oatmeal vs cereal

I have been eating the quaker instant lower sugar maple brown sugar oatmeal everymorning for a bout a month now and its pertty good. its made with whole grains and is only 120 calories 4g of sugar 3g of fiber 4g of protein.. I was at the store today and looked at the regular, non-lower sugar, stuff and it was still made while whole grains 160 cal 13g of sugar 3g of fiber 4g of protein.
But there are alot of "whole grain" cereals out there that are equal or less in sugar and are made of whole grains too, like cinamon toast crunch. however, that is 10g of sugar in 3/4 cup, but has less fiber and protein. So less sugar BUT less fiber and protein. that is just one example. Most cereals average 12-13g of sugar per serving.
basically my question is.. is eating a packet of the regular(not reduced sugar) maple and brown sugar oatmeal basically the same as eating a bowl of the common sugar cereal out there? or is eating it even though it has 13g of sugar still a good breakfast?
one of the reasons im wondering is becuase i looked in the fridge today and i saw my mom bought some rolls that u bake and then frost and 1 roll is 170 cals and 10g of sugar.. which is less sugar than the oatmeal and only 10 more cals!.. ahh so confusing?!

I would definitely advise watching the sugar intake especially at breakfast, however that's hardly the end-all, be-all of the nutrition spectrum here.

Perhaps I'm wrong but my understanding is that though a foodstuff can be made with whole grains, those grains can still be refined such as in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  That's primarily corn, last time I checked, and would therefore be processed rather quickly, giving a quick insulin rush with the inevitable crash not long afterwards.  Same with the cinnamon roll, my guess would be their base is enriched flour?  Not the best thing to start off you day, at least in my humble opinion...

All in all, I'd say stick with your oatmeal so long as you enjoy it and it's satisfying.  If you'd like, feel free to mix it up a bit by enjoying a sticky bun one morning or a bowl of cold cereal but out of the options listed, I'd say oatmeal's your best bet.

Another thing to check on the low sugar vs regualr oatmeal is how much oatmeal is in the packet.  One reason why the "low sugar" version is lower in sugar is because there is actually less oatmeal in the packet.

I'm a pretty big supporter of the good, old fashioned rolled oats without any added flavour, sugar, etc and just adding your own bits.  Think of it this way... even alot of the "healthy" cold cereals have tons of added sugar and not nearly as much fiber as just plain rolled oats.  1 cup of Special K may only have 117 cal or so, but it still has added sugar and less than 1 gram of fiber, which never satisfies me come mid-morning (hello office snack machine!)

1 serving of rolled oats (1/2 cup) is about 180 cal, but it has about 7-9 grams of fiber (depending upon brand) and the same amount of protein (~7 g) as Special K.  Add 1 1/2 cup water, put it on the stove or nuke it in the microwave, and you have a HUGE breakfast for just 180 cal compared to cold cereal (I usually only use about 1/3 cup of rolled oats and less water)

Plus, just like cold cereal, you can make it with skim milk and add yummy berries, almonds, or sugar free maple syrup.

If you go for cold cereal, go for the really high fiber types (FiberOne and Kashi).  The packeted oatmeal may seem easier, but the rolled oats are quick and easy in the morning and you have more control about what you put in... plus, porridge is the cheapest breakfast you can get so you can put that money towards buying fresh berries or new jeans rather than buying the expensive store brand cold cereals.

Stick with the oatmeal, and be carefull of anything calling itself "whole grain" without reading the ingrediant list.  Alot of labels like that are just marketing ploys, previously when I dieting I would trust labels like that and wonder why I was not getting results.  Kinda like fat free cookies :)

If you eat something like cinnamon toast crunch (which I would never call a whole grain cereal but maybe they add a spoon full of whole wheat flour) maybe the same calories but less fiber and protein you will find yourself getting hungry a lot sooner.  The fact that it has more sugar means it probably spike your blood sugar and then when its going back down you will start to crave.

There are some good whole grain cereals like Kashi GoLean which is loaded with fiber and protein and a bunch of different whole grains, and very little sugar.

Oats are an awsome food in terms of health benefits they are full of nutrients and are even shown to lower cholesterol.

Learn how to cook old fashioned rolled oats from scratch.  Add your own sweetner and flavorings.  Not only is it cheaper, but it doesn't have all the additives.  You'll have control of how much sugar and salt goes in it.

It cooks easily in the microwave, 1/3 cup of oats to 2/3 cup water or milk, 5 minutes on high.  Use a large bowl to avoid boilover.

Okay, this may sound a bit odd, but you know a quick breakfast I've found out that I love?

Instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter melted in.

Very, VERY filling.

so is the 13g of sugar a big deal in the oatmeal?
i will try to learn how to cook the reglar oats, but dont have time to learn this morning!:) thanks for all the replies:)

13g of sugar is obscene. Regular rolled oats have 0g of sugar and take 5 minutes to cook. I doubt you're really saving that much time with the instant stuff.

I love oatmeal with a little peanut butter, too.  It's a great mid-afternoon snack at the office and totally keeps me from overeating at dinner a few hours later!

I've just started using the steel cut oats (but only on mornings where I can work from home). They are really quite good and filling, and I enjoy them as a change of pace from the Kashi granola bars or Kashi instant oatmeal.

Plus as Clairelaine says, by making plain oatmeal (whether rolled or steel-cut) YOU control everything that goes into it.

BTW rolled oats take me about five minutes to cook on the stove. That's really not much time at all. The steel-cut do take longer (about 20 minutes for me), so if you want to try them, you'll need to plan just a little bit ahead of time.

I make my own "instant" oatmeal for a snack at work. This way it's healthier and I know exactly how much sugar I put in it.

Take 1 cup quick oats and blend in food processor until it's powdery

Put 2 tbsp of the powder into individual baggies.

Add 1/4 cup quick oats to each baggie

add any other ingredients to flavor it the way you like. Later just dump into a bowl add water and put in the microwave until hot and then thickness you like.

I usualy add flexseeds, wheat germ, brown sugar, and craisins to mine.

My vote is for old fashion plain...nothing added rolled or steel cut oats. That is what I eat daily as part of my nutritious breakfast. The carbs, sugars, fats, and proteins in a completely natural food are nothing to worry about if everything is balanced properly in your diet.