Are Overnight Oats Good for Diabetics? Only If You Do This

I’m an overnight oats lover. Like, hardcore ride-or-die lover.

There’s something about waking up to breakfast already made that just feels like you’ve got your life together—even if everything else is on fire.

But as it turns out…oatmeal doesn’t love me back.

After one blissful morning of overnight oats, my continuous glucose monitor (aka my tiny truth-teller) showed a wild spike: I went from a cozy 82 mg/dL to a blood sugar rollercoaster at 154 mg/dL in just 45 minutes. 

No syrup. No brown sugar. Just betrayal.

Now, I’m not diabetic, but diabetes runs in my family—and I’m not trying to RSVP to that party. So when oatmeal came for my blood sugar like that, I had two options:

1. Break up with oatmeal forever.

2. Find a way to make diabetic friendly oatmeal that doesn’t make my glucose do backflips.

I went with option 2, obviously!

Are Overnight Oats Good for Diabetics?

Here’s the thing: overnight oats can be good for diabetics—but it depends on what’s in the jar.

Rolled oats by themselves are a carb bomb. They digest quickly, and without some backup (aka fat, protein, and fiber), your blood sugar gets the memo real fast.

So if you’ve ever had oatmeal for breakfast and felt like you needed a nap 30 minutes later, it’s not just you—it’s the spike-and-crash life calling.

But! With a few smart additions, you can turn your overnight oats into a diabetic friendly oatmeal masterpiece.

The Oatmeal Hack That Changed Everything

In my video below (go ahead and hit play 👇), I show you exactly how I made oatmeal work for me—with a little help from science, trial and error, and my CGM:

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Here’s the basic formula:

• Fiber – Think chia seeds, ground flaxseed, or psyllium husk. These slow digestion and help stabilize blood sugar.

• Protein – A scoop of protein powder or Greek yogurt makes a huge difference.

• Healthy fats – Nut butter, anyone? Peanut butter is a fave, but almond or sunflower seed butter work too.

This combo helps slow down how your body processes the oats, which means you get to enjoy your favorite breakfast without the glucose drama.

Make It Yours

The best part? This hack is flexible. You can play with flavor combos like:

• Peanut butter + chocolate protein + chia + a few berries

• Almond butter + vanilla protein + flaxseed + cinnamon

• Greek yogurt + hemp hearts + sliced almonds + blueberries

Just don’t forget: carbs need chaperones. Especially when your goal is to lower your blood sugar or keep it steady.

Final Thoughts (From One Overnight Oats Lover to Another)

If you’ve been asking, “Are overnight oats good for diabetics?”—the answer is yes…with a few tweaks. Don’t ditch your oats. Just dress them up right.

I’m still living my overnight oats dream, and now I do it in a way that’s delicious and blood sugar-friendly. Because food should feel good during and after you eat it.

Try the hack. Watch the video. And if your blood sugar monitor throws you shade later, come back and let me know—I got more tricks up my sleeve. 😎

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If you found the video to be helpful, please like, comment, and share it with someone who may have diabetes running in their family tree. The information may be just what they need to start making meaningful changes to their lives.

Diabetes runs on both sides of my family and I'm on a mission to break the cycle. Not just in my family, but in your family too.

Thank you so much for being here!

Gratefully,

Nia