Even though I preach the value of metabolic flexibility for dieting to lose body fat or build muscle, I’m a very simple guy when it comes to my day-in and day-out foods.
One of my go-to staples for breaking a fast, energizing up for a pre-workout, or starting my morning is oatmeal.
It’s bland-tasting, it looks gross, and it’s overall unappealing… yet I eat it because it does what it’s supposed to do as a source of carbs.
I always thought eating oatmeal would be this bland boring dish I’d be stuck with for the rest of my life until I met Hunter Williams of Zeroats.
He’s managed to create the world’s first organic, naturally-flavored, sugar-free oatmeal to the world and it delivers on all its promises.
Monica and I have been personally using this oatmeal over the past year and every flavor is BOMB!
You can finally have a healthy and delicious breakfast thanks to Zeroats, never again having to worry about sugar or artificial sweeteners.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about the health benefits of oatmeal, why Zeroats is disrupting the oats industry, and how to try it out for yourself.
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Why Do Bodybuilders Love Oatmeal So Much?Â
Oatmeal is one of the few foods I have included in every single diet plan, program, and book I have ever written where nutrition was discussed.
I can’t think of a time in my life, rain or shine, where oatmeal was not a major daily staple for me.
And I’m not alone… on top of being around for tens of thousands of years, talk to virtually any body–builder about what they eat and oatmeal will almost always come up as a breakfast and/or pre-workout food.
(Want to really dive deep and geek out on all things oatmeal?
This 55-page literature review will get you on the right foot)
There’s even an old Internet meme called “SQUATZ AND OATZ“… all about the old-school bodybuilding methods people used to put on weight fast.
Here are some of the reasons why oatmeal could be considered the original superfood for bodybuilders worldwide.
Satiety
Oatmeal is just one of those dishes that fill you up like nothing else.
Whether you compare it against oranges, cornflakes, cereal, or many other breakfast items, nobody ends up feeling more full and less hungry than when you pound down a bowl of oats.
And it’s primarily due to the high fibre content of fiber within each serving of oatmeal… specifically, a type of fibre known as “beta-glucans”:
“Oat β-glucan, a soluble dietary fiber that is found in the endosperm cell walls of oats, has generated considerable interest due to its cholesterol-lowering properties.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a health claim for β-glucan soluble fiber from oats for reducing plasma cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease in 1997. Similarly, in 2004 the United Kingdom Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI) allowed a cholesterol-lowering health claim for oat β-glucan.”
(If you want to do a deep dive on fibre and its role in digestion and gut health, go here)
On top of lowering total cholesterol levels, strengthening immunity and reducing risk of heart disease, beta-glucan is phenomenal for guaranteeing you don’t want to eat anymore.
You know how people say it’s impossible for people to over-eat chicken breast because of its high protein content, or to over-eat certain vegetables due to their high water content?
Well, in the case of beta-glucans, it’s near impossible to eat ~1,000 calories of plain oatmeal in a setting because of their effect on satiety:
“β-glucan has been shown to enhance the feeling of satiety, slow gastric emptying, increase appetite-suppressing gut hormones, and promote the growth of specific gut bacteria that metabolise β-glucan to short-chain fatty acids that may further impact energy and appetite regulation.”
Multiple mechanisms are at play simultaneously, and the slowed-down digestion explains why you don’t get the dreaded “energy crash” soon after consuming a carbohydrate-heavy food (more on that soon).
You want to feel completely satisfied after breakfast and have zero desire to eat until lunch or give into the sugar cravings?
Oatmeal is what you want to grab first thing in the morning.
Health
Oatmeal is associated with a high number of health benefits related to living an insulin-controlled lifestyle.
In addition to having an impressive concentration of essential vitamins and minerals such as iron and magnesium, and inflammation-lowering antioxidants (more here), you also have the following:
Improved immune system, better lipid profile, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, positive changes to gut microbiome, decreased chances of contracting colon cancer, reduced blood pressure, and lower blood sugar readings.
The last point is of particular importance because we have KNOWN about oatmeal’s important role in treating Type 2 Diabetes for the past 120 years:
“In 1903, Carl von Noorden reported the treatment of diabetic patients with an oatmeal diet without fat restriction, which diminished glucosuria and ketonuria.
