7 Benefits Of Oat Water (With Recipe)

Interested in trying a new way to consume oatmeal that will provide all of the health promoting benefits of a classic bowl of oatmeal? Then you gotta try drinking oat water!

This article was written by Amber Hames, Bio-Medical Science Major at the University of Guelph. Edited and reviewed by Veronica Rouse, MAN, RD, CDE.

Top Takeaways

  • Oatmeal is a nutritious breakfast food made from oats cooked with liquids like water or milk. It’s rich in protein, low in fat, and packed with essential minerals. Oats are gluten-free but may require checking for gluten cross-contamination if you have a sensitivity.
  • Oatmeal comes in various forms, including steel-cut oats (least processed), rolled oats (commonly known as old-fashioned oats), and instant oats (most processed and quickest to cook).
  • Oatmeal water is a simple mixture of uncooked oats and water. Soaking oats in water overnight before blending them can enhance the benefits by reducing phytic acid content, making nutrients more absorbable. Drinking oatmeal water provides hydration and nutrients.
  • Oat water offers several health benefits, including weight management, protection against cardiovascular disease, blood sugar regulation, detoxification, antioxidant support, osteoporosis prevention, and potential cancer prevention. It can also help lower cholesterol levels and improve insulin sensitivity.

What Is Oatmeal?

Oatmeal is a classic breakfast food made of prepared oats cooked with liquids such as water or milk. A bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit is part of a balanced diet. This post offers a twist on the traditional bowl of oats and instead encourages drinking oatmeal.

Oats are one of the healthiest grains.  They are a source of carbohydrates, but contain a significant amount of protein and are low in fat. They also provide a good source of important minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, iron, and Vitamin B (1). They are one of 39 foods that can unclog arteries and one of 39 foods that can lower blood pressure.

Oats are naturally gluten-free whole grain.  If you have a gluten sensitivity, be sure to check for gluten-free oats on the food label as some oats are processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains like wheat, rye, and barley which could cause contamination.

Quick Dry Oats Nutrition Information (3/4 cup) (2)

  • Calories: 116
  • Carbohydrate: 20 g
  • Fat: 2 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Fiber: 3 g

Types Of Oatmeal

Steel cut, rolled oats and instant oats are typically consumed in North America. Depending on how they are processed from the original oat kernel, their consistency and cook time will vary (1).

Steel Cut Oats

This is the most unprocessed form of the oat. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats that have been cut into two or three pieces with a steel blade. Since they are less processed, they take a long time to cook (around 15-30 minutes). The final product after cooking is chewy in texture.

Rolled Oats

Commonly known as old fashioned oats, these oats have gone through further processing (steaming and flattening) to create softer oatmeal that takes less time to cook (2-5 minutes). These oats are flatter and cut smaller than the steel cut oats.

Instant Oats Or Quick Oats

Quick oats are processed more. They are steamed and rolled to be thinner and are cut even smaller than rolled oats. As a result they take even less time to cook (1 minute), and have a mushy texture.

What Is Oatmeal Water?

Oatmeal water is as simple as it sounds, it is a mixture of uncooked or raw oats added to water. There are many benefits of oat water. It provides all the great health benefits of oats with hydration.

To take your oatmeal water up a notch, try soaking the raw grains (oats) in water overnight before blending them.

Oats contain phytic acid which attaches itself to some minerals and forms a structure our body struggles to break down and absorb. Soaking the oats first will lower the phytic acid and allows your body to absorb the most nutrients (3)!

This creamy drink also skips the step of boiling oats, which could be a barrier to oat consumption due to increased time and more dishes to clean. Drinking oatmeal is a great way to keep things simple, while still consuming adequate nutrients.

7 Benefits Of Oat Water

The seven benefits of oat water include weight loss, protection against cardiovascular disease, aid in blood sugar regulation, assist in detox processes, provide antioxidants, and may also help prevent cancer and osteoporosis.

Picture of the benefits of oat water. Arrows around oat water describing the 7 benefits of preventing osteoporosis and cancer, providing antioxidants, reducing blood sugar, protecting against cardiovascular disease, helping with weight loss

1. Oatmeal Water For Weight Loss

Weight management has a lot of moving parts, but it mainly consists of the energy you consume in the form of calories vs. the energy you expend. However, consumption of certain foods may provide you with more satiety, i.e., the feeling of being full!  

Can you drink oatmeal water to lose belly fat? Let’s look at the research regarding oatmeal water for weight loss.

