Rolled Oats VS. Instant Oatmeal.

[I posted this on another forum, so there is some information which would be obvious on this forum, such as "I am vegan.]

I was eating Master Choice Original instant oatmeal every day for breakfast, for about two months. I recently switched to Quaker Oats (the ones that cook in 3 to 5 minutes.) I always put strawberries or blueberries in with my oatmeal, and my serving sizes consist of 38g of MC oatmeal, or 30g of Quaker Oats. I add a dash of salt to my Quaker Oats, and I'm very careful about sodium intake throughout the day - I don't add table salt to anything else, and I eat mostly fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, whole grains, etc. Nothing I regularly eat is very high in sodium, so no worries there.

The concern here is that I don't believe I take in enough iron. I'm vegan, so shellfish, meat, and many other good sources of iron are not acceptable in my diet. I haven't been checked up for anemia, as I'm not having issues at this point, but I want to make sure I get enough iron regardless, before things do get bad.

So, you tell me what YOU think I should do (as far as nutrition goes. I don't really care about the calorie difference). Stick with the Quaker Oats and put a lot of effort into getting more iron into the rest of my food, or go back to eating the instant oatmeal and get 70% of my iron in one meal.

MASTER CHOICE ORIGINAL INSTANT OATMEAL:
Per 1 packet (38g)
Calories: 150
Fat: 2.5g (4%)
Saturated: 0.5g (3%)
Sodium: 220mg (9%)
Carbohydrate: 25g (8%)
Fibre: 4g (16%)
Protein: 5g
Iron: 70%
Thiamine: 100%
Niacin: 20%
Vitamin B6: 20%
Folate: 20%
Pantothenate: 15%
Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Guar Gum, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar_gum) Salt, Reduced Iron, Vitamins (Niacinamide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridonoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid)

QUAKER OATS (Quick - Cookes in 3 to 5 minutes)
Per 1/3 cup (30g)
Calories: 120
Fat: 2g (3%)
Saturated: 0.4g (2%)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 20g (7%)
Fibre: 3g
Protein: 4g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 8%
Ingredients: 100% Rolled Oats. Naturally contains oat bran.

Might I add that I do get enough fiber every day. Also, the Quaker Oats seem to fill me up a little bit better. I really do like sticking to food which is as natural as possible, but if eating instant oatmeal for breakfast means I'm not destined to a daily spinach salad, I'll eat the instant.

Compare and contrast, and let me know what you think.
Thanks!

Iron is plentiful in a vegan diet. It's present in green veg, pulses, dried fruit, oats, molasses, blueberries....
Don't worry about it. Just eat a varied diet and you'll be fine

Cup'O'Tea
I'm always in a rush in the mornings, so my 'instant' solution to preparing breakfast is muesli, so no cooking required and no saucepan to wash up!:) However, I do slow things down a bit by mixing my own rather than using the ready-mixed packet version. I buy organic 'Jumbo oats' which I presume are oats screened for the largest grains before rolling. I wonder if the proprietary brands you use contain added sugar to make them more popular with children? I couldn't criticise, though as my muesli contains sweetness from dried fruit - also I add orange juice rather than soya 'milk' - apparently it helps iron absorption.

Amf
I'm worried - why are you at a precipice? Are you OK? *hug* I preferred your previous avatar, but maybe that just says something about me...;)

Don't worry about it.

By the way, I like President Choices Organics line of oatmeal. I mix one packet of instant plain oatmeal with one packet of cinnamon-raisin multigrain oatmeal for a super filling breakfast. I'm seriously not hungry all morning until lunch WHICH IS SO RARE FOR ME as I'm hungry like every 2 hours normally.

Interesting... After eating oatmeal I soon start to feel very light and then, within an hour or two, I am hungry again. I even add ground up flax seeds to it, so it will slow down the digestion, but still... Maybe I am just accustomed to overeating. Or maybe it's because I am 6 feet tall and weigh about 187 lb. I usually have two packets in the morning, and that's about 320 calories right there. Should I have three? Yikes!

Quote:

---

Klytemnest

Interesting... After eating oatmeal I soon start to feel very light and then, within an hour or two, I am hungry again.

---

Me too, an hour later I don't feel like I've eaten, they're just so light in the tum

AMF is right, iron is plentiful in a vegan diet.
Women who are menstruating or pregnant can easily be deficient in iron, whether vegan or not, so if you are in that category you have to be careful to eat plenty of iron rich foods.
Women who are menstruating vary in the amount of extra iron they need, some may not need any more than a man if they don't lose much blood, whereas some may need a lot more, it depends on how much blood you lose each month (or don't lose).
Fortified oatmeal and fortified breakfast cereals are a good source of iron if you think you fall into the group which needs extra. Try not to drink tea or smoke with your iron rich foods, these affect your body ability to store iron. Iron is stored in your body for when you need it and most people will pass out the iron which their body doesn't need.
There are other threads on this forum on iron.

I decided to give oatmeal another try. I bought "Nature's Path" Organic Instant Hot Oatmeal: Hemp Plus. It contains 350 mg of Omega-3s per serving. Since the last time I posted, I went to three packets! Much better. Now, that's a meal! The oatmeal alone is
480 Kcal
7.5 g of fat
315 mg sodium
12 g dietary fiber
15 g protein
24% iron

I decided not to use water today, but hot Rooibos tea, sweetened with Stevia, and Silk Chai! I added apple slices and almond slivers. It was to die for! I look forward to making it tomorrow morning again!

Food makes me so happy... :)

Rami

we've run out of instant oatmeal for the time being, so it looks like the normal stuff for me for now. Which I don't mind - I think I'll be adding fruit bits tomorrow morning into my bowl.

My wife is anemic and rolled her eyes when I showed her the vegan diets provide more iron - she'll come around some day :)

c.o.t. I wouldn't worry about the iron in your diet too much. If you are not a junk food vegan, you are probably eating plentiful grains, veggies, and fruits... a diet like this supplies plenty of iron. And like some others have said, your body can store iron. If you are worried about how much iron you are getting, you can add up the amount throughout the day (in mg not %) and see if you meet the RDA. Not everyone needs to meet the RDA, some need more, but it's a decent estimate.

I thought that iron was present in most green, leafy veggies? If this is indeed the case, why not put more spinach or broccoli into your diet?

I've been eating more - more varied foods, and more food in general.
I eat a lot more nuts/nut butters (as I'm not ridiculously afraid of them making me fat anymore), and along with beans and veggies and all, I think I'm alright. I haven't had any signs of anemia.

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'm sticking with the quick-cooking oats, not instant.

Rolled oats taste the best.