[tanyatype1]

Originally Posted by poodlebone

The stuff in packets is loaded with sugar. I always buy plain, of whatever kind I get, and add my own sweetener, cinnamon and any fruit/nuts I have on hand. The packets can be so sweet that all I taste is sugar.

Hi Poodlebone! I don't know about NYC, but here in B.C., Quaker brand oatmeal has an instant oatmeal that has 33% less sugar! I don't like the other instant kinds either because they're sooo sweet. The lower sugar one is cinnamon and brown sugar flavour - yum!

[Mister Q]

I am a huge fan of it for breakfast most days.

45g of Scotts Oats, 300ml of water (you can use milk or a mix of water/milk if you choose) then 2 and 1/2 mins in the microwave and breakfast is ready, I put a lil milk on it to cool it.

The traditional Scottish way to eat it is with either Salt or Whisky, me I just like it plain.

It proven to have real benefits in running around you body moping up the HDL (bad) cholestorol and keeps me going for much longer than most other breakfasts.

[MJM]

I really love porridge for breakfast. This is how I use it. Prepare the porridge with water and 1 tbl spoon of Walnut Oil and cook for 2.5 mins. I buy Sunflower Seeds and Sesame Seeds and roast the Sunflower Seeds for 2 - 3 mins and put them in a large container beforehand. When porridge is cooked I cover with Natural Yogurt and then cover with the Sunflower Seeds and Sesame Seeds. Then I drizzle with pure Maple Syrup. What a treat. Let me at it. It is however about 66 carbs. But my breakfast ranges about 120 carbs daily

[tanyatype1]

Originally Posted by Mister Q

I am a huge fan of it for breakfast most days.

45g of Scotts Oats, 300ml of water (you can use milk or a mix of water/milk if you choose) then 2 and 1/2 mins in the microwave and breakfast is ready, I put a lil milk on it to cool it.

The traditional Scottish way to eat it is with either Salt or Whisky, me I just like it plain.

It proven to have real benefits in running around you body moping up the HDL (bad) cholestorol and keeps me going for much longer than most other breakfasts.

Mister Q - are you Scottish? My in-laws are from Scotland and they use the scottish oats to make their stuffing for turkey. Hard for me to get used to since my family only had bread stuffing, but now I LOVE oatmeal stuffing!

[poodlebone]

MJM,

This may be obvious, but by porridge do you mean oatmeal? I never actually knew what porridge was, other than it was some sort of hot cereal. I always assumed it was wheat for some reason.

Your recipe does sound really good, but way too much work for me to handle in the morning before work!

Originally Posted by tanyatype1

Hi Poodlebone! I don't know about NYC, but here in B.C., Quaker brand oatmeal has an instant oatmeal that has 33% less sugar! I don't like the other instant kinds either because they're sooo sweet. The lower sugar one is cinnamon and brown sugar flavour - yum!

I have seen the reduced sugar packets but still prefer to mix up my own, so I can control everything. I try to add as few extra carbs to the oatmeal as I can, so I prefer fresh fruit over dried and artificial sweeteners. I do use raisins or dried cranberries if I have no fresh fruit but I limit it to about 2 tablespoons.

[princesslinda]

I've not had good luck with oatmeal...though I haven't tried steel-cut ones. Even the long-cooking oats seemed to raise my blood sugar afterwards. Would love to be able to have it once in awhile without problems. Looks like more type I's are having it that type II's...so maybe there are several out there like me.

[poodlebone]

I made up a batch of steel cut oatmeal last night and had 1 cup this morning. My BG before breakfast was 78, I counted 24g of carbs for the oats + fresh blackberries - fiber. My pump said to take .8 units. I then went for a 30 minute walk after eating and ended up going low (64) less than two hours later. My BG probably would have been within my target range if I hadn't gone for a walk.

A couple of weeks ago I wanted oatmeal at home and only had dried fruit. So instead, I cooked a carrot, diced it small and added that to my oatmeal along with some fat free cream cheese and cinnamon. It might sound gross but it was really good!

[Mister Q]

Originally Posted by tanyatype1

Mister Q - are you Scottish?

