hey,
just wanted to know which brand of oatmeal is ideal for lifting purposes. i mean, what would T-mag recommend?
thank you
ps. if any brands are found internationally, it would be really helpful.
I buy my rolled oats in bulk so I have no idea what brands to recommend. I think just plain regular oatmeal is what you want - Quaker rolled oats comes to mind. Avoid the flavoured stuff because it has sugar in it.
-Dave
I read that steel cut oats are the best but never tried it. I’ve never seen it at the grocery store. My guess is it’s at health grogery store??? I don’t think it matters what brand… it’s basically plain ol regular rolled oats. I usually buy cheaper store brand instead of Quakers.
all you need to buy is an oatmeal that is 100% rolled oats. Not the stuff in the packets. I use Quaker Oats, old fashion, not the quick 1 minute kind.
Like everyone else I usually buy regular old Quaker Oats. This website has real great cereal products (oatmeal, rye, etc.) and they will ship anywhere:
quaker here
Quaker here also, or the Kroger brand rolled oats.
There is a health store near my campus (UK) that sells steel-cut oats. It’s called Wild Oats, I’m not sure what regions of the country they extend to, but my guess is that you want to look for a store like that.
Haven’t tried the steel-cut yet though, any directions on how to cook them?
[quote]RyPat wrote:
Quaker here also, or the Kroger brand rolled oats.
There is a health store near my campus (UK) that sells steel-cut oats. It’s called Wild Oats, I’m not sure what regions of the country they extend to, but my guess is that you want to look for a store like that.
Haven’t tried the steel-cut yet though, any directions on how to cook them?[/quote]
I just put 1/2 to 1 cup (dry) oats (rolled, steel cut, whatever) pour in water and nuke it for about 2 minutes. If it comes out like paste (read cement) add more water or non-fat milk. This works with every brand I’ve used. I have never found any difference between Quaker or store brand and the fancy stuff in the small bag.
[quote]RyPat wrote:
There is a health store near my campus (UK) that sells steel-cut oats. It’s called Wild Oats[/quote]
If these are true wild oats, they are known by farmers as a weed. I am not sure of the nutritional breakdown of wild oats (Avena fatua) vs tame oats (Avena sativa L.)(the stuff most of us buy to eat) but it is likely a little less nutrient dense - check the labels. An interesting thing about wild oats is the awn (the little hair on the seed) when placed in your hand and wetted the awn will actually spin causing the seed to twist, when placed on the ground it will actually try to screw itself into the ground.
Thats it for the aggie lesson for today kids…
-Dave
I eat either Mcann’s Irish steel cut oats or Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats. They take longer to cook, but, they taste better, the mix with Grow! better, and, I believe they have more fiber/protein than normal rolled oats. Steel cut usually produces a starchier, firmer, and, in my opinion, more filling bowl of oatmeal. Quaker Oats always make me feel like I had a bowl of wet cardboard. As an alternative for rolled oats fans, Bob’s Red Mill also produces a rolled oats that are much better than Quaker’s and has more protein (7 g per 1/2 cup).
But, yeah, I can’t stress enough how much Quaker’s sucks. I ate the Quaker’s multigrain for a while (rye, barley, wheat and oats), but, it still tastes like wet cardboard. Get the Irish stuff, it tastes better, has more nutrition, and it comes in a cool can.
And I can’t stress how sad it is that I’ve tried every frigging type of oatmeal there is.
About oats:
There are many different ways oats can go once they are harvested.
The miller can remove only the outer hull, producing whole oats, AKA groats. They have their entire bran on, making them look sorta like brown rice. They are pretty chewy, and take a while to cook.
Run the groats through steel cutters, and you get steel cut oats, AKA pinhead oats. They take a little while to cook, and produce a very well balanced oatmeal in terms of chewiness and nuttiness. They still take a little while to cook, though not nearly as much as groats.
Take steel cut oats, steam them, press them out through rollers, and dry them, and you get old fashioned rolled oats. They cook very fast compared to groats and pinhead oats because of their high surface to mass ratio.
Quick/instant oats are old fashioned oats that have been smashed even thinner, parcooked, and dried again. They taste rather…crappy. Avoid them if you can.
Information taken from “Oat Cuisine” episode of “Good Eats”
Oh, by the way, if you are sick of the sloppy oatmeal you get by putting rolled oats and water in a microwave, try boiling the oats for about 1 minute (this is called “blanching”) and then steaming the oats for 15-20 minutes. They come out with very distict grains, and lots of people love them.
