Overnight Oats — Are They Really a Better Breakfast?

A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Waistline

Photo by Alisha Hieb on Unsplash

Overnight oats have pretty much taken over, now commanding their own section at grocery stores and a special corner of the breakfast market. I’m sure you’ve come across plenty of Pinterest-style recipes and how-tos on the best ways to make them yourself. Maybe you’ve even seen them in your local grocery store’s fridges. Overnight oats are marketed as a nutritious, quick breakfast option, especially for those looking for a more plant-based alternative. I’ve discussed oatmeal before, both here and on my podcast, and when one of you reached out and asked me to talk about overnight oats, I knew I had to do it again!

Proponents of overnight oats claim it’s a healthier option because of the soaking process, as opposed to the more traditional means of cooking them. Fundamentally though, overnight oats are made with the more processed version of the grain simply because the steel cut version won’t soak well. This means we might be better off with steel cut! While stovetop cooking can pull some of the essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals from the oats, our best indicators of the difference are the nutrition facts.

For this, let’s look at 1 cup of oats soaked in 1 cup of 2% cow’s milk. This gives us: 215 calories, 33 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of…