The flavored instant oatmeals have sugar and all sorts of other things in them, and they are cut fine so that you can make it with hot water, so it has less fiber than plain oatmeal. Quick Oats and Old-Fashioned Oats are just oatmeal, nothing else. You can cook them in the microwave or on the stove.
Quaker Flavored Instant Oatmeal tastes good - Quaker Quick Oats are better for you. LOL.
I've never liked the old fashioned ones even when I doctored them up. They are better for you though. But since I don't have the need for significant sugar restricition in my diet and my fiber intake is still high I don't feel bad going with the flavored instant.
Oh, before I get slammed, I realize the benefit of reducing refined sugars in the diet - I just mean that my intake is in tact despite not switching to regular oatmeal. And I am not following a plan that calls or low carb intake, etc.
LOL I don't even LIKE the flavored ones ... I actually prefer the taste of plain old oatmeal with a little splenda. Naturally I'd PREFER real sugar, but it's not a deal-breaker for me. Of course when I was a kid I used to use brown sugar and butter, but I've learned to live without that. I'd still prefer that over the artificially-flavored instant, though. But, to each his own as long as it's a knowledgable choice.
Butter in your oatmeal ?!? I've never heard of that ...
I LOVE oatmeal, I eat the large flake oatmeal too, I just let it soak in milk or soy milk with raisins and a pinch of sunflower seeds and some splenda ... YUMMY !! If I'm looking for a quick fix this is what a reach for it always satisfies and fills me ....
Ilene, so you eat them cold, uncooked? I thought my DH was the only one who did this. He actually mixes the oats with other cereals, usually grapenuts, then adds milk and sugar and eats. He also puts butter on hot cereal. Not oatmeal though, he won't eat it cooked. Sometimes I make a cereal mix - measure out one serving of oatmeal (dry) and one of Malt-O-Meal (a wheat cereal), and the water for each. I cook it on the stove vs. the microwave so it won't lump (the wheat cereal lumps badly in the microwave). He'll eat that since it has a different texture from straight oatmeal. Men!
Of course when I was a kid I used to use brown sugar and butter, but I've learned to live without that.
Do you have Scottish ancestry?? The Scots eat their oatmeal with salt and butter! My grandfather used to scowl at us with milk and brown sugar or golden syrup (corn syrup)
Now I have my oatmeal with semi skimmed milk, berries and a wee bit of honey or maple syrup.
Scottish? LOL I would like to think so, but I don't know. I do know that that's just the way my mother prepared it for me and the way our family always ate it, so I never knew people DIDN'T put butter and sugar on their oatmeal until I was in college. I mean, we put butter on grits (no sugar of course, only yankees do that) and butter in cream of wheat, so why not butter in oatmeal?
I'm guessing it may be a southern thing, and a lot of "southern things" do have a Scottish origin.
Oatmeal is great with splenda and a mixture of berries! My 5 year old daughter won't eat it any other way....lol! I also like to put walnut and honey in mine.
A really good mix is applesauce with craisins in your oatmeal. I admit sometimes I use the flavored apples and cinnamon instant stuff but I'm trying to get rid of all those and stick with the plain stuff!
Hi, Wow I didn't know there were ppl that DIDN'T put butter in there oatmeal. I make mine with oldfashioned Oats in the micro for 5min! Yum, I put in Banana Extract, Splenda, vanilla and cinnamon and a tsp of ICBINB .. delicious!!
There is no question that regular oatmeal is nutritionally superior to the instant. With that said, though, eating instant isn't going to sabotage your plan. I eat it on a regular basis and I am losing weight, my BMI is decreasing, my cholesterol is normal, and my overall health is fine. Of course, the foods you eat should reflect the overall goal you are trying to achieve. If losing weight is your focus it all boils down to burning more calories than you consume. As you make more and more progess in your weight loss you will probably find that you naturally begin to pay closer attention the healthiness of the foods you eat and are likely to begin gravitating towards more and more whole foods. Even then, the occasional convenience food isn't going to destroy your long term efforts.