcinogen.

It may be beneficial to skip breakfast altogether and give intermittent fasting a try. If you do consume breakfast, eggs would be a healthier choice than oatmeal.

DATA:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21843037/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3524229/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21294744/

https://www.ewg.org

https://www.ewg.org