Oats vs. Wheat: Which Is Better?

What Is the Difference Between Oats and Wheat?

Oats and wheat are two of the most popular grains consumed worldwide. They are both the seeds of grasses from the Poaceae plant family.

Wheat

Wheat is usually milled into flour and used for baked goods like bread, pasta, pastries, crackers, or cakes. Wheat is the most common grain for making flour-based goods because it’s high in gluten, a plant protein with adhesive and chewy properties. There are several types of wheat flour. Here are some common ones:

• All-purpose flour: A blend of hard and soft wheat and the most common flour used for cooking and baking.
• Self-rising flour: All-purpose flour with leavening agents added.
• Bread Flour: Made of hard wheat and higher in protein and gluten than all-purpose flour.
• Cake Flour: Made of soft wheat, giving a tender texture to cakes and pastries.
• Pastry Flour: A texture lying in-between cake flour and all-purpose flour and used for flaky pastries.
• Strong Flour: Contains high gluten (and protein) content. Used for goods with lots of structure, like bagels and pretzels.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Unlike white flour, the whole wheat berry, including the bran and germ, is milled.

Oats

When you think of oats, a hearty bowl of oatmeal probably comes to mind. Oatmeal is made from the oat groat, the name for the entire oat seed containing the germ, endosperm, and bran. There are lots of different types of oats differentiated by the type of processing they’ve undergone.

• Steel-Cut or Irish: Oat groats that have been cut into two or three pieces with a steel blade.
• Scottish Oats: Oat groats that have been stone-ground into a meal.
• Rolled or Old-Fashioned: Oat groats that have been steamed, rolled, and flattened into flakes and then dried.
• Quick or Instant: Rolled oats that are steamed for a longer period and rolled into thinner pieces so that they can absorb water easily and cook very quickly. Instant oats are sometimes partially cooked to speed up preparation.

Oats are sometimes described as having a subtle sweet, nutty, and toasted flavor. Because of their bland profile, oats can be paired well with many other flavors. Their texture depends on how they are processed. Steel-cut oats are pretty chewy and have a lot of texture, especially if they aren’t cooked too long. Scottish oats give a porridge texture when cooked, and instant oats are soft and mushy. 

In more recent years, oats have been turned into other forms, like oat flour, where the seed is milled into a fine grain, or oat milk, for which the liquid of the oat seed is extracted. Oat flour produces denser, chewier baked goods than white all-purpose flour but is lighter than whole-wheat flour, producing the densest texture of the three. 

Which One Is Better: Oats or Wheat?

The truth of the matter is that the healthiest choice depends more on the level of processing that the grain has undergone than the type of grain. It's almost always healthier to choose less processed foods, and this is especially true for grains. Unprocessed grains are more nutritionally dense with micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber and have much less impact on blood glucose. This means that from a nutritional standpoint, it's best to choose whole wheat over white flour, bread, or pasta and rolled oats over instant oats.

Both oats and whole wheat have unique health benefits. Oats might be preferable for those seeking to lower cholesterol or stabilize blood sugar levels, while whole wheat offers lots of dietary fiber for overall health and digestive function. Choosing between them will depend on personal dietary needs, preferences, and specific health conditions.

Nutrition

Oats and whole wheat have a lot going for them compared to refined wheat. Wheat is more common and generally cheaper than oats, but oat flour has spiked in popularity recently because of its health benefits. Unlike wheat, oats are inherently gluten-free, making them a great alternative for those with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or a wheat allergy. Oats also usually have a lower glycemic index than wheat, so they can be a good choice if you are focusing on preventing blood sugar spikes. 

In terms of micro and macronutrients, whole wheat has lots of insoluble fiber and higher levels of most B vitamins, though oats have more thiamin. Oats are high in soluble fiber, especially beta-glucan, which has been shown to have many health benefits, ranging from lowering cholesterol to improving metabolic syndrome. Among other benefits, beta-glucan slows down how fast food can be digested, helping stabilize glucose.^{1, 2}

Both oats and wheat have antioxidants but they have different types. The most prevalent type of antioxidant in oats are avenanthramides, and oats are the only type of cereal grain to contain them.^{3, 4} 

Some research shows that oats can lower cholesterol levels, have anticancer effects, and might help with type 2 diabetes. Whole wheat may also help prevent cancer, especially the most common form: colon cancer.^{5, 6}

Here’s how the macronutrients of oat, whole wheat, and white all-purpose flour compare, given for 1 cup of flour.

Glycemic Index

Wheat and oats are both great sources of carbohydrates, a crucial macronutrient that gives us energy. Carbohydrates are quickly broken down into simpler sugars, which enter our bloodstream and are carried to all the cells throughout our body that need them for energy. 

It’s possible to measure how fast and to what level blood glucose rises after eating different types of food. This measurement is called its glycemic index. The glycemic index scale ranges from 0 to 100. Table sugar (50 grams of pure glucose) has a maximum rating of 100, and foods that don’t spike blood glucose, like eggs, are at 0. Only foods containing carbohydrates will affect blood sugar, but the glycemic index rating of a food reflects more than just carbohydrate content. Fiber content, protein, water content, type of processing, and other factors can also affect how fast the sugars are broken down and enter the bloodstream.

Grains are a good example of this. Wheat and oats are both types of grains and have lots of carbohydrates, but their glycemic index rating varies greatly, especially when considering how they are prepared. Rolled oats have a GI rating of 55, while instant oats have a score of about 75. Whole wheat bread is about 70, and white bread is above 90. Here are GI values for some other common oat and wheat products:⁷

• Oat flour - 25
• Whole wheat flour - 45
• White flour - 85
• Sourdough white bread - 54
• Oatmeal bread - 47
• Whole wheat pasta - 40

The glycemic index can be a useful tool to understand how your food will affect your blood glucose levels. To prevent blood glucose spikes, choose foods low on the scale and implement glucose-stabilizing strategies like pairing high GI foods with protein and fiber, paying attention to food order, and moving after eating. 

Vitamins

Whole wheat flour is higher in most B vitamins especially niacin, while oat flour boasts an impressive content of thiamin.

Minerals

Oat flour is especially high in manganese, selenium, and phosphorous compared to whole wheat flour, which is higher in copper.