Nope I am a the scouge of the Scots, an Englishman, however I did used to live up there, have always got on really well with the Scots and still really enjoy any time I spend back up there (in fact I am off again in a couple of weeks for a few days on the banks of Loch Lomond, I am hoping to get some decent pics which I can post a few of here)

Seeing MJM is a porridge lover it must be a Celtic thing

[ontheway]

Has anyone tried the new Quaker Weight Control oatmeal, and what that does to blood sugar levels?
I love oatmeal, but regular seems to really spike my levels. The Weight Control oatmeal has about 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber (or the other way around, I forgot). Seems to make me less hungry afterwards than the regular kind.
Has anyone else had any experience with it?
Also, does it lower cholesterol the way regular oatmeal does? I've been trying to get information on that, and I keep reading that all oatmeal (even instant) does the same thing with cholesterol. It's just hard to believe that instant would be just as healthy as the steel cut or rolled oats.

[DaveC426913]

My wife has oatmeal every day. (She is not diabetic.) She really likes it, but she complains consistently that it has no staying power. Two hours after breakfast she starts crashing and needs to eat.

[bangdrum]

Yay, I'm not the only person in the world who has insane problems with oatmeal!

I mostly have experience with Quaker:
regular = avoid, too much sugar
"lower sugar" cinnamon OR maple brown sugar = HUGE BG spikes
weight control cinnamon OR maple brown sugar = HUGE BG spikes

This is even if I try to combine it with things (walnuts, ate a high-fat yogurt on the side once, etc) and happens regardless of what my morning BG was.

I've had Smart Balance cooked oatmeal a few times - mainly because my mother was willing to cook it for me - didn't like it very much and since it was never for breakfast, don't remember if it had a BG spike or not.

I also tried Glucerna cereal at my nutritionist's suggestion and STILL got a spike.

I still eat it for breakfast most days because I'm either in too much of a rush or too lazy to come up with something better.

I used to eat Raisin Bran for breakfast sometimes; I don't seem to remember having spikes from that...

What's the general consensus here on quick-cook oatmeal (not instant, but say 5 mins vs. 4 hours)? Also, is packaged McCann's Irish an acceptable form of "Irish oatmeal?"

[Alice]

I love oatmeal with walnuts. Yum.
Just keep an eye on the portion size...I now use a small 6 oz. bowl for all cereal! It just keeps the carbs down and you get used to the smaller size (ramekin dish?)

[poodlebone]

I love oatmeal and I do okay with it. I prefer steel cut oats, which is what McCann's Irish Oatmeal is. It's the whole oat groat that's been cut into 2 or 3 pieces. Takes awhile to cook, at least on the stiove. I've never tried to microwave it. It can be prepared the night before. 4 cups of water ( or milk, if you prefer) plus 1 cup of oats. Bring the water and a pinch of salt to a boil, add the oats, stir it up for a minute or so then cover it & turn off the heat. Just leave it sitting, covered, on the stove all night. In the morning you just need to reheat it a bit. I make four servings and put three in the fridge, in separate containers. That way I just have to pop it in the microwave and add whatever else I want (fruit, nuts, flax, whatever).

I avoid all packaged instant oatmeal because they all have way too much sugar in them, even the lower sugar kind. I just add my own Equal or Splenda or sugar free syrup.

[KarenBC]

I make my own oatmeal mix, with the quick oats, a package of trail mix with lots of nuts, dried cranberries or raisins and a big dollop of cinnamon. That all gets put into a big tupperware container and shaken. I don't really use measurements, but it's about 2/3 oatmeal to 1/3 trail mix & dried fruit.

To make it I measure out 3/4 to 1 cup, put it in a cereal box, pour boiling water over top, stir it and leave a saucer on top to keep the steam in. By the time my tea is steeped the oatmeal is ready. I don't need any sweetener or milk with it.

If I have enough nuts in it for protein I'm not getting a spike.

Whenever I have to refill the tupperware I put different ingredients in so it doesn't get boring.

[pdxdennisj]

I frequently have 1/4 C Steel Cut and 1/4 C Oat Bran slow cooed in 2 C water. I handle it pretty well. The Oat Bran cuts way down on the carbs and the Steel Cut digests slowly.