Despite successes in diabetes treatment using such diets, the so-called “starvation diet” with extreme calorie restriction advocated by Allen in 1915 dominated diabetes treatment until the introduction of insulin”
Von Noordern was incredibly ahead of his time and his practice is still being used to this day:
“Although von Noorden initially prescribed a diet including oatmeal, butter and vegetables, some physicians nowadays tend to omit butter from the diet.
The result is a hypocaloric, plant-based dietary intervention that is low in fat and excludes animal protein for a short period. This short-term dietary intervention has been associated with a significant reduction in mean blood glucose concentrations and an improved insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Almost forgotten, short-term dietary oatmeal interventions are an economical, yet highly effective tool to achieve better glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.”
This diet has been replicated many times (here, here, and here) with great success to the point where some patients can start to safely reduce their daily doses of insulin.
We also have evidence suggesting a diet heavy in oats is associated with reduced bodyweight both in overweight Type 2 Diabetics AND young children!
Convenience
I don’t need to dive into details so I’ll just skip straight to the important bits:
- Very cheap to purchase and you can save even more if you purchase oatmeal in bulk
- Non-perishable, so it can stay in your cupboard for an extended period of time
- Extremely easy to cook and even faster to have it ready for consumption (you only need oats, water/milk and heat as the base ingredients)
- Unlimited customization with what you can add for extra calories/taste – foods, powders, spices, syrups, etc.
- Simple to measure out and portion your serving according to your caloric intake.Â
If you know, you know.
Great Source of Carbohydrates
Last but certainly not least, oatmeal is about as pure and healthy of a carb source as you’re ever going to find.
According to the glycemic index (GI), which measures how fast and how high a food will cause a set increase in your body’s blood glucose levels, plain oatmeal is quite low at ~55.
In general, a low GI food needs more time to digest and get broken down from complex carbohydrates into simple sugar molecules (glucose).
A high GI food, in contrast, will release a lot of glucose (and quickly) and therefore gets digested rapidly.
Both of these foods have their place in the context of a workout: You generally want low-GI carbs pre-workout and high-GI carbs post-workout so your body can use them as efficiently as possible.
(Yes, your body will absolutely respond differently to plain oatmeal vs. a double oreo milkshake from Sonic — they both have carbs, but the milkshake is all high-GI sugar)
And this is where oatmeal comes in: It gives you a sustained source of energy and will allow you to power through intense workouts without having those nasty blood sugar spikes, all while replenishing your glycogen stores.
Think of it like a consistent long-lasting stream of bodily fuel, whether you’re hitting the gym or hitting a boring lecture.
Why Most Oatmeal Products Are Bad For Your Health
So with all these amazing health benefits of oatmeal, why would it be bad for your physical and mental well-being?
The answer doesn’t lie in the food itself, but rather HOW it is prepared and distributed to the masses.
First off, most oatmeal brands – especially the instant-cook flavored ones – have WAY too much sugar.Â
Consider this: According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the recommended daily limits for sugar consumption by Type 2 diabetics are 36g in men and 25g in women.
Now take a look at the nutrition labels below for two different types of oatmeal from Quaker:
(Source)
The instant oatmeal has 12g of sugar PER SERVING — 1 packet is already reaching 33% of the maximum sugar intake for a diabetic person.
You put it in that context and suddenly it’s no longer “a bit” of sugar.
And when you add on the exponentially rising obese population in the United States, more sugar is clearly not the solution to insulin resistance and systemic inflammation.
What people need is a positive insulin response to oatmeal… not a blood sugar spike that tanks your energy levels!
(Of course, you could buy the super-bland version but good luck sticking with it for more than a week without getting sick or eventually adding in other food items to make it tolerable).
Hunter does a great job of pointing this phenomenon out in leading brands Quaker, Oats Overnight, RX Oatmeal, and many more.
Second, artificial sweeteners are heavily used in the overwhelming majority of oatmeal products.Â
The jury is out on this one as you’ll see people take either extreme of the artificial sweetener debate: Either they’re completely harmless or they’re the worst thing to happen to mankind.
Aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose, and more happen to be the commonly used ones.
While we can’t say for sure what their long-term effects in humans are going to be, nor are they definitely proven, some of the suggested problems include:
- Correlation with behaviors detrimental to fat loss – bigger appetite, enhanced hunger, more food consumption, etc.
