7 Oatmeal Mistakes to Avoid

3. You’re Not Adding Enough Protein on the Side

When putting together meals, Snyder makes sure she has a source of healthy complex carbs, protein, and produce. The same goes for oatmeal.

The oats supply healthy complex carbs, and topping them with fruit will get you the produce (and more carbs). But since 1 cup of cooked oatmeal with water has 5 g of protein, you’ll want to incorporate more protein to round things out.

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“I recommend 15 to 20 g of protein at breakfast,” Snyder says. “Getting to this number creates more satiety, supports muscle mass and metabolism, and helps balance out your blood sugar.”

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Some ideas: Make your oats with soy, cow’s, or protein-fortified plant milks. Add a scoop of protein powder. Nuts, nut butters, and seeds will also bump up protein.

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For instance, 1 ounce of almonds has 6 g of protein.

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4. You’re Adding Unhealthy Toppings That Make Your Bowl a Sugar Bomb

Learning how to make healthy oatmeal also requires knowing the right — and wrong — add-ins.

This can be tricky because it’s easy to go overboard on sugary toppings without even realizing it. For instance, a portion of dried fruit — a popular addition to breakfast bowls — can contain more than 5 times the amount of sugar as the same amount of fresh fruit.

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Using sweetened dried fruit will increase the sugar even more.

Then, there’s the addition of brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey, all of which are sugar.

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“Adding sugar or syrup to an already carbohydrate-rich breakfast can cause it to become imbalanced, as it’s high in carbs but low in fat and protein,” says Hultin.

She recommends using dairy milk, unsweetened nondairy milk, and unsweetened nut butter to restrain added sugar. Hultin likes to mash in banana for some sweetness and extra fiber (half a banana has 1 g of fiber).

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You could also sprinkle your oats with cinnamon and nutmeg during or after cooking to impart a natural sweetness, says Snyder. Fresh fruit, such as berries, are another way to sweeten your bowl naturally.

5. You’re Standing Over a Stove When You Don’t Want to Be

Stirring oats on the stovetop may be the most traditional way to make oatmeal, but it takes time and requires attention, lest they burn. (Yuck.) Steel-cut oats take 20 to 30 minutes to make, says Hultin, while rolled oats can be made in five minutes. But if that’s unappealing, you can make oatmeal in ways that work better with your lifestyle.

“You can microwave either type of oat for a more hands-off approach so you can multitask,” she says. Stovetop or microwave will not change the nutritional properties of oatmeal. Another option: If you have a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, make a larger batch, portion it out for the week, and reheat, says Hultin. Just stir in a splash of liquid to get it creamy again — and grab a spoon.

6. You’re Eating a Certain Type of Oats Because You Think They’re ‘Healthier’

Oatmeal comes in many forms: Steel-cut, old-fashioned oats, and rolled oats. “It’s shocking, but they’re all essentially the same [nutritionally],” says Snyder. “The manufacturing and processing [to get the different shapes of oats] differs, but the nutritional values are the same.” Each type of oatmeal offers unique textures, and some you’ll find more enjoyable than others.

Go for the type you like the most, because eating healthy should make you happy.

The one exception is prepackaged packets of instant oats. Many of these are flavored and contain added sugar. If you’re opting for instant, choose plain and gussy it up yourself.

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7. You’re Always Eating Hot Oatmeal

Oatmeal is known as a hot cereal, but a wonderful thing happens when you combine dry oats, yogurt or milk, fruit, and (maybe) chia seeds in a container in the fridge, says Snyder. After several hours (or, ahem, overnight), the oats absorb the liquid, plump up, and soften into a familiar texture, and become “overnight oats.” These are eaten cold.

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The benefit is that there’s little prep, you don’t have to cook a thing, it switches up the style of oats to add variety, and they’re perfect as an on-the-go snack. “I like to make overnight oats in to-go coffee cups, which I can just grab and head out the door,” Snyder says.