Oatmeal confusion...Help!

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  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
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    Cups are the devil's way of tricking us into inaccuracy. See:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    I weigh oatmeal in grams. Then add water in grams. Simples.

    If you don't have a digital scale, I recommend you get one even if you only use it occasionally for calorie dense foods like oatmeal.
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    According to Clean & Delicious,

    1/4 cup of UNCOOKED steel cut oats cooks up to about one full cup SO 1/4 cup UNCOOKED and 1 cup COOKED both have about 150 calories.
  • VirginiaWoof
    VirginiaWoof Posts: 147
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    i don't think that's accurate. 40g of dried oatmeal is about 140 calories with the brand I use. And 40 grams makes a nice moderate portion.
  • Gauntlettes
    Gauntlettes Posts: 16
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    Bump for later
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Ah! So confusing! Still doesn't make sense to me. Probably never will aha. Steal cut is my favorite but I can't figure out how to measure properly. At least it's healthy and if I do eat a little more then a serving it's not like it's a whole chocolate cake :laugh:

    Don't be confused. Some people are talking about rolled oats and what their own personal brands that they use have as measurements and calories and they have nothing to do with your question, so just scroll past them. ;)

    What the first reply said was the answer you needed.

    If you measure out 1/4 cup of your steel cut oats and the container that you have says that they are 150 calories for that 1/4 cup of dry oats, that calorie amount doesn't change no matter how much water you add. If you cooked them in 1 cup of water, the entire thing would be 150 calories. If you cooked them in 3 cups of water, it would still be 150 calories.

    The only thing that would change the calories is if you add something other than water or increase the amount of dry oats you put in.

    So when you put your 1/4 cup of oats and 2 cups of water in the crock pot, you get to eat that entire thing when it's done and it's still 150 calories. Enjoy!
  • Krisiew
    Krisiew Posts: 1
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    I make mine with 1 c. Hot water and I set it aside while I cut up an apple. I add the apple and cook it 2-3 min. I add cinnamon and stevia. It is 160 calories and so delicious, I feel like I'm eating dessert for breakfast!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Ah! So confusing! Still doesn't make sense to me. Probably never will aha. Steal cut is my favorite but I can't figure out how to measure properly. At least it's healthy and if I do eat a little more then a serving it's not like it's a whole chocolate cake :laugh:

    An easier way to look at it is that if you use 1 cup of dry oats (600 cals) to make a whole batch - then the whole batch still has 600 cals when it is done (assuming you only add water).
    When it is cooked, serve out the oats into four bowls. Each bowl will have 150 cals.
    Easy!

    The recipe tool is handy for this kind of stuff, but you need to have a minimum of 2 ingredients.
  • leehawthorne
    leehawthorne Posts: 1
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    This is where the algebra you always hated comes in. If you eat 1/4 cup wet or cooked, that equals one tenth or .1 of a cup dry. So, 1/2 cup wet or cooked equals (point two) .2 cup dry. I measured mine dry, then cooked it, then measured mine wet. 1 cup of dry made 2 1/2 cups of cooked. I eat 1/2 cup wet, so I enter .2 cup dry.
    However, I make mine with 1 cup of dry and 3 cups of water. I think you put more water, so yours would actually be less if you use more water. You'd have to measure it after cooking to see how much the one cup dry yields to do the math.
    These numbers will get you closer any way.
  • brunner65
    brunner65 Posts: 1
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    Thanks for this comparison. I was trying to figure out how much cooked to scoop out.
  • roliepolieollie
    roliepolieollie Posts: 1
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    As far as the calorie thing is concerned, I think people are confusing two different 'types' of oatmeal (technically they are just different steps in the processing of the grain itself). Old-fashioned or rolled oats are different from steel-cut oats. 1/4 cup of dry rolled oats will have 75 calories (1/2 c has 150 according to the Quaker label), steel cut oats are more calorific and 1/4 c dry will have 150 calories.
  • bellaxept
    bellaxept Posts: 5 Member
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    Just measure out what serving size you want (1/4c etc.) after you cook it in the water EAT IT ALL. It is still the same amount of calories, just looks like more than 1/4 c because of the water. (Dont cook it and then scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooked oats) not the same... hope this helps! Steel cut is such a process lol but so good :)
  • blueeyesal
    blueeyesal Posts: 12 Member
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    Some of the nutrition sites (even this one) have errors on their calorie counts for foods. When it comes to oatmeal, the amount listed on your container lists the calories for only the DRY oats. So for instance, my container of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats lists 150 cals per 1/2 cup. That is while it is dry. After adding water or milk (I suggest skim milk or lite coconut milk), the oatmeal expands as it absorbs the liquid (think of a dry sponge after u dunk it in water). The calorie count hasn't changed for the entire batch, and what WAS only half a cup is now more like a cup or more. So after u cook it, it's still 150 calories (except if you used skim/coconut/soy milk in which case maybe u added up to another 40, but it's well worth it in my opinion to get the extra protein, calcium, vitamin D etc.) So really, as long as you don't add a ton of sugar or butter to it, it remains a pretty low calorie option for breakfast or a snack and has one of the highest satiety indexes there is while being a very low GI food. Hope this helped anyone that was confused! :)
  • blueeyesal
    blueeyesal Posts: 12 Member
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    Sorry to confuse you but I had to correct the post below,1 cup dry uncooked oats is actually 300 calories, not 600, but I think a lot of people get confused on that one! :)



    Ah! So confusing! Still doesn't make sense to me. Probably never will aha. Steal cut is my favorite but I can't figure out how to measure properly. At least it's healthy and if I do eat a little more then a serving it's not like it's a whole chocolate cake :laugh:
    [/quote]

    An easier way to look at it is that if you use 1 cup of dry oats (600 cals) to make a whole batch - then the whole batch still has 600 cals when it is done (assuming you only add water).
    When it is cooked, serve out the oats into four bowls. Each bowl will have 150 cals.
    Easy!

    The recipe tool is handy for this kind of stuff, but you need to have a minimum of 2 ingredients

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