Mcdonald’s Oatmeal (Sadly) Not Much Better than a Sausage

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  • oceanrose78
    oceanrose78 Posts: 133 Member
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    For goodness sakes it's McDonalds. I've had the oatmeal once, I was hungry, and had to get up too early to make breakfast. So I had half a container of oatmeal. No brown sugar. I actually thought it was ok. Basically quick oats with a bunch of fruit and some maple flavoring. Yes, making it at home is better, but for a fast food breakfast, it was my best choice available that day.

    Fast food is just that - fast food, not healthy food fast. There's really no such thing.
  • kouzzzz
    kouzzzz Posts: 540 Member
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    If you are trying to lose weight, stay away from fast food, restaurants and take out.
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
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    well who ever thought it was healthy was smoking something that day! lol...I never once craved that and im a big oatmeal fan, but i buy sugar free and i never mix fruit with anything...yuk!
  • jsheph1
    jsheph1 Posts: 79 Member
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    I love McDonalds - I know its bad, but I love it anyway. Oatmeal is nasty, I would never order it at McDonald's, if I am going there I am going all out. I much prefer grits to oatmeal.
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
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    I've tried it before and I rather like it! Both times I've had it was at the airport, and it was the healthiest choice I could make there, compared to all the breakfast wraps, danishes, sausage and peppers, etc. The raisins, cranberries, and apples do add sugar but it's from natural sources. Of course, we could always make oatmeal or other healthier options at home, but if you're on the run, McD's oatmeal is not that bad of a choice. :)
  • cmw72
    cmw72 Posts: 390 Member
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    I don't understand the whole McDonald's oatmeal concept. It literally takes one minute to cook oatmeal on the stove, which is a lot quicker than it would take to go through the drive-thru anyways. Anybody can make it too, as it requires zero cooking skill beyond boiling water. And oatmeal is cheap to make ... probably just a few cents per serving.

    Unless you were out of town, or otherwise forced to eat McDonald's food ... I don't get it. :huh:
  • crackerjack345
    crackerjack345 Posts: 129 Member
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    Here's another quote from that same article

    "Like so many other venerable foods, oatmeal has been roundly abused by food marketers for more than 40 years. Take, for example, Quaker Strawberries and Cream Instant Oatmeal, which contains no strawberries, no cream, 12 times the sugars of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and only half of the fiber."

    So, in other words, quaker instant oatmeal mixes made at home are really no better than Mcdonald's oatmeal, other than the portion size is smaller. Weight for weight, nutritionally, they are about the same, so the only advantage is that it's cheaper to throw it in the microwave at home than stop at mcd's.

    I'm certainly not one to sing Mickey-d's praises, but I also don't think it's right to demonize them when Quakers been doing basically the same thing for years.

    Lastly, are you serious about the sausage biscuit, dude? Let's compare: sausage biscuit has 200 more cals, 31 gr of fat compared to 4.5 in the oatmeal(13 of which are saturated), 10X the sodium, and about half as much fiber. Give me a break. Of course the oatmeal isn't as healthy as preparing something from scratch at home, but let's not discourage people from making the best out of a bad situation when it arises. Sheesh!
  • cmw72
    cmw72 Posts: 390 Member
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    Of course the oatmeal isn't as healthy as preparing something from scratch at home, but let's not discourage people from making the best out of a bad situation when it arises. Sheesh!

    This I agree with wholeheartedly. People will give you crap for eating a Lean Cuisine because despite the fact that you're trying to eat healthier, it still came out of a box. But nobody will say anything to you when you're horking down that double cheeseburger!

    Sometimes I think people forget that at one point, we were all cramming our face with fast food, and not everybody is as far along in this process. There is a lot to be said for mitigating the damage and making the healthiest choice available to you at the moment.

    I still don't see McDonald's Oatmeal as a viable breakfast solution long-term, but compared to the sausage biscuit ... it's a no brainer.
  • pkd1
    pkd1 Posts: 170 Member
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    I like the Mcdonalds oatmeal, I have a friend that works there and she told me how they make it, so i tweeked it and make it at home for under 200 calories and not all the sugar, but if your in a hurry and theres not a option at 10 AM, iD still get the oatmeal there. But thats just me
  • Janworkingitout
    Janworkingitout Posts: 434 Member
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    Of course the oatmeal isn't as healthy as preparing something from scratch at home, but let's not discourage people from making the best out of a bad situation when it arises. Sheesh!

    This I agree with wholeheartedly. People will give you crap for eating a Lean Cuisine because despite the fact that you're trying to eat healthier, it still came out of a box. But nobody will say anything to you when you're horking down that double cheeseburger!

    Sometimes I think people forget that at one point, we were all cramming our face with fast food, and not everybody is as far along in this process. There is a lot to be said for mitigating the damage and making the healthiest choice available to you at the moment.

    I still don't see McDonald's Oatmeal as a viable breakfast solution long-term, but compared to the sausage biscuit ... it's a no brainer.

    Agree!
  • mielikkibz
    mielikkibz Posts: 552 Member
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    on the other hand you can make oatmeal in your microwave in less time than it takes to go through the drive thru! what is McD's thinking?

    it's easy and convenient when you're traveling or running late(I don't like fruit in mine, so have never gotten it)
  • mielikkibz
    mielikkibz Posts: 552 Member
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    . But the last time I tried to eat it I couldn't make it with milk, couldn't add hardly any sugar and it still came out close to 500 calories.

    what kind of oatmeal are you eating??? Just pulled out my great value(Walmart brand) quick oats, one serving (1/2 cup) is only 150 calories, no sodium, and it pretty much fills me up
  • amycakes812
    amycakes812 Posts: 441
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    McDonald's = McCrap....that is all :sick:
  • forgiven4life
    forgiven4life Posts: 451
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    . But the last time I tried to eat it I couldn't make it with milk, couldn't add hardly any sugar and it still came out close to 500 calories.

    what kind of oatmeal are you eating??? Just pulled out my great value(Walmart brand) quick oats, one serving (1/2 cup) is only 150 calories, no sodium, and it pretty much fills me up

    That is what I was thinking!! What kind of regular oatmeal without milk, sugar or anything has close to 500 calories in it?? :laugh:
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    Without reading the article...all I have to say is

    It's McDonald's. You didn't really think it was going to be healthy, did you?
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    . But the last time I tried to eat it I couldn't make it with milk, couldn't add hardly any sugar and it still came out close to 500 calories.

    what kind of oatmeal are you eating??? Just pulled out my great value(Walmart brand) quick oats, one serving (1/2 cup) is only 150 calories, no sodium, and it pretty much fills me up

    That is what I was thinking!! What kind of regular oatmeal without milk, sugar or anything has close to 500 calories in it?? :laugh:

    Right! I use 1/4c dry oats & microwave... add some splenda & 1tbl almond butter or ground flax seed. Then a serving of lean protein (eggs, egg whites, homedade turkey patty, etc) and I am SO full all morning for around 300 calories.
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    While I agree that it is unfair to criticize the convenience of eating oatmeal out, as opposed to preparing it at home; and no, instant oatmeal is not necessarily a healthier choice than eating oatmeal out. All fair arguments.

    But, I think most people assume that when they order oatmeal out it is simply oats + water + any toppings they add. I wouldn’t assume there were tons of additives. I would assume that I was ordering and eating a wholesome food, even at an unwholesome establishment. And this essay tells me I would be wrong in that assumption.

    I decided to check whether Mcdonald’s was alone in the way they prepared their oatmeal, so I pulled up Starbucks nutrition info. Both are available with optional toppings, and equally convenient. And here’s what you get for that convenience--

    Starbucks Oatmeal Ingredients:

    whole-grain rolled oats (with oat bran), oat flour, calcium carbonate, salt, guar gum, caramel color, reduced iron, vitamin a palmitate, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid.

    McDonald’s Oatmeal Ingredients:

    Whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, food starch-modified, salt, natural flavor (plant source), barley malt extract, caramel color.

    Assuming it’s true that the cream is not optional, these ingredients would be included in the Light Cream:
    Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, datem, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium citrate, carrageenan.

    Starbucks Oatmeal Nutrition:

    Calories 140
    Total Fat 2.5g
    Saturated Fat 0.5g
    Cholesterol 0mg
    Sodium 105mg
    Total Carbohydrate 25g
    Dietary Fiber 4g
    Sugars 0g
    Protein 5g

    McDonald’s Oatmeal Nutrition (with cream is in parentheses):

    Calories 190 (210)
    Total Fat 2.5g (4)
    Saturated Fat 0 (1.5g)
    Cholesterol 0mg (10)
    Sodium 140mg (150 mg)
    Total Carbohydrate 38g (39)
    Dietary Fiber 3g (3)
    Sugars 14g (14)
    Protein 4g (5)
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
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    For goodness' sake.

    I hate Mc Do as much as the next gal, but spreading misinformation is not going to help anyone. If anything, it's going to make it easier for fast-food companies to present themselves as great and good if they can point fingers to incorrect and misleading information.

    We've been through this before: Mc Donald's oatmeal has more sugar because it a) contains brown sugar (which is OPTIONAL) and b) contains dried fruit. I don't know if the dried fruit (which is a GOOD ingredient) is optional, but without the brown sugar it's quite close to the nutritional parameters of my own homemade oatmeal. It's surely just as nutritious as many people's oatmeal if they use quick-cooking oats. I posted comparisons here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/159537-don-t-be-fooled-by-mcdonalds-oatmeal?hl=oatmeal+&page=1#posts-2134513 . Saying it's just as bad as a sausage either means sausages aren't THAT bad or it's plain wrong.

    Please, folks, use a) your own critical thinking to CHECK what you post and b) the forum search function, ok?
  • forgiven4life
    forgiven4life Posts: 451
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    For goodness' sake.

    I hate Mc Do as much as the next gal, but spreading misinformation is not going to help anyone. If anything, it's going to make it easier for fast-food companies to present themselves as great and good if they can point fingers to incorrect and misleading information.

    We've been through this before: Mc Donald's oatmeal has more sugar because it a) contains brown sugar (which is OPTIONAL) and b) contains dried fruit. I don't know if the dried fruit (which is a GOOD ingredient) is optional, but without the brown sugar it's quite close to the nutritional parameters of my own homemade oatmeal. It's surely just as nutritious as many people's oatmeal if they use quick-cooking oats. I posted comparisons here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/159537-don-t-be-fooled-by-mcdonalds-oatmeal?hl=oatmeal+&page=1#posts-2134513 . Saying it's just as bad as a sausage either means sausages aren't THAT bad or it's plain wrong.

    Please, folks, use a) your own critical thinking to CHECK what you post and b) the forum search function, ok?

    I agree! If people would just consider for a moment the source of the sugar in the oatmeal. Dried fruits are going to have a higher suger content and raw fruit is naturally high in sugar as well. But it's not the same as sugar from other sources. Seems people can't take a minute to think outside the box instead of just looking at the numbers. There are 17-21 g of sugar in a large banana. Would you tell someone not to eat it because it is full of sugar??
  • RitaKs
    RitaKs Posts: 1
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    OOO!!!! I love McDonald's oatmeal. If I have to give up taste then I will not lose weight. Who would want to? I doubt anyone will lose weight if that is the only way to do it. Calorie counting works and I would just as soon include McDonalds oatmeal at 290 calories a serving than to eat dry wheat toast and boiled eggs. This filling oatmeal and a cup of black coffee is less than the 300 calories I allot myself for a breakfast meal. I think the only fault to find with this oatmeal is that McDonalds has taken this run of the meal nutritious staple and made it delicious. Fancy that!!

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