Raghav Gupta shares why adding sugar to your bowl of oats might not be a great idea
Oats is a ‘star grain’ at the moment. Tiktokers are showing off clean eating hacks with oatmeal pancakes, Instagram foodies are trying the baked oatmeal trend, many are keen on exploring oats. Given its many nutritional benefits, it’s not hard to see why.
A great source of protein, oats can contain as much protein as two whole eggs per 100 gm. It’s one of the reasons why nutritionists and dieticians recommend oats as a part of your daily diet. The protein in oats helps one feel fuller and satiated, keeping hunger pangs at bay. It also aids muscle growth and fat loss when paired with a healthy lifestyle.
However, that’s not the only reason to love the humble grain. Oats are a powerhouse of energy-giving complex carbohydrates. Unlike refined carbs like maida, complex carbs are found in whole grains such as oats. Complex carbs are slow-releasing, which means that they take longer to digest and get absorbed into the body, which makes the digestive system take up more energy to digest and burn more calories in the interim.
By itself, oats are full of micro and macronutrients. The problem arises when it is combined with additives, flavourings and worst of all — refined sugar.
Oats are naturally a low GI (glycemic index) food. This means that, unlike unhealthy sugar-rich foods, consuming oats does not cause massive spikes in your insulin. The complex carbs and the unique fibre called beta glucan in oats are mainly the reason behind this benefit. Since oats get absorbed into the body at a slow pace, it aids in controlling the sugar levels released into the body and regulates it.
What happens when sugar or high-calorie additives are added to oats?
To put it simply, there is an adverse effect on the body. Sugar adds to the energy of oats and makes the dish fattening instead of nutritious. Excess energy/calories from sugar get stored in the body’s fat tissues. In the long run, fat can cause health issues and be detrimental to the overall quality of one’s life.
Especially right now, when most of us are spending more and more time at home or offices with reduced physical activity, adding sugar to our daily routine can be damaging.
But what about those ‘healthy’ oats cookies?
It is very important to go through the ingredients of any food item you pick out off a store shelf. While many products claim to be sugar-free, low-fat, or cholesterol-free, they might not be as healthy as they look. There are about 50+ known variants of sugar, most of which are as bad for you as sugar. Sucrose, fructose, brown sugar, molasses, all exhibit qualities similar to sugar and can have similar effects on your body.
Grabbing a chocolate oatmeal cookie, oats chivda, or oats brownie might look like the healthier choice, but it also depends on the amount of sugar used in it.
How much sugar in your oats is too much sugar?
Holistically speaking, there is no good or bad food by definition. While sugar has a bad reputation in the world due to its correlations with obesity, diabetes and major lifestyle diseases, it’s often the amount of sugar consumed that’s to be blamed.
Maybe an occasional teaspoon of sugar in your bowl of post-workout oats smoothie would not be life-threatening. Or a homemade oatmeal tart sweetened with negligible amounts of sugar won’t instantly be a cause of disease. That being said, the key is to involve sugar responsibly and other sweeteners in your oats. The addictive properties of sugar are well-known. While the best option would be to skip it altogether, being educated about what you eat and making informed decisions while preparing oats the way you want, makes a world of difference!
(The author is the founder and MD of Oateo Oats.)