You count on a bowl of oatmeal to start your day and renew your energy levels, but choosing some types may cause your blood sugar to rise and fall too quickly. Oatmeal contains fiber, which is a substance most commonly associated with maintaining blood sugar levels. Because other blood sugar increasing additives, like sugar, are added to oatmeal, some types may impact your blood sugar more than others. Understanding how each type affects you can help to keep you healthy.
Fiber and Oatmeal
If you are paying careful attention to your carbohydrate count, fiber can be a confusing substance. Foods like oatmeal contain fiber and are technically considered carbohydrates. However, you likely consider carbohydrate foods as those that impact your blood sugar levels. Fiber-containing foods, however, are carbohydrates that do not increase your blood sugar levels. This is because your body cannot digest fiber. Instead, fiber adds bulk to your stool, which helps to move it through your body. This can delay how fast your body breaks down other foods, which can help to keep your blood sugar levels steady. Oatmeal is an example of a food that contains soluble fiber, which helps improve blood sugar control if eaten in suitable amounts.
Instant Oatmeal
While oatmeal types like steel-cut oatmeal are considered good for you, instant oatmeal may be on the list of those to avoid. This is because instant oatmeal often has additives like sugar and dried fruits. Both of these can contribute to spikes in your blood sugar and increase the carbohydrate count, which you must account for if you are a diabetic. DLife, a website dedicated to healthy diabetic living, calls instant oatmeal one of its "6 Bad Breakfasts for Blood Sugar" and recommends the slow-cooking kind instead.
Recommended Types
Steel-cut oats work better for blood sugar control because they are made from roasted whole oats that have been processed minimally. While these oats take about 30 minutes to cook, they are a good option for blood sugar control. Other healthy oatmeals include old-fashioned rolled oats and Irish oats, notes dLife.
Considerations
When choosing an oatmeal that will not adversely impact your blood sugar levels, read the nutrition label for the amount of sugars in the oatmeal and look for ingredients that indicate sugar has been added. Examples include sucrose or other ingredients ending in -ose or -ol, which can indicate the presence of sugar. Also, look for an oatmeal that contains at least 3 g of fiber, which can indicate it is a healthy choice. This portion of the food label is under the "Carbohydrates" section. You also can look for indicators like "Good Source of Fiber," which indicates the food contains between 2.5 and 4.75 g of fiber per serving or "High Fiber," which indicates the food has 5 g of fiber or more, according to Colorado State University Extension.
References
- Quaker Oats: Oats and Blood Glucose Levels
- Diabetic Living; Stabilize Blood Glucose with Oats; Kristi Thomas
- Joslin Diabetes Center: How Does Fiber Affect Blood Glucose Levels?
- DLife: 6 Bad Breakfasts for Blood Sugar
- Colorado State University; Understanding the Food Label; J. Anderson, et al.; December 2010
