The world of weight loss tips and tricks is murky. And if you’re looking for something that will effectively supplement your grueling workouts, you might get lost in a sea of foods, drinks, and condiments that are touted by magazines and blogs as a “magical” cure to that stubborn flab. Oatmeal water happens to be one such drink that doesn’t have enough research behind it to fully validate its use as a weight loss tool. So while it’s important to remember that there are no shortcuts to losing weight, there are certain things that oatmeal water could help with.
Oatmeal Water Is Low-Calorie And Might Prevent Overeating
A cup of oatmeal contains only 140 calories. And when combined with water, you’re essentially getting about 46 calories per cup of oat water. Considering the fact that you need to watch your caloric intake while trying to lose weight, you can rest assured that oat water won’t pack on the pounds.1
Drinking oatmeal water before you sit down to eat might also help prevent blood sugar spikes. And although it is often assumed that diabetics are the only ones who should worry about blood sugar levels, research indicates that it should be of concern to people who are watching their weight as well. This is because spikes in sugar cause the blood to produce more insulin so as to move all that glucose into muscle and other cells. Initially, this will give you a rush of energy. Once the rush depletes, you’re likely to feel fatigued, shaky, and hungry, giving way to cravings and overeating.
Oatmeal water when had before meals can prevent this from happening by slowing down the flow of glucose and ensuring the gradual release of insulin in the bloodstream.2 So, you could sip a glass of oatmeal water before you’ve had a meal, especially if you’re planning to have refined carbohydrates.3
Oatmeal Water Does Not Offer Any Nutritional Benefits
Oatmeal water is made by blending one cup of raw oats with 3 cups of water, which is strained later on. This leads to a few nutritional loopholes that you should be aware of.
1. Cooked Or Soaked Oats Might Be Better Than Raw Oats
It might seem simple to consume raw oats. But cooking them is believed to release some nutrients that our bodies can’t extract from raw oats.4
Oats are high in phytic acid, the storage form of phosphorus, which lowers the absorption of nutrients in the body. Cooking oats is an essential way to reduce the phytic acid content in them. Alternatively, you could soak the oats in water overnight, sieve them, and then use them in the oat water recipe.5
2. Oatmeal Water Is Low In Fiber
Since all oatmeal water recipes include straining the oat and water mixture, all the valuable fiber that it is well known for is lost. In fact, most commercial brands of oatmeal water have little to no fiber in them. Fiber promotes satiety and prevents overeating and studies have found that consuming at least 30 grams of fiber every day can help with weight loss.6
3. Oatmeal Water Has Little To No Nutrients
Although oatmeal itself is high in B vitamins, vitamin A, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium, the same can’t be said for oat water.7 Most of the nutrients are lost when oat water is strained. In addition to this, since a cup of oats is diluted in 4 cups of water, a cup of oat water will only give you 1/3 of the nutrition than just a cup of oats would.
Opt For Packaged Oat Milk Or A Bowl Of Porridge Instead
Unfortunately, oatmeal water might not help you lose weight. While you could drink it in the place of water, it might be better to try packaged, fortified oat milk, which can offer you some protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Besides this, you could try a good old-fashioned bowl of oatmeal.8
Research indicates that 2 servings of this whole grain are the best way to make the most of all the nutrition that it has to offer. Studies have also found that having oatmeal for breakfast reduced hunger pangs and overeating during lunch. This could be why a bowl of oatmeal is often linked to lowered weight and abdominal fat.9 10 You could have a plain bowl of oats and milk or top it up with honey, berries, and seeds for added nutrition.
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