{"id":1670,"date":"2026-02-09T17:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1670"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:15:39","slug":"before-you-knock-it-try-it-what-you-need-to-know-about-oatmeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1670","title":{"rendered":"Before You Knock It, Try It!  What You Need to Know About Oatmeal"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1670\" class=\"elementor elementor-1670\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6ceaf3e7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6ceaf3e7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-110bf26c\" data-id=\"110bf26c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c26983 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-title elementor-page-title elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1c26983\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Before You Knock It, Try It!  What You Need to Know About Oatmeal<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db83cf0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"db83cf0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-49.png?fit=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-1671\" alt=\"Bowl of oatmeal\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-49.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-49.png?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-49.png?resize=819%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-49.png?resize=768%2C960&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67da37b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"67da37b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you think of when you think of oatmeal?\u00a0 Grandmom eating a bowl of mush at the kitchen table?\u00a0 Yup!\u00a0 Me too.\u00a0 But have you tried it?\u00a0 Even though that\u2019s my visual, it\u2019s one of my top go-to breakfasts because of its health benefits and the many ways it can be enjoyed (hot, cold as overnight oats and with so many different topping combos).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So here is what you need to know about adding oatmeal into your daily morning routine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Oatmeal is a Fiber Powerhouse\u00a0<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oatmeal is a soluble fiber or a type of fiber that dissolves in water that forms a gel-like substance in our digestive tract. Why is this great? Because it slows down digestion and aids absorption of nutrients.\u00a0 So what does it help with?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart Health<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0 soluble fiber is attracted to and removes cholesterol pieces benefiting our LDL levels and overall heart disease.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blood Sugar Control<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: by slowing down digestion, blood sugar levels are less likely to spike benefiting those managing blood sugars at home\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weight Management<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: because of that slow digestion, you tend to feel fuller longer preventing you from snacking or eating too much of something<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digestive Heath<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: acts to regulate bowel movements. Yay!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now just keep in mind that oatmeal is a great source of fiber but more fiber is needed in your diet to give you the full effect.\u00a0 To break it down, let\u2019s say 1 cup of oatmeal contains about 4 grams of fiber but women are striving for 25 grams per day and men for 38 grams per day.\u00a0 So add this to your diet along with other great sources of fiber too to get to your goal!<\/span><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Not All Oats are the Same<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steel cut, rolled, old fashioned, instant, quick?\u00a0 What is the best?\u00a0 What is the difference?\u00a0 Well the more we play with the oat itself aka process it, the less we love them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Best choice<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Steel cut wins! It is the least processed since it is only cut into 2-3 pieces with steel disks, leaving it to have the highest amount of fiber. That being said it does take longer to cook.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Middle ground<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0 Rolled, old fashioned and quick oats fall into this category.\u00a0 They are convenient because they take less time to cook, but tend to be less fiber filled because of the way they are processed (bran removed\/cut into smaller pieces).\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Least favorite<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Instant oats.\u00a0 Yes, they are super quick in the microwave, but they tend to have less fiber than the others and typically are pre-sweetened adding more sugar than we need.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Yes, Oats have Protein!\u00a0<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we know from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1624\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">last week\u2019s blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, protein continues to be a hot topic.\u00a0 So yay that oatmeal has protein, but is it enough?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">About a half a cup of oatmeal alone has about 5 g protein.\u00a0 So yes, there is protein in oatmeal but not enough to cover your protein intake for the morning.\u00a0 Try adding Greek yogurt, milk, nuts\/nut butters, seeds or a side of hardboiled egg(s) to pump up the protein to kick off your day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Toppings Make a Difference\u00a0<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toppings can really add to your oatmeal to make it better BUT it can also do the opposite&#8230; For example adding syrup, candy, chocolate or sugar can really deplete the benefits of the oatmeal, but so many toppings add more protein, more fiber and other nutrients that our body loves and benefits from.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some toppings\/additive ideas to give a try:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peanut butter\/peanut butter powder\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protein powder<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hemp hearts\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chia seeds<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ground flax seeds\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any type of nut\/seed (hello crunch!)\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cinnamon<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vanilla\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greek yogurt\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fruit (dried, fresh, frozen or canned)\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The take away is oatmeal is a blank slate, pick what is best for you and your body to enhance it!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Oats are Gluten Free!\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those of you with gluten intolerance or Celiac disease, oats are your friend BUT be sure to check that they are marked as certified gluten free (GF). Why?\u00a0 Well unfortunately oats are often processed with wheat so cross contamination can be of concern.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So have I convinced you to add oatmeal into your diet?\u00a0 Or maybe change up the type of oatmeal you buy or what you add to it?\u00a0 Let us know!\u00a0 We love to hear from you!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BONUS: Email <\/span><a href=\"mailto:amandastahlRD@gmail.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">amandastahlRD@gmail.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the subject line \u201cOATMEAL\u201d to gain our overnight oat recipe to try on your own.\u00a0 I\u2019ll send it directly to your mailbox.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enjoy!\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-697\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=136%2C136&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Amanda's signature\" width=\"136\" height=\"136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/simplestartnutrition.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Amanda-.png?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 136px) 100vw, 136px\" \/><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This blog was written by Amanda J. Stahl, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition.\u00a0 For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook.\u00a0 Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">simplestartnutrition.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resources:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2020\/01\/14\/oatmeal-101-health-benefits-and-cooking-tips\/#:~:text=Oatmeal%20has%20a%20lot%20of,Types%20of%20Oatmeal\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.eatrightpa.org\/blog\/2020\/01\/14\/oatmeal-101-health-benefits-and-cooking-tips\/#:~:text=Oatmeal%20has%20a%20lot%20of,Types%20of%20Oatmeal<\/span><\/a><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/start-your-day-with-healthy-oatmeal\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/start-your-day-with-healthy-oatmeal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8980fcb elementor-post-navigation-borders-yes elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-navigation\" data-id=\"8980fcb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-navigation.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post-navigation__prev elementor-post-navigation__link\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1624\" rel=\"prev\"><span class=\"post-navigation__arrow-wrapper post-navigation__arrow-prev\"><i class=\"fa fa-angle-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><span class=\"elementor-screen-only\">Prev<\/span><\/span><span class=\"elementor-post-navigation__link__prev\"><span class=\"post-navigation__prev--label\">Previous<\/span><span class=\"post-navigation__prev--title\">Do You Need to Change How You Eat? 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