ZeroPoint™ Cheat Sheet: Oats & Oatmeal

While “zero” usually means “nothing,” at WW, ZeroPoint™ foods are everything! If oats and oatmeal are your ZeroPoint foods and you’ve got some questions, you’re in the right place.

• Instant oatmeal, plain

• Oatmeal, plain

• Oats

• Quick-cooking regular oats

• Quick-cooking steel cut oats

• Rolled oats

• Rolled whole grain muesli (unsweetened, without nuts, seeds, fruits)

• Steel-cut oats

Oats are a whole grain that’s loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. A diet rich in whole grains has been linked with a decreased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, and improved digestion.

Technically, yes. But you have to count the points for any non ZeroPoint ingredients you add to your oats.

Nope! Plain oats—no matter the type—are a ZeroPoint food.

Unfortunately not. Breakfast grains ground to a flour-like consistency (such as oats ground into oat flour) are not considered ZeroPoints since flour is not a ZeroPoint food.

Oats can add texture and fiber to desserts and baked goods, make a great alternative to bread crumbs in oven-baked chicken and fish recipes, and serve as the base of savory lunch or dinner grain bowls.

Spoon some thick cooked oats into pancake or waffle batter for added texture and flavor, into burger or meatloaf mixture as a binder, or into soup instead of other cooked grains such as rice or barley. (Wondering how you even cook a batch of oats? Decide the number of servings you want to make and use one of the methodshere.)

And if you’re tired of sweet breakfast oats, make a savory oatmeal breakfast bowl instead. Top your hot, cooked oats with cooked sausage or eggs, leftover roasted veggies or some chopped grape tomatoes, add a sprinkle of cheese, some seasonings, and fresh herbs. The combinations are endless.

Get the most from your oats: toast dry oats to enhance their flavor and then use them as an easy topping for sauteed or roasted fruit. Or use them as a topping in quick bread, muffin, or cake recipes.

If you’ve never had overnight oats, you’re missing out! They’re a super-satisfying, no-cook way to have grab-and-go breakfasts ready for hectic mornings. Learn how to make your own withtheseeasy instructions.