SerpApi.Org
Medically reviewed by Aviv Joshua, MS, RDN
Key Takeaways
- Avoid foods that pose health risks such as raw milk, uncooked foods, or spoiled fruits and vegetables.
- Don’t use ingredients that can be choking hazards for children, such as beans, raisins, or nuts.
- Be aware of adding sugary ingredients or unhealthy fats that can reduce the nutritional value of the oats.
Overnight oats can be a healthy start to your day, but some ingredients can spoil your tasty and nutritious breakfast. Discover foods and add-ins to avoid in this make-ahead meal.
1. Raw Milk
Overnight oats are often made by combining milk with oats. Raw milk isn’t pasteurized, meaning it hasn’t been heated to kill harmful bacteria. It’s unsafe to drink or use in recipes.
2. Uncooked Beans, Lentils, or Grains
To make overnight oats, you add oatmeal and other ingredients and let them soak up liquid overnight in the refrigerator. Hard foods such as beans, lentils, rice, grains, or pasta require heat to cook and will not soften overnight. Uncooked, these can be unpleasant, may hurt your stomach, may not be digestible, and can be a choking hazard.
3. Uncooked Eggs or Raw Dough
Eggs and raw dough should be cooked before you eat them as they are sources of bacteria, which can cause sickness. Placing raw or partially cooked eggs or dough in overnight oats will not cook them, even if the eggs or raw dough appear to blend into your oat dish.
4. Certain Fruits (Mixed in)
Some fruits and vegetables are best used as toppings for overnight oats or mixed into the oatmeal right before you eat it. They may turn brown, lose their texture, or bleed their color into the oats.
Examples include:
- Bananas, apples, and avocados can turn brown
- Berries may become mushy and bleed color into the oatmeal
5. Added Sugar Ingredients
While a touch of sweetness is often welcome in overnight oats, it’s best to limit added sugars in your diet. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting added sugars to the equivalent of 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 for men. The AHA notes that added sugars provide calories without nutrition and can contribute to weight gain.
If you are adding a spoonful or more of any of these to your overnight oats, consider how much other sugar you are consuming the rest of the day:
- Table sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Chocolate syrup
- Sugar-sweetened jam or jelly
- Candies
- Plant-based milk with added sugar
Instead, sweetness can come from dried or fresh fruits.
6. Unhealthy Fats
The AHA recommends avoiding trans fat and limiting saturated fat in your diet because they raise your risk of heart disease and stroke. Sources of these unhealthy fats you may want to limit in overnight oats include:
- Meat (including bacon or ham)
- Butter
- Cream
- Coconut oil
- Deep-fried foods
- Baked goods like cookies or cake
7. Overpowering Seasonings
You might consider using seasonings to flavor your overnight oats. Popular choices include cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, vanilla, or matcha.
Some herbs and spices, as well as certain foods, can be overpowering. They can change the flavor of your whole overnight oat dish and may add an odd taste. These include:
- Cumin
- Peppermint
- Curry
- Paprika
- Excessive sugar or sweetener
Of course, you might enjoy a flavor that others don’t necessarily like. So it’s OK to experiment with herbs and spices, although it may not always turn out tasty for you.
8. Choking Hazards for Small Kids
Children are especially susceptible to choking and may expect to gulp down overnight oats without chewing. Ingredients that are solid or that require chewing could be a surprise to kids who expect to swallow their overnight oats.
Things to avoid putting in overnight oats for children:
- Anything that’s a choking hazard for adults
- Nuts or seeds
- Chunks of fruit or vegetables
- Raisins and other dried fruits
- Gummy candies
9. Expiring, Spoiled, or Mishandled Foods
If you’re thinking of adding food that’s expiring or almost spoiled to your overnight oats in the hope of stretching its usefulness, that can be dangerous. The food could spoil overnight, affecting your whole oat dish. Some examples include souring milk, moldy foods, wilting vegetables, and spoiled fruit.
Be sure to handle all ingredients properly. Food must be stored at proper temperatures and washed for safety. This is especially important for at-risk populations, such as people who have a weak immune system, older individuals, or very young children.
Read the original article on Verywell Health
