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It's easy to get answers about health and nutrition! Just send your question by email to [email protected] and Dr. Harlan will respond to selected questions of general interest. Answers will be posted in the Ask Dr. Gourmet newsletter (sign up now!) and archived in the Ask Dr. Gourmet section of the website.

Please note that the Ask Dr. Gourmet feature is restricted to questions regarding food and nutrition. Due to the many questions we receive, not all questions may be answered. For more specific questions about your individual health, please contact your doctor. About Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy


 

Ask Dr. Gourmet

Am I eating too much oatmeal?

I eat approximately 2-3 measuring cups of raw oat meal per day. Is this too much oat meal to consume? Is it harmful to consume this much oats per day? Is oatmeal addictive? I am finding it difficult to reduce my consumption.

Dr. Gourmet Says...

a closeup of a bowl of cooked oatmeal with sliced bananas

That's a lot of oatmeal. While it should not be harmful for you and will likely help you control your cholesterol, there's a lot of calories in that much oatmeal.

There is about 300 calories in a cup of dry oatmeal, so that's 600 to 900 calories a day of oatmeal. This could have a long term effect on your weight.

One consideration is that you might have a condition called pica. This is where folks compulsively eat particular items. This is felt to be related to mineral deficiencies, with the most common being iron deficiency. There has been some link with parasites that cause the mineral deficiency. While this is not always the case, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor to discuss this and be evaluated.

Thanks for writing,

Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet