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Is oatmeal your best bet for breakfast?

Posted on Aug 4th 2008 3:00PM by Kristen Seymour

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

If you've been eating (or feeding your kids) oatmeal for breakfast with the understanding that it's one of the healthiest choices you can make, you need to rethink your strategy.

While oatmeal can provide good nutrients, a recent study showed that kids who only ate instant oatmeal for breakfast experienced increased appetites and calorie consumption throughout the day. In fact, when compared to having a vegetable omelet and fruit, oatmeal increased appetite and calorie consumption by more than 80%. Steel-cut oats didn't have as drastic an effect as instant oatmeal, however.

The researchers attributed their findings to fluctuations in blood sugar resulting from a meal of processed grain products. Adding some protein at breakfast is essential in keeping blood sugar (and appetites) from fluctuating wildly throughout the day.

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4 Comment

Tags: appetite, blood sugar, BloodSugar, breakfast, food, healthful, hunger, meal, nutrition, oatmeal, protein

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Judy 8-04-2008 @ 11:53PM

Interesting. My boys (ages 2 and 4) and I almost always eat oatmeal for breakfast. It's not instant, though, and I wonder how much of a difference that makes. When we do eat instant (when staying at a hotel, for example), I do notice that I'm hungry again right away. AT home, if I try to have something else for breakfast (my husband makes pancakes sometimes) I need to eat again sooner than when I eat oatmeal.

Baron 8-05-2008 @ 10:15AM

Oatmeal is at least 80% tastier than a vegetable omelet and fruit for breakfast, not to mention it is at least 80% quicker to make. Vegetables in an omelet, well an omelet in general, ick I'd just assume starve.

Natalie 8-05-2008 @ 2:41PM

Instant oats have a higher GI than rolled or steel cut, so I am not surprised. I dare someone to eat steel cut oats with some almond butter or cream and not be full for hours (hint: adding fat and/or protein keeps you full longer).

Kelly 8-06-2008 @ 12:51PM

I think oatmeal can be a best bet for breakfast and this information needs to be expanded. It all comes down to the glycemic index. Put 1/2-1 cup of skim milk in the oatmeal or include some almonds and then measure the cravings throughout the day. I think this study needs to go back and compare apples to apples; was the amount of calories equal in both options (omelet and oatmeal)? I eat “weight control” oatmeal (http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/qo_ourProducts/instantQuakerOatmeal/weightControl/index.cfm) or steel cut oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter every day and recommend it as well.