- Possible connection to irritability and anxiety
- Higher risk of cancerÂ
- Association with increased cardiovascular risk
Are the rat studies right and translate directly to humans? Will these sweeteners be the death of us?
I think it’s far too early to say, but ideally most people would prefer to avoid the consumption of more artificial chemicals if at all possible.
Finally, many oatmeal products are not organic and they contain toxic chemicals such as glyphosate, which has evidence pointing toward endocrine disruption.Â
Even if you don’t feel any effects in the short-term, you’ll definitely have long-term issues built up that may even (God forbid) be passed down onto the next generation.
This point also includes unwanted chemicals such as oils with high omega-6 fatty acid concentrations (ex. canola, sunflower, palm, soybean), and many other chemicals that just mean “more sugar” in plain speak.
Zeroats: The First And Last Oatmeal You Will Ever Eat
When Hunter told me he had spent the last few years perfecting oatmeal that tasted great, had zero sugar, and only used natural ingredients, I thought he was joking.
But once he had me try a single bowl of his new product I was blown away.
It was the first time in my life I felt like I was eating a sweet treat rather than some goop to get me through the day.
Instead of waking up to a bland bowl of porridge, I get to wake up to a kickass meal without having to add any sugar, salt, or seasoning.
Enter Zeroats: the world’s healthiest oatmeal for bodybuilders, diabetics, and your average fitness enthusiast who wants to enjoy oats for once in their life.
Everything you see above is exactly what you get, nutrition label and all.
Let’s break down this picture and talk about the four things that make Zeroats such a game-changing dietary product.
100% USDA Organic Oats
What could be more important about top-tier oatmeal than getting your oats from the highest-quality sources possible?
Zeroats sources its USDA-certified organic oats from Grain Millers, a leading manufacturer of whole grain ingredients in North America with farms and facilities in both Canada and the United States.
This ensures the oats you are eating have not been treated with GMOs (genetically modified organisms), toxic chemicals, or harmful pesticides such as glyphosate.
Sweetened With 100% Pure Organic Monk Fruit Extract
If you don’t know why this is important, here’s a brief summary:
“Monk fruit, also known as lo han guo or Swingle fruit, is a small round fruit native to southern China. Monk fruit sweeteners are no-calorie sweeteners that can be used to lower one’s intake of added sugars.
“Monk fruit sweeteners [made from extract derived from the fruit] range from being 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, and as such only small amounts are needed in a product to equal the sweetness provided by sugar.”
And in case you’re wondering, the sweetness of this fruit comes from compounds called mogrosides.
So you have the same taste as sugar with no calories or glycemic effect whatsoever, and unlike other natural sweeteners such as Stevia you won’t have the nasty aftertaste.
Used for 100s of years in Asia, Americans are finally started to catch on that Monk Fruit is perfect for people who want to satisfy their sweet tooth without affecting their blood sugar.
All Natural Flavor, No Sugar
Zeroats uses organic flavor powders from Nature’s Flavors to infuse their oatmeals with the best-tasting flavors naturally derived from fruit/spice extracts.
This means no Stevia, sugar alcohols, additives, fillers, refined seed oils, artificial sweeteners, or added sugars at all.
Combined with monk fruit extract, the leading flavored oatmeal brands can’t compete by taste or health against the zero-sugar wonder that is Zeroats.
It only took thousands of prototypes to get the ideal mix of flavor and monk fruit that did not require more sugar or calories!
Four Ridiculously Delicious Flavors
Zeroats is currently available in four great-tasting varieties.
Speaking as someone who loves the taste of Quaker’s instant oatmeal but hates all the added sugar, I can tell you Zeroats has tweaked their oatmeal to taste even BETTER than leading flavored oatmeal brands.
Too many health food companies entering the oatmeal space create projects that taste like outright garbage or continue to hide vast amounts of sugar.
I myself was skeptical, but trust me when I say the descriptions below are not an exaggeration of what I experienced first-hand…
Toasted Cinnamon: Imagine the oatmeal version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and you have a good idea of what to expect (this one is my personal favorite, especially mixed with raisins)
Blueberry: Tastes just like a blueberry muffin that used fresh fruit for the unique berry flavor (as Hunter himself says, this flavor has a silky and creamy softness to it)
Classic: The lightly-sweetened maple and brown sugar flavor everyone has come to love when it comes to instant oatmeal.
