Recently, I’ve started incorporating a new ingredient into my cooking: oat fiber. Although it’s been around for quite a while, I’ve only just started learning about it and using it in recipes. Since I love sharing my latest interests with you, it’s only fitting that I put the spotlight on this novel food. Let’s go over the ins and outs of oat fiber, and why you may want to give it a try, especially if you’re eating low carb or keto!

Don’t Run Away!

First, don’t leave me hanging despite the fact that I’m using flour made from oats. There is a difference between oat fiber and regular old oats, or oatmeal. Let me cover the differences between oat fiber and other oat derivatives you may be familiar with.
Oat fiber comes from the indigestible hull of the oat. Translation: it’s the non-digestible FIBER from the oats. It’s not the same as ground, whole oats. What you get from grinding the hull of the oat is a pure insoluble fiber that cannot be dissolved in water and resist the digestive process in the body. [1] (Insoluble fiber can also be found in other foods like vegetables and helps to provide bulk to stool allowing them to pass more quickly and easily-in other words, it makes you poop and can help with constipation). [2]

The reason why oat fiber is actually very good for low carb and even ketogenic diets is due to the fact that it contains zero net carbs. [1] For those of you who don’t know, a net carb is what’s left after you subtract the fiber from the total amount of carbs from food.
For example, if Food A contains 30 grams of carbs and 11 grams of fiber, the total net carb count of Food A would be 19 grams. Since the aim of the game when following a low carb diet is to avoid spiking blood sugar and insulin with higher carb foods, focusing on net carbs can help to manage this task. If a food has a generally higher carb count, then it should be limited in a low carb diet. However, if it’s net carb count is actually much lower due to the amount of fiber it contains, then it allows for much more leeway.
This is why oat fiber is quite advantageous: it’s 100% fiber, and completely devoid of net carbs. It will resist digestion and not have as great an impact on blood sugar and insulin. And, if anything, it will help to keep you full between meals. Think of it as another way of getting more fiber into your diet, which of course feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut and supports digestion. (For more info on fiber and its relationship to our bacteria, check out my post here.)

Here’s what makes oat fiber different from other forms of oat. We’ve already established that it’s the separated, insoluble fiber from oats, which of course contains more carbs, calories, and nutrients. Now, let’s bring in and compare it against two other derivatives of oat: oat bran and oat flour.
Oat bran is very similar to oat fiber. Instead of being another type of oat, it’s an extraction from oats. Oat bran is made from the outer shell or casing of the “seeds” (groat) of oats, and contains significant amounts of fiber. However, oat bran still contains carbs, nutrients, and calories, and can act as more of a lower carb alternative to regular oatmeal. [3] [4]
Next is oat flour. Unlike the former two, oat flour is simply made from ground oats. It’s so simple to make that you can even do it at home with a good blender or food processor. So it retains all of the nutrients (along with a bit of fiber) from its regular, whole-oat form. Oftentimes people will use oat flour as a somewhat of a lower carb replacement for flour. But again, unlike oat fiber, it still contains carbs (despite being lower than conventional white flour), calories, and some micronutrients. [5]

To summarize everything up, oat fiber is a pure, 100% form of fiber derived from oats. It is virtually calorie free and contains zero net carbs. Oat bran and oat flour on the other hand still contain moderate amounts of carbs, along with calories and other micronutrients. If you’re looking to cut back on carbohydrates and/or calories, then consider implementing oat fiber into your diet. Now, if you’re keto and unsure about oat fiber, then I suggest you test your blood sugar for a while and monitor your ketone levels just to play it safe. But generally speaking, it should be alright for most people.
And for those of you who are concerned about food intolerances, oat fiber is gluten-free. The only possible downsides are if you’re highly sensitive to all grains and the possibility of there being cross-contamination. [7] [8] For the most part, you should be fine.

If you’re looking for ways to incorporate oat fiber into your diet, consider these suggestions:

• Add it to a smoothie; the taste is practically undetectable
• Use it for baking (cookies, muffins, cakes) or cooking (pancakes, waffles, crepes)
• Add it to a glass of water, stir vigorously, and drink quickly for a boost of fiber

I hope this look into oat fiber has gotten you intrigued about this cool, old-school ingredient! Let me know if you use it at home, and if you’ve got any recipes to share. I’m still figuring out how to use it myself, and would appreciate some tips!

Sources:
[1] https://www.nunaturals.com/products/oat-fiber
[2] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002136.htm
[3] https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/oat-bran-vs-rolled-oats-1761.html
[4] https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/oat-bran-vs-rolled-oats-1761.html
[5] https://www.bobsredmill.com/oat-bran-cereal.html
[6] https://www.bobsredmill.com/whole-grain-oat-flour.html
[7] https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/is-oat-fiber-gluten-free/
[8] https://nunaturals.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/219553988-Is-Oat-Fiber-gluten-free-