"Nutritious" Cereal is Actually the Least Nutritious
As an ancient grain, oats are characterized by high protein and low carbohydrates. Rich in dietary fiber, they can absorb large amounts of cholesterol from the human body and expel it. Diets containing oats can slow the impact of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels, which aligns with the modern need for weight control and the dietary principle of "preferring coarse food."
There are more and more oat products on the market—ready-to-eat "no-cook" oatmeal, multi-flavored "instant oatmeal." Faced with a dazzling array of "oat" products, we might as well rank them according to their nutritional value.
Nutrition Best: Oat Groats. "Original" oat groats have the best nutrition. Buy coarse, raw oats, soak them in cold water for a while, and then cook them with rice to make oat rice or oatmeal. This rice or porridge takes longer to digest and slows the rise in blood sugar, making it very suitable for diabetics and others who need to control their calorie intake.
Nutrition Next: Quick-cooking Oatmeal. If you find cooking oat groats troublesome, you can choose pure oat products made from 100% oats, with quick-cooking oatmeal being the most common type. This kind of oatmeal is made from oat groats that have been rolled but not cut. Although it's "quick-cooking," it still needs to be cooked; however, due to being toasted, the cooking time is shorter than for raw oats. These oatmeal products generally have no additives, but because they are processed, some nutrition is inevitably lost.
Not Healthy: No-cook Oatmeal. The no-cook oatmeal on the market can be eaten after being steeped in boiling water for just three to five minutes, making it popular with fast-paced modern people. This type of oatmeal is made by toasting and then breaking the oats into small pieces. Due to processing, a large amount of soluble dietary fiber is lost, and its nutritional value is greatly diminished.
Least Nutritious: "Nutritious" Cereal. Although it bears the title "nutritious," this cereal is actually the least nutritious. The most common in supermarkets is this so-called "nutritious cereal," sold in small packets and claiming to have added nutrients such as calcium, iron, and protein. In such "cereal," the oat content is very low, while there is a lot of additives like creamer and sugar, which are not only unhealthy but can be very damaging to your health.