Instant oatmeal; Good or bad?

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Get_Me_Fit1
Get_Me_Fit1 Posts: 194
in Food and Nutrition
I love how quick and easy and ready to go it is. Not to mention how delicious! But i heard some rumors that its bad for you cause of the sugar content. I dont have any on me to check, but what do you guys think?
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Replies

  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Always buy plain oats. I buy a huge thing (2lbs, 10oz) of plain oats for like $3 and add splenda, cinnamon, and a scoop of whey protein to it. I named this creation "proatmeal" and it's super filling and delicious. It's great for post work out recovery.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    There's a lot of variation between brands, you do really need to check the label of whatever one you're using.

    I find that real oatmeal takes about 3 minutes in the microwave.
  • robinaddison
    robinaddison Posts: 232 Member
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    The above poster is right. Instant oatmeal is expensive and full of processed crap. And, it's not really any faster to make than regular! My favorite breakfast is oatmeal, sliced almonds and blueberries. Throw it all in a bowl with a pinch of salt and some water, microwave for 90sec and add milk and honey. Yum!
  • mulderpf
    mulderpf Posts: 209 Member
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    In a pot that I often eat, it's around 15g of sugar for the unflavoured one and 20g of sugar for the flavoured one!!

    To me though, I now eat it if I am on the run (I went through a phase of eating it every day). I have tried "real" oats, but I end up getting frustrated, because I make it at work and the bowls aren't big enough and it always boils over and makes a terrible mess. Then the bowl is usually too hot and it just ends up being not worth the effort.
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
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    I love it, I really don't care.

    When I make plain oats, it tastes so disgusting & I end up adding sugar to sweeten it anyway. So a pack of instant oats with 10 or less grams of sugar isn't bad at all. But the ones that use artificial sweeteners are controversial.
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    It depends on who you talk to. The die hard clean eaters will tell you it's processed crap and that it's horrible for you. Personally, I think it's fine as long as you can find one without a ridiculous amount of sugar in it. I'm not a huge oatmeal fan, but when I do eat it, it's always instant. :)
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    It makes about as much sense as instant lettuce.
  • 40Marbles
    40Marbles Posts: 188 Member
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    Always buy plain oats. I buy a huge thing (2lbs, 10oz) of plain oats for like $3 and add splenda, cinnamon, and a scoop of whey protein to it. I named this creation "proatmeal" and it's super filling and delicious. It's great for post work out recovery.

    Me too! A chopped up apple, some cranberries (fresh or frozen, not the dried sugar filled kind), cinnamon, some protein. MMMMM!
  • CarrieStL
    CarrieStL Posts: 162 Member
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    Loaded with sugar and crap. Oatmeal is so easy to make. Sub 1/2 water for a little apple cider and add apples and a few pecans. Delish and SO much better for you...
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Loaded with sugar and crap. Oatmeal is so easy to make. Sub 1/2 water for a little apple cider and add apples and a few pecans. Delish and SO much better for you...

    Woah, you just blew my mind. That sounds so amazing.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
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    White bread is like 75% the same thing as whole wheat...
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I love how quick and easy and ready to go it is. Not to mention how delicious! But i heard some rumors that its bad for you cause of the sugar content. I dont have any on me to check, but what do you guys think?

    I think that whether or not it's bad for you depends entirely on how it fits into your diet as a whole. I could easily eat a few packets per day and it would not have any negative effect on my progress.


    ( It could possibly cut into my ice cream consumption though, so in that regard I'd rather not eat it.)
  • shell22holmes
    shell22holmes Posts: 67
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    I eat the low-sugar ones or plain and always add fresh berries to it and cinnamon and a touch of honey. I never liked the 'real' oats, then ones you have to cook. They get gluey and gloppy......maybe I'm doing it wrong :(
  • juliesjuke
    juliesjuke Posts: 93 Member
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    I like the steel cut oats with a little raw honey. It takes a little longer to cook, but well worth it.I also just bought some whole grain quick cooking oats at w-mart. I haven't tried them yet but i'll bet they are really good,with 5 grams of fiber..Yum.:wink:
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
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    I have been having 1/4 cup "old fashioned oats", 1/8 cup sunmaid fruit bits and a sprinkle of stevia made with 1/2 cup water. 2 min in micro and yummy. still has 12 g of sugar from the fruit but so worth it.
  • juliaamilee
    juliaamilee Posts: 262 Member
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    i hate the texture of oatmeal. so I eat it cold.. I buy the plain quick cook oats, this AM 1/2 cup oats, then I added 6oz oz of vanilla soy milk, 1/4 cup pumpkin, 1 tsp truvia, dash of pumpkin pie spice. YUM and easy I just let it sit for about 5 min to absorb the milk.
  • Miche11e5
    Miche11e5 Posts: 114 Member
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    Always buy plain oats. I buy a huge thing (2lbs, 10oz) of plain oats for like $3 and add splenda, cinnamon, and a scoop of whey protein to it. I named this creation "proatmeal" and it's super filling and delicious. It's great for post work out recovery.

    Me too! A chopped up apple, some cranberries (fresh or frozen, not the dried sugar filled kind), cinnamon, some protein. MMMMM!

    Me three! I buy the large container of oats, and add dried fruit and 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein to it and mix with hot water. I think it tastes better than the instant packets, gives me protein, has less sugar and saves me $$! :smile:
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    I buy a big bag of oats, my boyfriend prefers the instant ones while I like the ones that take a little longer. Just add boiling water and let them sit for a while or put them in overnight oatmeal (no cooking required).

    I don't like added sugar so I usually just put some strawberries and raspberries in mine which works for me. My boyfriend is a sugar fiend so he adds all kinds of stuff to his bowl, brown sugar, maple syrup, apple sauce - but this way we can buy one plain bag and each add what we want and avoid what we don't.

    I tried the packets but honestly I find they weren't at all filling - I always had to use 2 or 3 just to feel like I ate anything at all.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    It's not that the processing of instant oatmeal adds anything (sometimes it does) but it removes the fibre. That fibre will help lower your chlosterol. I throw some steel cut oats and dried fruit in a crockpot before I go to bed and wake up to the yummy. Every once in a while I'll cook it on the stove but I'd rather have it be effectively instant because it cooked overnight.
  • lucyp0407
    lucyp0407 Posts: 3
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    to much sugar !!! get the big container and make yourself. add a little something to sweeten, i like to mash bananas in mine but they say bananas cause belly fat :( also.. instant oatmeal is processed, not good

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