The Best Oatmeals for Your Blood Sugar—Ranked!
Start searching for the best breakfasts for your blood sugar and you'll soon find oatmeal rises to the top. (In fact, it's our number one choice!) With a low glycemic index and tons of soluble fiber, it's just about the perfect breakfast for people with diabetes and prediabetes.
Of course, the best oatmeal for your blood glucose is technically plain oatmeal—but none of us would say a bowl of oats soaked in water is our favorite breakfast. (There's a reason gruel is usually thought of as prison food.) Fortunately, when you want some flavor in your morning bowl—but don't want to tip the balance of your blood sugar—you do have plenty of options.
Try these seven tasty pre-made oatmeals, ranked in order of their benefits for blood sugar. Then, for more tasty steps, check out our list of 9 Best Oatmeal Recipes for a Longer Life.
Hy-Vee Sugar Free Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal
At 100 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and nary a sugar in sight, Hy-Vee's Sugar-Free Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal won't spike your blood glucose even a little. So how do you get maple and brown sugar flavor without any actual sugar? The secret here is Splenda (aka sucralose), the zero-calorie sweetener that doesn't impact blood sugar.
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Better Oats 100-Calorie Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
When an epic Cinnabon isn't a realistic breakfast for your blood sugar, make a healthier choice with Better Oats' 100-Calorie Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal. Sweetened with a hint of real sugar and a bit of sucralose, this one comes in at less than 1 grams of total sugar and 18 grams of carbs. Three grams of fiber help slow your blood sugar roll, too.
Nature's Path Golden Turmeric Superfood Oatmeal
And now for something completely different! Nature's Path's Golden Turmeric Superfood Oatmeal takes the golden milk latte trend and applies it to oatmeal. (Because why not?) A generous 5 grams of fiber improves glycemic response, and a pinch of coconut sugar adds just 1 gram of total sugar. Meanwhile, the entire cup contains 22 grams of carbs—far less than many flavored oatmeals.
Turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon also lend their anti-inflammatory goodness to this heat-and-go oatmeal. This might be especially beneficial for people with diabetes. Research shows that inflammation can cause insulin resistance—and vice versa.
Umpqua Oats Blueberry Apple Unsweetened Oatmeal Cups
With the right mix of fruits, who needs added sugar? Umpqua Oats' Blueberry Apple Unsweetened Oatmeal Cups, sweetened only with dried apples and freeze-dried wild blueberries, prove that fruit can do the trick all on its own.
This cup clocks in with a larger serving size (and, therefore, more calories and carbs)—but the zero grams of added sugar, 2 grams of total sugar, and 7 grams of fiber mean it is still a solid choice for your blood sugar. And here's a fun fact: wild blueberries are extra-high in antioxidants, which reduce inflammation.
Purely Elizabeth Apple Cinnamon Pecan Superfood Oats
Purely Elizabeth's Apple Cinnamon Pecan provides a unique mixture of oats, pecans, quinoa, flax seeds, and amaranth. It's a whole foods dream that gets its sweetness only from dried apples. And here's a blood sugar bonus: a 2013 study in the journal BMJ found that eating more apples was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Want more reasons to eat an apple a day? Check out 7 Ways Apples Can Help You Lose Weight.
Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal Apples and Cinnamon
Monk fruit is a natural sweetener that has little to no impact on blood sugar. Even though it's an up-and-coming ingredient, it hasn't made its way into very many foods in the U.S. market just yet. Quaker's Lower Sugar Apples and Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal is one place to find it!
Packaged in low-calorie packets, this oatmeal uses both sugar and monk fruit to amp up its cinnamon-apple flavor. Here, you'll find just 2 grams of added sugar, 4 grams of total sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 23 grams of carbs.
Mush Strawberry Oats
Mush Ready To Eat Oats Strawberry comes with the advantage of being delicious either hot or cold. Just pull these soaked oat cups out of the fridge and eat 'em whichever way you like! Mush's strawberry flavor is their best choice for blood sugar. Because real strawberries and fruit juice provide sweetness here, this one has zero grams of added sugars. But its total of 7 grams of sugar put it lower on the totem pole of blood sugar-friendly oatmeals.