As the food we eat makes its way through our gastrointestinal tract, our body produces specific enzymes to break down and absorb all the nutrients the food provides. While our organs process this food, our stomach tells us that we aren’t hungry.

When we eat fast-digesting foods (like those high in carbohydrates and low in fiber), this digestion process happens quickly so we end up craving food sooner. However, consuming fiber can slow down this process and make us feel more satiated.

Fiber

Commonly known for its ability to relieve constipation, fiber also has an array of other benefits, including lowering your risk of some cancers, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity (4).

3/4 cup of oats offers 3 grams of fiber. It is recommended that women consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day, while men need 38 grams a day (5). So 3/4 cup of oats provide 12% of the daily fiber requirements for women, and 8% for men. Drinking oatmeal is a great way to help us meet our fiber needs.

So, should you drink oatmeal water to lose belly fat? Well, beta-glucan fiber is a soluble fiber found in oats that forms a gel-like viscosity when it is mixed with water, and slows down our digestion and absorption of food (6). This slow digestion makes us feel full longer.

There is also evidence that the beta-glucan stimulates the release of the hormone, peptide Y-Y, a hormone responsible for further suppressing your appetite (7). Another reason you may want to consume oatmeal water is to lose belly fat.

Together, the appetite-suppressing hormones and the slowed digestion work together to ensure you will feel fuller for longer. This results in fewer trips to your kitchen in between meals, and explains why drinking oatmeal water for weight loss can be effective.

2. Antioxidants In Oat Water

You may have heard of antioxidants before but are unsure of what they do or why they are vital for our health. Basically, antioxidants help fight against free radicals, which are pesky compounds that cause damage to our cells. This accumulation of cell damage can result in some major diseases.

We obtain antioxidants through various sources, and luckily, oatmeal water can be one of these sources! The particular antioxidant found in oats is called avenanthramide, and has been shown to result in better blood flow and have anti-inflammatory effects (8).

3. Detoxification

Your body is a pro at naturally detoxifying any harmful substances it encounters; but, oatmeal water can be used to make sure your organs are better equipped to do their job.

An oatmeal water detox focuses on consuming a fiber-packed drink, which can prevent and treat constipation.

Therefore, an oatmeal water detox helps your body do what it’s made to do, eliminate harmful waste.  It does this by keeping your body hydrated and nourished while keeping your bowel movements regular.

4. Prevent Osteoporosis

Another benefit of oat water is it provides us with a good source of calcium. But calcium isn’t the only mineral needed for healthy bones. Oats also contain other minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, and copper, that help your body absorb calcium and increase your bone density (2).

5. Cancer Prevention

Cancer remains to be a complicated process with little clarity on what direction can cause or prevent it. While it cannot be said that oatmeal water can prevent cancer, there may be an inverse relationship present. The more high fiber food you consume, the less likely you are to develop colorectal cancer (9).

Also, the antioxidant activity in oats may also protect against DNA damage and prevent cells from replicating too fast, both beneficial for cancer prevention (10).

6. Lower Cholesterol With Oat Water

Not all cholesterol has a negative impact on your health. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol as it promotes your heart health and the ‘bad’ cholesterol is known as low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Not only does the beta-glucan fiber in oatmeal lower the negative LDL cholesterol, but it also elevates the protective HDL cholesterol (11).

The antioxidant, avenanthramide, also helps your heart by increasing nitric oxide production (8). This allows your blood vessels to widen to let your blood pump freely, and reduce your blood pressure.

Sounds like oatmeal water is a natural way to manage high LDL cholesterol levels and improve your heart health!

7. Oat Water Improves Blood Sugar

When we consume carbohydrates, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin so we are able to use the carbohydrates for energy. This is a healthy and necessary process, but carbohydrates still often get a bad rap due to its ability to become unhealthy when consumed in excess.

Luckily, when carbohydrate sources are eaten with fiber such as beta-glucan in oatmeal water, the viscosity of the intestinal content increases. This slows down carbohydrate absorption. Delaying the carbohydrate absorption allows our blood sugar levels to rise slowly and stay within an optimal range for longer (12).

The opposite of this is when you consume high sugar, low fiber foods; your insulin spikes fast and drops quickly, leaving you feeling hungry and reaching for more food. Over time your body will react to these sharp spikes by requiring more and more insulin to maintain proper blood sugar levels increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Start drinking oatmeal water to help regulate your blood sugar levels by providing a steady, long-acting source of energy. There is also some evidence to support that beta-glucan may improve insulin sensitivity, providing further protection from type 2 diabetes (12).

Image of Veronica Rouse with Free 7 day heart healthy meal plan freebie.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oatmeal Water Taste Good?