French Vanilla: Tastes just like a vanilla cupcake infused with the rich flavor and aroma of vanilla extract.
No matter which flavor you click on, you can see the macronutrients are nearly identical to plain oatmeal… except Zeroats is actually enjoyable to eat.
Commonly Asked Questions About Zeroats
Before I guide you toward the Zeroats order page, you probably have a few questions in mind you want answers to.
So here are what I believe are the three most important questions my readers will have…
Q: Does Zeroats ship internationally outside of North America?Â
A: I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Zeroats is ONLY shipping within the USA for the time being.Â
Hunter will need to see how his first Amazon sale goes, create enough units, and figure out all the supply chain complexities in order to expand the reach of Zeroats to other countries.
Rest assured this will not be permanent and Zeroats will continue to remain very affordable compared to other premium brands selling their healthy versions of oatmeal.
Q: I don’t know anything about cooking or preparing oatmeal. What recipes do you recommend trying with Zeroats?Â
A: Fortunately for you, Hunter has taken the time to create an extensive list of easy-to-make recipes you can use with Zeroats (for basic instructions for cook the oats in the microwave or on the stove, go here).
As true to his promise, you DO NOT need sugar to make these dishes taste amazing.
Yet his YouTube channel has so many more than his website, so I thought I’d gather all of them – to date – in one place:
- A tutorial showing how Zeroats can be cooked in a pan
- Liquid egg whites + Zeroats (comes out real nice and fluffy with a cake-like consistency, no egg taste and it’s an easy 25g of protein)
- High-Protein, No-Sugar Pancakes
- Overnight Oats – French Vanilla, Classic, Toasted Cinnamon, Blueberry
- Sugar-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Zero-Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Oat Flour Low-Calorie Bagels
- Zero-Sugar, Gluten-Free, Powdered Sugar Donuts
- Zero-Sugar Granola Butter
- Zero-Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies
- No-Sugar Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles
- Vanilla Oat Protein Energy Bars
Finally, I leave you with the classic recipe for proats (protein powder + oats), an essential bodybuilding staple anybody should have memorized for their first meal of the day.
Q: Does Zeroats contain gluten?
A: As Hunter explained in one of his YouTube shorts, oatmeal in general does not contain gluten because it does not contain wheat and is a separate species of grain compared to wheat.
But here’s what happens… a lot of oatmeal is processed in facilities that also contain wheat.
So the gluten dust from all the wheat processing packaging can accidentally cross-contaminate the oatmeal (especially if the wheat and oats are going through the same machinery).
Not a problem for a normal human being, but a red flag for anybody who has celiac disease or any serious gluten sensitivities.
You can take a look at how Zeroats is manufactured here, and know there’s a close-to-zero chance you will have to worry about gluten in your Zeroats package.
Where (And How) To Purchase Zeroats
It’s taken us over a year to navigate the incredibly complicated supply chain, but Zeroats is finally available for order through Amazon Prime.
And as a Jay Campbell reader you’re getting a massive discount exclusive to you alongside free two-day shipping:
Save 25% on a Zeroats Variety Pack (3 packs of Classic, 3 packs of Toasted Cinnamon, 3 packs of French Vanilla, 3 packs of Blueberry) when you use my affiliate link.Â
**NOTE: A 25% discount to your purchase should automatically apply when you click the link. If not, use code 25zeroats at checkout to get the discount.Â
You’ll have to hurry as the initial Amazon batch includes less than 1,000 units and I don’t know when Hunter will have this product back in stock… or offer a 25% discount.
If you miss out, you’ll have to follow Hunter via his official website, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to get updated on when Zeroats will have more units available.
I suggest you do as Zeroats allows fitness enthusiasts like myself to finally have their oatmeal and eat it too.
Because being fully optimized should never have to mean feeling miserable 24/7… what’s the point of supreme health if we can’t enjoy delicious things guilt-free?
As always…
Raise Your Vibration To Optimize Your Love Creation!
PS – Want to know about the dozens of other nutrition secrets I have purposefully kept hidden from the public?
If so, join The Fully Optimized Health Private Membership Group.
It’s your greatest opportunity to fully optimize your health and gain total access to me and my network of high-level men and women living their highest and best life.