The number of products that contain oats can surprise you when you go grocery shopping. In fact, you can find oats in many breakfast foods.
According to Uma Naidoo (via CNBC), oats can help fight fatigue. The low GI carbs and prebiotics in steel-cut oatmeal help maintain good gut health. In other words, it has a low glycemic index, which (as Harvard points out) can improve blood sugar levels and energy levels. In addition to leaving you feeling exhausted, eating high-glycemic foods can spike your blood sugar and cause you to experience high blood sugar. In contrast, low-glycemic foods digest more slowly, maintaining a steady blood sugar level. Oats are a low-glycemic food, but instant oatmeal contains refined starches that are high in GI.
Oats can also help prevent iron deficiency anemia (which can cause fatigue, according to GoodRx) because some oatmeal products are low-glycemic foods.
