Oatmeal Help

Ok....Just a couple of questions!

1. Where can I find the nutritional information for Oatmeal (instant)? I found a few options but the box said it was 150 for a half cup and all of the ones I have found on here have WAY under that.

2. How do you eat yours? I ate it this morning and I was basically choking it down because it was TERRIBLE!

If you're using a plain oatmeal in a packet use this

If you use it from a big container and measure it out dry, use this.

 

I like to make 1/2 cup dry non-instant oatmeal in the microwave (only takes 3 minutes anyway), and add in ground cinnamon, a little ground flax seed, some Splenda or Stevia or even sugar if you want it, and three heaping tablespoons of natural applesauce. It tastes like apple-cinnamon goodness, almost like a baked apple. It's about a 240-calorie breakfast, packed with vitamin C and fiber. With 1/2 cup scrambled egg whites on the side, I get a full breakfast with protein for 300 calories.

If I want some more calories (like if I'm going to the gym all morning) I'll add 1 or 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and either one tablespoon of low-sugar strawberry jam or 1 small mashed banana to make peanut butter and banana or pbj flavored oatmeal. Yummy!. Sometimes I add the sweetener to that as well, depending on my mood.

Great Oatmeal recipes:

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/recipe_collection. asp?subcategoryid=7

I like mine prepared with Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla beverage, a couple of packets of equal, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a couple of table spoons of pumpkin.  It would probably be very good with a mashed banana in place of the pumpkin as well. 

I love quaker instant LOWER SUGAR oatmeal and eat it every day.  Do you hate the flavored stuff? 

Maybe i'm weird, but i eat the Old Fashioned oats that come in the big cylinder canister. It's about 150 calories per serving, but a serving cooks up to more than a cup and it is filling. Quick oats and especially instant oatmeal are too gluey for me. I add a shake of salt and a half of a tablespoon of light butter, maybe a little skim milk if i'm in a hurry and i have to cool it off faster.

I don't think I've ever had just plain old oatmeal before without anything in it. I think I would be choking it down too! :o) I usually add a teaspoon (or more) of brown sugar and then some cinnamon. Sometimes I'll chop up a banana and add that to the oatmeal. It's very good that way. I've also done applesauce and would like to try pumpkin but haven't done that yet. I have also seen recipes where they add cooked oatmeal to smoothies. I haven't done that but it sounds interesting. There are tons of different things you can do with oatmeal. It just takes some experimenting.

You are not weird at all faeriesight. I love the old fashioned oats too. Cheaper and less calories than prepacked envelopes that are loaded w/needless sugar. I use splenda brown sugar and cinnamon or my recent discovery, SF Instant Pudding! a couple tablespoons of that mixed in after I cook and oh my, it's filling and so good! I also have used the SF coffee syrups too. 0 calories and tons of great flavors to choose from!

I also love the old fashioned large flake oats :)  Usually I have them with just 1% milk, but sometimes I mix vanilla protein powder into the milk before adding it, which sweetens it without adding sugar.

Instant oatmeal packets range from 100-200 cals a pouch.

I would like to make it clear that instant oatmeal is complete garbage compared with old fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats. I would highly recommend going for the higher quality oats, with no added sugar or other artificial substances.

I eat oatmeal every day. I put a tablespoon of raisins in it to sweeten  it a wee bit. If you add sugar or buy the more processed type you are defeating the purpose of eating a very nutritious food. I have been eating the old fashion rolled oats but just found some steel cut oatmeal which is the best kind to get. It slows down the insulin response.

I eat oatmeal almost everyday as well.  I love the plain kind with chopped up apples (I soften them up in the mic for a minute) and cinnamon, or 1/4 cup pumpkin and pumkin spice, and a packet of splenda.  I always eat the quick oats, but I am going to try the old fashioned kind next.  I have also tried the Quaker weight control instant packets, and they are not very good.......the worst texture ever!!

Instant oatmeal is not any less or more healthful than Old fashioned oats unless the instant oatmeal has added sweeteners. Old fashioned oats are oats that are steamed and then rolled so they get flattened. Quick oats are old fashioned oats that have been cut smaller and instant oats are old fashioned oats that have been cut even smaller. Steel cut oats are oats that are put through a cutter instead of being steamed and rolled.

All oat cereals tend to be high in fiber and they are all whole grain foods, the steaming, rolling and cutting still result in the whole grain being eaten.

I like steel cut oats, I simmer 1 cup of oats in 4 cups of water until I have a porridge with very little water, then I store them in the fridge until I want to eat them. When I want to eat oatmeal, I take out a fourth of my container and nuke it for 1 min, then I add a half a cup of milk or unsweetened almond breeze, some Splenda and cinnamon and stir and nuke for another minute.

But I also eat Quick oats and Multigrain oatmeal (a Quaker product that contains rolled oats, rolled barley and a couple other grains).

What specifically was your complaint about the oatmeal? If it was the added flavorings, you might want to use quick or old fashioned oats, if it was the blandness of the oats, you might want to use milk as a cooking fluid or add spices like cinnamon or flavorers like dried fruits and nuts.

Whenever I eat hot cereal (be it oatmeal, cream of wheat or cream of rice) I cook it in milk. It does up your calories a bit, but it helps you get a serving of dairy/calcium and ups your protein a bit. It really does make a huge difference (I had a box of the weight control oatmeal sitting in the cupboard for months because it was gross with the water...I made it with milk yesterday and now I'mm hooked!). For the instant stuff, I just nuke some milk until it barely bubbles and mix it in. For the long cooking stuff, I just substitute milk for the water. You can also substitute juice for the water (but this will seriously up your carbs).

Oatmeal is great because you can do so much with it. Dried fruit and fresh fruit can be added, try a splash of vanilla extract and some splenda/stevia or a bit of brown sugar/honey/maplesyrup/molasses. You can add all sorts of spices to it (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, allspice, anise, etc). Fruit puree's (applesauce, pumpkin, banana, apricot) and all fruit or spreadable fruit are delicious additions as well.

Experiment for a bit until you find something you like. It's worth it. Oatmeal is a great "stick to your ribs" breakfast and gives you a good start on your fiber intake for the day. Press on!

I prefer the raw quaker oats. You put the skim milk on medium heat, add cinnamon, raisins and chopped walnuts then after a minute add fresh diced apples or bananas, cook for another minute, then add the oats. top it with brown sugar. 

Original Post by aovermy:

Instant oatmeal is not any less or more healthful than Old fashioned oats unless the instant oatmeal has added sweeteners. Old fashioned oats are oats that are steamed and then rolled so they get flattened. Quick oats are old fashioned oats that have been cut smaller and instant oats are old fashioned oats that have been cut even smaller. Steel cut oats are oats that are put through a cutter instead of being steamed and rolled.

All oat cereals tend to be high in fiber and they are all whole grain foods, the steaming, rolling and cutting still result in the whole grain being eaten.

Yeah I read the same thing and despite popular belief, instant oatmeal isn't less healthful except the sugars....  I love the instant oatmeal with lower sugar.  They run 110-120 calories a pack.  Very quick, very easy and very healthy.

I make the old-fashioned (raw) oats using water and a dash of salt.  When the water is boiling, I also add ground cinnamon and a dash of vanilla.  After the oatmeal is cooked, I add a tsp of splenda brown sugar blend.  Sometimes, I add applesauce, walnuts or pecans, or raisins, blueberries, or raspberries, too.  

I, too, had to "get used" to oatmeal, since I never liked it as a kid.  The major advantages, though, are that it fills me up really well and that it is warm and a bit sweet on these cold winter days.  :)