If you're confused about oatmeal, you need to read this post on what is the healthiestย type of oatmeal.
You know what burns me up? Simple nutrition that gets totally convoluted by wishy washy, pseudo-science, mumbo jumbo.
There I said it. I don't like to rant on here, but THIS gets me going.
What I mean is, I dislike it when we, the everyday health-seeking person, feel paralyzed to make even the simple decision --
Which darn oatmeal should I be eating?
Fortunately, after reading through some solid science and researching the topic for myself, I came up with a wonderful conclusion about the healthiest type of oatmeal:
It don't matter which oatmeal you eat.
(Pardon my slang there but that's how I would say it to you in person.)
The take home message here is:
Nutrition
The original/plain all have pretty much the exact same nutrition facts per serving too: 150 calories, 3 g of fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 1g polyunsaturated fat, 1g monounsaturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 1g or less sugar, 5 g protein.
Great news, right!? It's just a matter of how much time you have to cook them and what texture you like.
Simple. Yeah!
Flavors
Now, where you do have some decisions to make is in flavors. I do strongly suggest going the plain route and adding your own flavors. My favorite combo is honey, cinnamon, raisons and nuts. I also like to add in fresh apples or blueberries too when I have them.
For more fall-inspired oatmeal flavor options, see this post on Healthy Fall Comfort Food.ย
If you are in a rush and prefer flavor already added in, look for a low sugar oatmeal with less than 10 grams of sugar per packet (the less the better). To put things in perspective, remember that 1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 g of sugar on the nutrition facts label. So if your oatmeal has 16 grams of sugar, that's like adding 4 teaspoons of sugar to your breakfast. Yowsers!
I recently tried the new Kashi overnight muesli, which happens to be very low in sugar, and loved it! It's another easy option for a quick meal or snack. And this easy method for Overnight Crockpot Steel Cut Oatmeal that will have your breakfast ready the moment you wake up in the morning.
In fact, if you sign up for my e-updates, you'll never miss a MHE post. Plus, I'll send you my free Smoothie Jump Start Guide. Sign up here:
Do you love oatmeal? Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite kind. If you thought this was a helpful article, please share it with a friend or on Facebook. The more we get the word out about simple nutrition, the better!!
To not discriminating against any type of oatmeal,
Jenna
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