What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast
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Starting your day with a bowl of oatmeal can be a healthy choice, but how it affects your blood sugar depends on the type of oatmeal you use and what you add to it. Here’s how oatmeal affects blood sugar and how to make it more blood sugar-friendly.
Oatmeal is high in carbohydrates. As your body digests the oats, these carbohydrates are converted to glucose and released into your bloodstream, increasing blood sugar levels. However, the magnitude of this increase varies depending on the type of oatmeal you eat.
“Less processed varieties, like steel-cut oats, are digested slowly, causing a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels,” says Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD, registered dietitian, writer and founder of Nutrimental. Health.
Research shows that eating minimally processed oats, such as steel-cut oats, results in a much smaller rise in blood sugar and insulin after a meal compared to more processed oats like rolled or instant oats, which are digested much more quickly.
Toppings and mix-ins can also influence how oatmeal affects your blood sugar. Sweeteners like sugar, maple syrup or jam increase the overall carbohydrate content of the meal and add fast-digesting carbohydrates that can cause blood sugar to rise more quickly.
The glycemic index (GI) is a rating system that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods on a scale of 0 to 100 based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels. Foods with a score of 70 or higher are considered high GI and have a greater impact on blood sugar, while low GI foods (55 or lower) result in a slower, more modest increase.
Here is the ranking of common oat varieties with regard to glycemic index (GI):
- Steel Cut Oats: 53, Low
- Oatmeal: 56, moderate
- Instant oats: 75, high
When it comes to controlling blood sugar, lower GI oats, like steel-cut oats, are the best option.
Here’s how a 40-gram serving of common types of oats compares nutritionally:
| Steel Cut Oats | Oatmeal | Maple-Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal | |
| Calories | 150 | 150 | 166 |
| Protein | 5 grams (g) | 5g | 3.98g |
| Crabs | 27g | 27g | 33g |
| Fiber | 4g | 4g | 3.1g |
| Fat | 2.5g | 2.5g | 3g |
The nutritional differences between oatmeal and rolled oats are minimal. However, due to processing, steel-cut oats take longer to be digested by the body, which is better for blood sugar control.
Instant oats are often higher in calories and carbohydrates and lower in protein and fiber, making them a less healthy choice.
If you have diabetes, you’ve probably heard that you should limit your carb intake, especially processed carbs like instant oats. However, you don’t have to completely give up nutritious carbohydrate sources.
“Less processed oatmeal, such as steel flakes, can lower your post-meal blood sugar and insulin response,” says Stacy Heimburger, MD, board-certified internist, lifestyle physician and founder of SugarFreeMD. Health. This is because these types of oats take longer to break down, leading to a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar.
Oats are also rich in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that helps maintain stable blood sugar levels by slowing down how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream, leading to a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
It’s also important to pay attention to your toppings and portion size. Even a nutritious staple like oatmeal can work against you if you’re not careful about how much you serve and what you mix in it.
- Choose steel-cut or old-fashioned oats over instant oats: When possible, choose less processed oats which digest more slowly and produce gentler increases in blood sugar.
- Pay attention to portion size: To keep carbs and calories in check, aim for about ½ cup of uncooked oatmeal (1 cup cooked).
- Add protein, healthy fats and fiber: Top your oatmeal with healthy sources of protein, fiber, and fat, like chia seeds, collagen peptides, Greek yogurt, nut butters, and fresh fruit.
- Avoid high-sugar toppings: Ajmera suggested skipping large amounts of syrup, brown sugar or sweetened dried fruit and enhancing the flavor with cinnamon, vanilla or fresh fruit.
- Read the labels: If you buy instant oatmeal, choose unsweetened oatmeal or oatmeal with low added sugar, ideally less than 4 grams (1 teaspoon) per serving.
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