Instant oatmeal is good for you because an instant is a whole-grain, high-fiber, nutritious food, according to The American Heart Association. With flavored products, though, watch the sodium and sugar levels—aim for less than 250 mg sodium and 12 g sugar per serving. Here we are going to discuss the benefits of instant oatmeal for your health.
Instant Oatmeal Good for You
Vitamins
Starting your day with a bowl of instant oatmeal boosts your intake of B-complex vitamins. Each cooked cup provides half of your recommended daily intake for vitamin B-6, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, nutrients that help your body metabolize the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in food. It also gives you half of your daily requirement of vitamin A, an antioxidant that benefits your vision and helps strengthen your immune system. It also contains 30 percent of the folate you need daily. Folate is a B-vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects in unborn infants.
Selenium
The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get 55 micrograms of selenium per day. Selenium is a mineral that may benefit your immune system, heart, and thyroid, according to the National Institutes of Health. A cup of cooked instant oatmeal provides 12 micrograms of selenium, giving you one-fifth of the selenium you need each day. Selenium acts as an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals that damage cells, so an adequate intake may help prevent premature aging and chronic diseases.
Other Minerals
Instant oatmeal is also rich in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are crucial for the health of your bones, nerve function, and muscle development. A cup of instant oatmeal contains 20 to 30 percent of each of those minerals. It provides men with 13 percent of the zinc and more than 100 percent of the iron they need daily, and it gives women 18 percent of the zinc and 80 percent of the iron they need each day. Zinc is an antioxidant that may shorten the duration of colds and viral infections, while iron helps transport oxygen through your bloodstream.
Fiber and Protein
Adding instant oatmeal to your diet can help you increase your fiber intake and keep your LDL cholesterol low. A bowl of instant oatmeal, with 4 grams of fiber, has 1 gram fewer than bran flakes. However, regular cooked oatmeal has 8.2 grams of fiber per cooked cup. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get at least 25 grams of fiber per day and that men get at least 38 grams. Although a cup of regular oatmeal has about 11 grams of protein, instant oatmeal is also a rich source of protein. Each bowl of instant oatmeal provides 5.5 grams of protein, a half-gram less than the amount of protein in a scrambled egg.
Instant Oatmeal Goodness
Instant oatmeal is partially cooked and dried for fast preparation. Contrary to popular belief, instant oats have the same nutritional benefits as regular oats. The biggest problem with instant varieties? All those flavored options bursting with sugar! Your typical flavored brand will set you back at least 3 to 4 teaspoons of added sweeteners. Some brands may also add sodium as a preservative, but there are brands out there without it.
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28g Instant Oatmeal Nutrition
- Calories 100
- Total Fat 2 g
- Saturated Fat 0.5 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 75 mg
- Total Carbohydrate 18 g
- Dietary Fiber 3 g
- Soluble Fiber 1 g
- Total Sugars 0 g
- Protein 4 g
- Vitamin D 0 mcg
- Calcium 120 mg
- Iron 7.8 mg
- Potassium 100 mg
- Thiamine 0.1 mg
- Phosphorus 130 mg
Is Instant Oatmeal Good for Constipation
They might sound fancy and bad for the human body, but according to health experts, they are good for kids suffering from constipation, as they offer good taste and instant relief as well.
Is instant oatmeal as good for you as regular oatmeal?
In fact, in the USDA nutrient database, instant oatmeal possesses the same nutritional profile as regular or quick-cooking oatmeal. Because instant oatmeal has been processed to cook more quickly, it is also broken down and digested more quickly by your body, giving it a higher glycemic index.
Disadvantages of Eating Instant Oatmeal
Instant oatmeal can cause intestinal gas and bloating. To minimize side effects, start with a low dose and increase slowly to the desired amount. Your body will get used to oat bran and the side effects will likely go away.