Idea was from a letter written in to “Cook’s Illustrated”
[quote]dev wrote:
About oats:
There are many different ways oats can go once they are harvested.
The miller can remove only the outer hull, producing whole oats, AKA groats. They have their entire bran on, making them look sorta like brown rice. They are pretty chewy, and take a while to cook.
Run the groats through steel cutters, and you get steel cut oats, AKA pinhead oats. They take a little while to cook, and produce a very well balanced oatmeal in terms of chewiness and nuttiness. They still take a little while to cook, though not nearly as much as groats.
Take steel cut oats, steam them, press them out through rollers, and dry them, and you get old fashioned rolled oats. They cook very fast compared to groats and pinhead oats because of their high surface to mass ratio.
Quick/instant oats are old fashioned oats that have been smashed even thinner, parcooked, and dried again. They taste rather…crappy. Avoid them if you can.
Information taken from “Oat Cuisine” episode of “Good Eats”[/quote]
What you forgot to mention is that in the Oat Cuisine episode of Good Eats, Alton Brown calls for a healthy portion of whole milk, buttermilk, butter and brown sugar for his oats. Damn if it isn’t good eats, but, not sure its good for training.
Now his recipe for overnight steel cut oats isn’t bad, just water, oats, half and half, dried cranberries and figs (which I suppose might be alright if you can find the dried cranberies that haven’t had a ton of sugar added, or you add some other dried fruit–and ditch the half&half).
great, thanks for the information. haven’t really tried much oatmeal before, but i guess it’s time to start.
how does the GI compare between long cook oatmeal and instant oatmeal(no sugar added)?
I ask becuase I can get the instant variety cheaper and was wondering if the long cook type was worth the extra expense.
[quote]shamr0ck wrote:
hey,
just wanted to know which brand of oatmeal is ideal for lifting purposes. i mean, what would T-mag recommend?
thank you
ps. if any brands are found internationally, it would be really helpful.[/quote]
This is sort of a repost of a posting I made a while back on a similar thread. In it, I listed a bunch of different types of oatmeal, and oatmeal alternatives. Hopefully it will be helpful:
For those interested, the other thread is here:
http://t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=473143
Personally, I usually go with Oat Bran mixed with Wheat Bran. Many grocery stores or health food stores offer both.
[quote]momuscle wrote:
I am looking for a Low GI Carb for breakfast.
I have been blending oatmeal with my protein and flaxseed oil but am looking for something other than oatmeal.[/quote]
Hrm. . . if you’re looking for something “different”, here’s some suggestions (These are all offered from Bob’s Red Mill, and I included links with price and nutrition information, other brands are available, but this was convenient for posting). About half of them are still oats, or oat-based, but there’s some other stuff, too:
Oat Bran (Just the bran, higher in fiber and protein, while lower in carbs, than standard oatmeal (most people will barely tell the difference in flavor))
Steel Cut Oats (Gives a very different texture than oatmeal, tastes good)
Thick Rolled Oats (Slightly different (a little chewier) than normal oatmeal, nice change sometimes)
Rolled Wheat Flakes (the wheat equivalent, makes a nice alternative to oatmeal when you want something different)
Rolled Barley Flakes (The barley equivalent, also makes a nice change of pace)
Barley Grits (If you’re a grits kinda guy, here’s something a little different to try out)
5 Grain Rolled Hot Cereal (this one is among my personal favorites, it’s primarily oatmeal, but contains a healthy amount of wheat, rye, triticale and flaxseed, too)
Rye Berries (this one has a more ‘off beat’ taste, but I rather like cooking it up as a hot breakfast)
Wheat Bran (I wouldn’t eat this straight, but it’s a damn good addition to oatmeal (and many other foods) to add more bulk to it (more filling) and to increase the daily fiber intake (which is often neglected on high-protein diets))
Variety is the spice of life! It’s important to spread stuff around and try new things. 
[quote]I understand if you are trying to lean out oatmeal might not be the best choice of breakfast carb.
Thanks in advance.[/quote]
Oat meal may not be the lowest GI carb available, but it’s pretty damn good.
If you’re wanting to eat your oatmeal, but still cut down on the carbs to lean out, I’d suggest mixing up a bowl of two parts oat bran and one part wheat bran. That will reduce your overall carb count, while increasing your fiber significantly, and upping your protein a little bit, too. Mix in some fresh fruit (I find blended blueberries or cherries to be awesome) and/or a scoop of protein powder, and you’re set.