Deciphering The Difference Between Oats

With more and more of us closely watching our nutrition, we're making a concentrated effort to include more whole grains in our diet. This not only helps increase our fiber intake, but also helps put a stop to our hunger levels, decreases our risk for a variety of diseases, and prevents spikes in blood sugar levels which can contribute to fat gain.

That said, one of the healthiest sources of whole grains is oatmeal - but you have to know which oatmeal to eat.

If you opt for some of the commercial packaged oatmeal that comes in a variety of flavors - peaches and cream, apple cinnamon, and maple and brown sugar for instance, then you're likely going to end up with a great deal more sugar than you were hoping for and it will not be the healthiest option.

Always choosing whole grains that have as few added ingredients as possible is going to be the best way to go as far as your health and weight control is concerned.

Now, there are a few different forms of oats that you should consider. Here is what they are and how they differ.

Rolled Oats

Rolled oats are essentially the most common form of oatmeal consumed and are sometimes also referred to as old-fashioned oats. They are whole oats that have been pre-steamed, rolled, and then flaked so that they will cook in a shorter time period. The average cooking time for these is about five to ten minutes.

Oat Bran

Next up we have oat bran. Oat bran is a very fine type of whole grain that is most commonly going to be used when baking. It's often replaced for part of the flour to help add more dietary fiber to the dish and slow down the digestion process when eaten.

Since it is very fine in nature, it will be slightly higher in calories cup for cup than other forms of oats.

Steel-Cut Oats

Steel cut oats are going to be the healthiest source of oats available as they have not been altered in anyway. The drawback to them, however, is that they will take the longest too cook - usually 20 minutes or longer, which can pose a problem for people in a time crunch.

Quick Oats

Finally, we come to quick oats. These are another very popular form of oats and are what most people find themselves eating for breakfast.

Those commercially flavored packages of oats that were mentioned in the introduction are composed of quick oats and will only take about one or two minutes to cook in total.

Luckily, they are also available plan, without any added sugars or fats, so this is what you should be opting for.

So, tomorrow morning when you wake up for breakfast, consider starting your day with oatmeal. Keep in mind too that they work great as a snack at any time, added into shakes (this is a really good trick for those trying to gain weight), or used in a variety of baked products.