Oats

Why oats is rated low

Oats are low FODMAP at ½ cup dry (34g), and no raised FODMAP subgroup is recorded for them, which is a large part of why they are such a dependable breakfast on this diet. The ladder does move, though. At 1⅓ cups dry (89g) the level is moderate, so a big weekend bowl is a different proposition from a weekday one. The rating is tied to the dry oats you measure in, not to how the finished bowl looks after it has absorbed liquid, and it says nothing about the honey, dried fruit or milk that usually arrives with it.

What changes your risk

• Serving size, measured dry ½ cup dry (34g) is low and 1⅓ cups dry (89g) is moderate. Oats swell a great deal, so a modest scoop of dry oats becomes a full bowl, and judging the portion after cooking is unreliable.
• What goes into the bowl Oats carry no raised subgroup of their own, so nearly all of the risk at breakfast comes from the toppings. Honey, dried fruit, apple, pear, cashews and pistachios each bring their own load, while lactose free milk or lactose free yoghurt, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, walnuts, pecans and maple syrup fill the same roles.
• Muesli and granola are not plain oats They are oats plus dried fruit, honey, inulin or chicory root fibre and often cashews or pistachios, so a cereal built on oats can behave very differently from the oats themselves.
• Cooking does not change the rating Stovetop porridge, microwaved oats, overnight oats and baked oats all sit at whatever rung the dry amount you measured belongs to. Soaking and heat do not break FODMAPs down.
• Other oat forms are separate foods Oat milk, oat flour and instant flavoured sachets are not covered by this ladder. Instant sachets in particular are usually built with added sugar and dried fruit pieces on top of the oats.

What else works

If you want to rotate breakfasts rather than replace oats, quinoa, polenta, rice and buckwheat all make a warm morning bowl, and gluten free bread, eggs, lactose free yoghurt with strawberries or blueberries, and a handful of walnuts or pecans cover the rest of the morning. For sweetening, maple syrup, rice malt syrup and table sugar do the job that honey usually does. The things people assume are the same but are not: muesli and granola loaded with dried fruit, honey and cashews, wheat based cereals and biscuits, and anything listing inulin or chicory root fibre among the first ingredients.

How to keep it low

Measure the oats dry with a cup measure before they go anywhere near liquid, since that is the number the ladder is built on and the only point at which the portion is honest. Buy plain rolled oats with oats as the single ingredient rather than flavoured sachets, which are mostly sugar and dried fruit pieces by weight. Overnight oats work well here because you build them in a jar the night before, which fixes the portion before you are hungry and half awake. If the bowl feels small, add volume with things that are low rather than more oats: lactose free milk or yoghurt, a scoop of strawberries or blueberries, a spoon of peanut butter, a few walnuts, and maple syrup instead of honey.

Common questions

are oats low fodmap

Yes, at ½ cup dry (34g). At 1⅓ cups dry (89g) they move into the moderate range, so the size of the bowl is what matters.

how much oats can i eat on a low fodmap diet

The low serving is ½ cup dry (34g), measured before cooking. The next tested rung, 1⅓ cups dry (89g), is moderate.

is oat milk low fodmap

Oat milk is a different form and is not covered by this serving data, so the rating for oats does not carry over to it. Lactose free milk is the straightforward option for a bowl of porridge.

can i eat overnight oats on the elimination phase

Yes, built from ½ cup dry (34g) of plain rolled oats measured before soaking. Keep the toppings low as well, since honey, dried fruit and ordinary milk are usually what lifts the bowl rather than the oats.