Is Oatmeal Keto-Friendly?

Many people love to consume oatmeal, also known as hot cereal, especially during breakfast.

But, for keto dieters, is oatmeal keto-friendly?

One cup of oatmeal can provide around 27 grams of net carbs. But, this does not mean that this food should be avoided?

In this article, you will learn if this meal fits low-carbohydrate diets, the best keto oatmeal recipes, and low-carb keto alternatives you can eat aside from this food.

Can I Eat Oatmeal On A Keto Diet?

What is Oatmeal

To start, let us give an overview of what oatmeal is.

Generally, oatmeal is a recipe that is made by mixing oat cereals with water or milk. Oats rapidly absorb liquid that is why when they are mixed with substances, they become soft.

Oats are nutritious and are rich in vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and folate.

According to a study in the United Kingdom, these vitamins, especially vitamin E, are essential for skin, hair, muscle, and cellular growth.

Aside from these, they also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc.

According to a study in India, these minerals help in building healthy bones, proper oxygen flow, and regulating blood pressure.

Furthermore, oat cereals are rich in dietary fiber that can reduce the risk of a heart attack. In a clinical review from Kentucky, they can also reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

This means that patients with diabetes would surely benefit from these foods.

There are different varieties of oats and the least processed ones are called whole-grain.

Generally, whole grains are the ones that are packed with the most nutritional benefits.

However, when you cook them, it may take longer.

Most oat cereals are gluten-free. However, depending on the manufacturer of oat products, gluten may still be incorporated.

Thus, if you have a gluten tolerance, make sure that the quick or rolled oats you buy are gluten-free.

How Many Carbs Does Oatmeal Have?

As said, there are many oat varieties and each of these comes with different carb content.

To understand more, you can take a look at the information below:

• Whole-grain oats – Around 28 grams of net carbs per ½ cup
• Oat bran – Around 31 grams of net carbs per ½ cup
• Steel-cut oats – Around 27 grams of net carbs per ½ cup
• Rolled oats – Around 26 grams of net carbs per ½ cup
• Quick oats – Around 13 grams of total carbs per ½ cup
• Instant oatmeal – Around 14 grams of total carbs per ½ cup
• Oat flour – Around 36 grams of carbs per ½ cup

Most of these have a high carb count and many people rely on instant oatmeal and quick oats, instead.

However, although they have lower carbohydrate counts, these are sometimes not gluten-free or dairy-free.

Does Oatmeal Fit In the Keto Diet

So, the question is will this meal fit within the ketogenic diet? Unfortunately, this food is one of the healthy foods keto dieters might want to give up.

Although it offers many health benefits, a small serving of this recipe can kick keto dieters out of ketosis.

While following a keto diet, you are required to take only less than 50 grams of carbs per day. Thus, when you eat oatmeal, this can already exceed your allowed daily carb intake.

Eventually, the consumption of this food can make it difficult for you to lose weight if that is your goal while on a keto diet.

Take note that one cup of oatmeal can also give around 158 calories.

Thus, you should monitor your daily calorie intake whenever you snack on these foods.

Fortunately, there are alternatives for oatmeal which will be discussed in the next sections.

Best Keto Oatmeal Recipes

For beginners to the keto diet, it might be difficult to stop eating oatmeal abruptly. Worry not because you can still take it in moderation.

Some of the best keto oatmeal recipes you can consider will be discussed in this section.

1) Low-carb oatmeal recipe with chia seeds

If you want a low-carb breakfast without skipping oatmeal, you can make it keto-friendly by adding some chia seeds. 

Chia seeds are low-carb foods that are nutritious as well.

Chia seeds are rich in fiber, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, and are effective for supporting cardiovascular health.

Along with chia seeds, you can also add hemp seeds or hemp hearts.

Generally, hemp seeds are also low-carb foods and can give around 2 grams of carbs per cup.

Just like chia seeds, hemp seeds are a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Even if it contains small amounts of keto oats, this keto oatmeal recipe can still keep your body maintain ketosis and support weight loss.

2) Low-carb flaxseed meal

Another low-carb oatmeal recipe includes the use of flax seed. Sometimes, this low-carb keto recipe is referred to as “noatmeal” and it provides around 2.8 grams of carbs per serving. 

To prepare this low-carb oatmeal ketogenic recipe, you can use the stove-top method where all you have to do is mix the ingredients all together just like how you cook regular oatmeal.

However, this time, only sprinkle some oat cereals to produce a ketogenic food.

3) Low-carb porridge keto oatmeal

Again, if you want to sprinkle some oats into your low-carb meal, you can do so. One of the easy-to-make, dairy-free recipes you can try is the low-carb porridge keto oatmeal.

Generally, in this low-carb oatmeal recipe, your base would not be oat cereals. Instead, you will have to use both flax seeds and chia seeds.

Other ingredients you would need are coconut flour, almond milk, heavy cream or coconut cream, and vanilla essence.

If you want to skip almond milk, you can use coconut milk instead. To get a delicious taste, you can add a little bit of stevia or eat some sugar-free cinnamon roll flavoring agent!

Healthy Oatmeal Alternatives for Ketogenic Diet

But, what if you want to skip oatmeal completely? What are the alternatives you can consider?

In this section, we will discuss some low-carb oatmeal recipe alternatives.

1) Matcha Chia Seed Pudding

This is one of the healthy recipes you can try if you want to skip oatmeal.

As we all know, matcha tea benefits healthy fats and is rich in antioxidants that can support proper liver function.

It also contains magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium, which you usually find in oats. 

If you want to get the same health benefits from your regular oats, this low-carb oatmeal alternative might fit you best.

2) Egg muffin

Another low-carb oatmeal alternative is the egg muffin. This meal is rich in protein and can also support healthy bones and skin.

Take note that this is a dairy-free recipe!

To make this low-carb oatmeal alternative more keto-friendly and nutritious, you can add spinach.

According to a study in Korea, spinach is rich in vitamin A and K and comes with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

3) Blueberry scones

To satisfy your sweet tooth while on a ketogenic diet, you can try blueberry scones.

This low-carb oatmeal alternative is rich in vitamin C and can promote healthy collagen production.

One of the ingredients of this low-carb oatmeal alternative is almond flour.

Almond flour contains less than 6 grams of carbs per serving. This is a low-carb flour option and nutritious, too.

According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, almond flour can reduce appetite.

If you are on a keto and you want to lose weight, using almond flour as one of your baking ingredients is highly advised.

In another study from Boston, it was reported that almond flour can also reduce cholesterol levels and regulate blood pressure.

If you wish to skip almond flour, you can try coconut flour. Per cup of coconut flour can give around 12 grams of carbs.

Aside from this, coconut flour is high in fiber. According to a study from Utah, coconut flour can also promote weight loss.

Final Thoughts

Indeed, oatmeal is one of the easy-to-make recipes at home that can provide many health benefits.

However, for keto dieters, this food is not that compatible as it contains high amounts of carbohydrates.

Fortunately, there are alternative recipes that can provide the same benefits as what oatmeal gives.

Still, it is advised to monitor the macronutrient intake to keep the body under ketosis.