Why not oatmeal?

[Reemajaan]

Hi! I'm new to the whole30 program and I'm wondering why oatmeal isn't allowed. Oatmeal doesn't contribute to any weight gain (for me), keeps me satiated for hours (I cook it with almond milk and berries), and is a healthy dose of fiber and carbs. So why not oatmeal? What is "unhealthy" about it?

[ShannonM816]

The basic reasons are explained here: http://whole9life.com/2013/02/grain-manifesto/

Basically, though, whole30 asks you to eliminate the things most likely to cause problems for most people for 30 days, and then do careful reintroductions of those items to see how they affect you, so you can make an informed decision about including them in your regular diet going forward. Many people find they feel better leaving out items that had previously been staples in their diet, when they'd never realized they had any issues with them before.

[Tom Denham]

There are whole categories of foods that most people think make them healthier, but don't. The Whole30 identifies those categories of foods as grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, alcohol, and a few other things. People assume because they have always eaten these foods and are not aware of having problems with them that removing them is silly. However, what people find when they remove all the foods the Whole30 asks you to remove for 30 days, no cheats, no slips, no exceptions, is that they feel better than they have felt in years.