Friday, December 01, 2006

Oatmeal comparison

I keep an eye on what we eat, not just how much it costs. I try to avoid certain ingredients. I decided to compare oatmeal. I used Quaker Oats since they have a variety of products and the info is easily available. I would buy oatmeal in bulk, to save money.

Starting with the heartiest oatmeal. Quaker Steel Cut Oatmeal. 1/4 cup dry (40g)

Calories 150, from fat 25. Fat 2.5g Sodium 0 mg Carb 27g Fiber 4g Protein 5g
Ingredients:100% WHOLE GRAIN STEEL CUT OATS

Next, Quaker Old Fashioned Oats 1/2 cup dry (40g)

Calories 150, from fat 25. Fat 3g Sodium 0 mg Carb 27g Fiber 4g Protein 5g
Ingredients: 100% NATURAL ROLLED OATS

Last, a new Quaker product, Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal. It comes in Cinnamon, Banana Bread and Maple/brown sugar flavors. These stats are for the Cinnamon version. 1 packet (45g)

Calories 160, from fat 25. Fat 3g Sodium 270 mg Carb 29g Fiber 6g Protein 7g
Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, MALTODEXTRIN, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (CONTAINS BARLEY GLUTEN), OAT FLOUR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, GUAR GUM, CINNAMON, CARAMEL COLOR, SOY LECITHEN, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SUCRALOSE, NIACINAMIDE*, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, REDUCED IRON, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*. *ONE OF THE B VITAMINS CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.

The calories and nutrient profiles are almost identical. However, the weight control oatmeal has several ingredients I try to stay away from. Whey protein doesn't bother me but it can cause mucus and congestion in a lot of people. I especially do not like Acesulfame Potassium and Sucralose, both artificial sweeteners, which I do not trust.

I am sure even if you bought the Quaker brands instead of bulk, the Weight Control oatmeal would be more expensive, for oats which are perfectly fine by themselves, without all the added chemicals.

Barbara

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So true! I just had some old fashioned oats for breakfast this morning. Nothing but plain oats. Well, until I cooked them that is. And then I added frozen blueberries and a tiny little bit of brown sugar and some soymilk. Yum!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the info.
here a question about your bread recipe:
i try it with the 4 cups of flour, i found that was very hard to mix it even in my kitchen aid,is yours like that too? do you think that will be better if i just use 31/2 cups?
thanks!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the tips , i will try like you tell me!
i will let you know the result :)

Sally JPA said...

Any oatmeal that's not instant tastes so much better than any oatmeal that is. It's just true. AND depending on the time you use, 'real' oatmeal doesn't have to take over 10 minutes to make, either.