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...
Wow! 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 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, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet