Flavoired instant oatmeal? Good or bad

mistymamas
mistymamas Posts: 36 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What do you think of the Quaker flavored instant oatmeal packets? Strawberries & Cream....Banannas & Cream, etc.
Yay or nay? A friend said to eat oatmeal but now I am questioning this as maybe she meant plain?

It says a packet has 12g of sugar, 3g protein, 2 g fat.
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Replies

  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    If it fits your macros and you like it, then eat it.
  • deemh
    deemh Posts: 14
    I eat a non flavoured variety of quick oats.. but i add a bit of cottage cheese and then some Maple Flavoured Syrup (which has 0 sugar)... YUM YUM!
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    If it fits your macros and you like it, then eat it.

    ^^ yup

    I love it! The banana bread and maple brown sugar is my favorite :D
    I once at a whole box in one day. Fit into my calories and macros xD
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I say bad. You can easily make your own tastier version with less added sugar. And random processed ingredients. You can buy a huge pack of plain instant oatmeal, add your own dried fruit, spices, nuts sugar and even protein powder and come out ahead. And change the flavors daily.

    (Even better to get the instant steel cut oats)
  • etodd41
    etodd41 Posts: 5
    Nothing wrong with it. I love it and that is the same variety pack I buy too. Enjoyed one pack almost every day since January and I also have a green smoothie with it and it fills me up until lunch. (I am down 43 pounds since January) Helps to have the consistency of the same thing for breakfast almost every day - at least during the week (anything to make getting out the door easier and easy to log) - but yet a little variety too. For logging my entry - I just keep it simple and use the same flavor everyday - they are all 130 calories.

    A friend of mine recommended I try buying the generic version - same or similar in calories and about 1/2 the price as Quaker. She found a generic at Wal-mart but I haven't tried it yet...
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    I say bad. You can easily make your own tastier version with less added sugar. And random processed ingredients. You can buy a huge pack of plain instant oatmeal, add your own dried fruit, spices, nuts sugar and even protein powder and come out ahead. And change the flavors daily.

    (Even better to get the instant steel cut oats)

    I make proats a ton now

    No matter what I do I cannot recreate the goodness of Quaker banana bread :C
  • BrienJD
    BrienJD Posts: 541 Member
    Good, definately good. I eat them for breakfast once every three days. Plenty of flavors to not get bored with. They are better than a lot of other cereals and such. The portion size is perfect. They fit perfectly into my dalily calorie allotments. Some people can make the switch to boring bland tasteless foods like plain oatmeal but I sure can't. Eat and enjoy, it beats donuts and the creams are nearly as tasty.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    Oatmeal is good for you, but you can do a lot better than quaker instant. If I make oatmeal at home it's steel cut oats with either a little agave syrup or a little brown sugar with cinnamon and dried cranberries. If I buy instant, it's Oat Revolution oatmeal with flax seed. About the same as Quaker for sugar and calories, but the flax adds some extra fiber and protein.
  • craigers13
    craigers13 Posts: 241 Member
    I like it and eat it for breakfast quite frequently. Just look at my ticker, it's worked so far......

    Vanilla & Strawberries and Maple & Brown Sugar are my faves........banana nut yuck!
  • crazymama3
    crazymama3 Posts: 1
    The generic oatmeals are very good. I can't tell a difference.. I eat the instant oatmeal when I am super hungry in the morning. I bowl of oatmeal glass of cold water and I am usually full til lunch. I love it because it only takes a min to make it and its filling and sweet! :)
  • gogospice
    gogospice Posts: 185 Member
    I switched to eating Quinoa instead of Oatmeal. I sautee apples and cinnamon, or add cranberry ginger chia seeds to it, or sometimes add fresh strawberries and cinnamon. It tastes pretty good, and It's super good for you!
  • asia_hanebach
    asia_hanebach Posts: 275 Member
    It's just as easy to make your own instant oatmeal (about a min in the microwave), but since you can add whatever you like, it's way healthier. I add blackberries, or an apple and some cinnamon, or a banana and a spoon of almond butter. It's super tasty
  • FatUncleRob
    FatUncleRob Posts: 341
    I eat the Instant Quaker Oats Maple and Brown Sugar pretty much every work day. Sometimes add some fruit.
    Obviously, I like it a lot. :smile: It's a quick and filling breakfast.
  • etodd41
    etodd41 Posts: 5
    Thank you to the posters who replied with healthier versions. I am definitely up to trying some new ideas and do agree with you that the processed 'extras' add up...

    It didn't even occur to me to make my own - Quaker just made it so easy to tear open a bag of perfectly portioned breakfast.
  • Punktorian
    Punktorian Posts: 224 Member
    It isn't terrible but it is good to avoid that extra sugar when you can. Listen to the other posters about making it taste better because I just eat it raw with a bit of water.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    On my personal scale... better than fruit loops, not as good as cooking raw oats into porridge and adding your own flavourings if you need them.

    My favourite is 1/3 cup rolled oats cooked with 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup skim milk.
    I add 1/2 tbsp peanut butter and half an apple (or pear or banana).
    The fruit makes it sweet, the pb adds extra flavour - it really doesn't need anything else, though if you want it extra sweet you can add a drizzle of honey.

    It's also MUCH cheaper to buy a bag of oats and measure them outyourself - I was at the shops with my dad a few days ago and we saw little cups of oatmeal (where you add water and cook in the cup). Our shops have a comparison price on every product and it came out something like this:
    - bag of rolled oats: $0.29 per 100 g
    - single serve cup: $3.30 per 100g
    That means the single serve cost 11 times the price of the 500g bag of oats, that's the biggest rip off I've seen in a long time!

    I forgot to add that the steel cut oats are probably even better than rolled oats, but they take longer to cook so I have to be more organised. If you want to try these, google recipes for "oven baked steel cut oats".
  • MrsR0SE
    MrsR0SE Posts: 313 Member
    I'm quite jealous of the many varieties of oats (and other foods) you have available in the US, that I can't find in my little Welsh town! The lady in the health food shop had never heard of steel cut oats and the instant ones don't have any of the delicious flavours mentioned by previous posters! I can't quite bring myself to buy these things online as they work out as really expensive.
    I mix my plain porridge oats with fresh blueberries before cooking them, and that's my favourite so far :)
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
    bump*
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    I'm quite jealous of the many varieties of oats (and other foods) you have available in the US, that I can't find in my little Welsh town! The lady in the health food shop had never heard of steel cut oats and the instant ones don't have any of the delicious flavours mentioned by previous posters! I can't quite bring myself to buy these things online as they work out as really expensive.
    I mix my plain porridge oats with fresh blueberries before cooking them, and that's my favourite so far :)

    I'm in England and have Oat so Simple nearly every day. I get mine from Asda where its on offer quite alot. I'm having chocolate brownie flavour today :smile:
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    If it's bad then I don't want to be good.
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
    This really shouldn't be an either-or question between the instant and the less processed stuff. I'm a big oatmeal fan, and cooking from scratch is one of my ways to have a good relationship with food and favour (economically) less processed products, so my normal preference is to have old-fashioned or steel-cut oats and take care of flavoring myself. However, convenience is a virtue, and the sachets of pre-packaged flavored instant stuff are a 100 times better snack at work than anything from a vending machine, so I have a packet of assorted ones in my desk drawer. (A store brand rather than Quaker, which I find a little too mushy.) I'd just pay attention to the amount of sugar and prefer brands without artificial flavors and sweeteners. But even they aren't really "bad" -- they just tend to spoil the fun for me a little.
  • MrsR0SE
    MrsR0SE Posts: 313 Member
    [/quote]
    "I'm in England and have Oat so Simple nearly every day. I get mine from Asda where its on offer quite alot. I'm having chocolate brownie flavour today :smile:"
    [/quote]

    We only have Morrisons, Iceland and a smallish Co-Op. Nearest Asda is two hours drive away, lol - I'll have a look when I go on holiday in the summer!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I tend to eat the less processed steel cut oats and naturally flavor it. If I want it to cook faster I soak them over night
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    I eat my breakfast at work. Microwavable oatmeal packets fit into my timeline. There's a lot worse foods I could be eating than processed microwable flavored oatmeal.
  • dany_m
    dany_m Posts: 74 Member
    Those instant oatmeal packs are very high in sugar IMO. You'd be much better off mixing your own, and it works out to be cheaper too. My staple breakfast is 60g oats mixed with 5g sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. I add hot water, microwave for 20 seconds and then add a dash of milk. Very yummy and filling!

    Or if you wanted to use the instant packs because of the flavor then mix it with some plain oats, to reduce the sweetness.
  • GlutenFreeWench
    GlutenFreeWench Posts: 127
    I have to say, for me, there are worse choices out there for me if I'm reaching for one of those, I'm ok with it:)
  • imogenjade
    imogenjade Posts: 131
    its not great. its better to have plain normal porridge and add your own stuff. them flavoured instant oatmeal sachets actually make me crave sugar all day xx
  • SkyPixie
    SkyPixie Posts: 224
    For the guys in the UK Sainsburys do an Apple and Cinnamon one and Golden Syrup which pretty good though still not quite as yummy as the US Quaker ones.

    I just make sure and stack my suitcase when I go over and bribe anyone I know to bring me back Cinnamon Spice and Maple flavours as they so good !

    Customs must think I am mad as I always come home with loads of packets of Oatmeal , Crystal Light and Cinnamon toothpaste :laugh:
  • creature275
    creature275 Posts: 348 Member
    What do you think of the Quaker flavored instant oatmeal packets? Strawberries & Cream....Banannas & Cream, etc.
    Yay or nay? A friend said to eat oatmeal but now I am questioning this as maybe she meant plain?

    It says a packet has 12g of sugar, 3g protein, 2 g fat.

    I eat that stuff all the time, anywhere from 2 to 6 packs of that stuff when im cycling off cell-tech and I stay lean as hell, but the thing is I only advise eating it post workout since the sugars are good for you at that time anyway. so if I work out twice in a day ill eat 3 packs after each workout. and of course theyre just delicious
  • mistymamas
    mistymamas Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks everyone! :)

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