Yes! One of the benefits of oat water is you have the ability to make it taste good for YOU and your taste buds! Don’t like plain oatmeal water? Add some honey, cinnamon, or even peanut butter! Whatever your heart desires.

What Type Of Oats Can I Use In Oat Water?

Any oat will do! The mixture is made with a blender so you can use more unprocessed, whole oats. However, the pre-packaged, sugar-packed instant oatmeal is not ideal to use and may mitigate many of the benefits of oat water.

Can You Make Oatmeal Water With Milk?

Making oat water without milk is beneficial for people who are limiting their dairy consumption due to a milk allergy or lactose intolerance.

That being said you can increase the benefits of oat water by using milk instead of water for added nutrients like protein, calcium, and Vitamin D. Regular cow’s milk or plant-based milk, like soy milk, are great options.

How Often Should I Drink Oatmeal Water?

Oatmeal water contains whole grains that are great to consume every day. Making this healthy drink a part of your morning every day would be a great addition to your routine.

When Should I Drink Oatmeal Water?

Drinking oatmeal water is delicious at any time, but starting your morning with it may be best. It will keep you feeling full to avoid those pre-lunch snacking urges as well as provide you with long-lasting energy to get you through your morning.

Having said that, you do not need to drink it first thing in the morning, or on an empty stomach to reap its benefits.

Cost Of Oats

Not only is oatmeal water easy to make, it is also incredibly cheap. A kilogram of oats costs around $3.50 CAN (depending on the brand). Assuming you use ½ cup of oats, that is 16 cents per serving!

Oatmeal Water Recipe

Now that we discussed the many benefits of an oatmeal water drink, you may be wondering how to prepare oatmeal water.  Follow this easy recipe that is totally customizable to your taste preferences. You can adjust the serving size too, just keep the ratio of water to oats the same.

The recipe makes about 4 servings:

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup oats
  • 6 cups of water (1.5 liters of water)

OPTIONAL:

  • cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • added sugar (sweeteners): honey, maple syrup, brown sugar  
  • added protein: peanut butter, hemp seeds

Directions:

  1. Soak oats in water overnight in the fridge.
  2. Add the oats and water into a blender, along with any additional sweeteners or protein. Blend until combined.
  3. Pour the mixture through a strainer to remove any lumps. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Other Oat Recipes

Oatmeal water, not your thing? There are plenty of other delicious oat recipes to get your whole grains! Try these recipes.

Final Thoughts

Adding a glass of oatmeal water to your everyday routine will provide many health benefits and it is not only easy but inexpensive too.

Interested in more meal ideas to lower your cholesterol and improve your blood pressure? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to download a 7 day heart healthy meal plan.

30 thoughts on “7 Benefits Of Oat Water (With Recipe)”

  1. Can you just drain the oats and drink the leftover water from soaking overnight? Would that be less carbs and still give the nutrients?

  2. Thank you for the article. I do have a couple of question. I found a oat water recipe, which I was looking for recipes to help my dog with skin sensitivity. The recipe called for a couple of table spoon of steel cut oat, soak it in distilled water for 30 minutes, then strain the liquid and discard the oat. Now I don’t want to discard it, is it safe to reuse it for the above recipe (to consume it)?

    Another question, is drinking your oat water recipe break intermittent fasting? Just water and oat, no additional milk.

    1. Veronica Rouse, MAN, RD, CDE

      Great questions Feby. Yes it is okay to consume the water, you don’t have to discard it. And yes, it would break your fast since there is some carbohydrate in the drink. Hope that helps!

    1. Veronica Rouse, MAN, RD, CDE

      Hi Alice, yes it can help control blood sugars and may also improve insulin sensitivity! I’m not sure where to buy it, but I’d recommend the recipe provided 🙂

  3. I’ve read re oat water, to wash the oats first with distilled water and discard the water so any residue of phytic acid is removed. Phytic acid is found in all cereals, and can adhere to calcium, magnesium, copper and iron blocking absorption in the intestinal tract, thus can cause severe mineral deficiencies and bone loss..

    Can you confirm or comment.

    1. Veronica Rouse, MAN, RD, CDE

      Hi Mel,

      Thanks for your comment. You are right about the role of phytic acid. However, I am unsure about your comment re: rinsing the oats first to remove the phytic acid. I have looked at the research and there is nothing there to help me provide a scientific comment if this is a good practice or not. I don’t see it being harmful, but I am unsure if distilled water can remove the phytic acid. Sorry, wish I could be more helpful!

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