Question:
I have been eating rolled oats for decades. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking about buying the different flavoured oat sachets for a snack or lunch at work. How do they compare nutritionally to standard rolled oats?
Answer:
Oats are nutritious, versatile, and surprisingly budget-friendly. Oats lower blood cholesterol levels, stabilise blood sugar levels, and promote bowel regularity. Emerging research suggests oats, which are rich in fibre, can also positively influence our gut microbiota. But are these new oat sachet products so processed that they lose their health benefits?
Rolled oats have a unique composition of fibre, fats and bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are likely responsible for their health effects. Importantly, whole oats contain a type of dietary fibre called beta-glucan that is not found in most other whole grains. Beta-glucan is responsible for oats’ cholesterol-lowering effects, ability to improve bowel regularity, and potentially boost gut health. New Zealand-grown rolled oats contain about 3.2g of beta-glucan fibre per 100g of oats, so a half-cup of rolled oats (weighing approximately 65g) would provide nearly 2.1g of beta-glucan.
However, when whole grains like oats are processed, dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals are lost. While refined products have a longer shelf life, they are nutritionally inferior. So, does the additional processing involved in producing quick-cook oat sachets affect their nutritional quality?
Physically altering the form of oats can affect the amount, solubility and structure of the beta-glucan fibre in cereals. Highly processed cereals created through extrusion processes reduce beta-glucan’s ability to decrease serum cholesterol by up to 50%, a 2014 study in the British Journal of Nutrition found.
Examples of extruded cereals here include Froot Loops and Nutrigrain. The oat flour in such cereals would therefore most likely not produce the same beneficial health effects as rolled oats. In other words, not all “oats” or “oat flours” listed on ingredient lists are equal.
Quick-cook oats are manufactured similarly to other rolled oats, though in a thinner size than regular rolled oats, so the starch inside the oats can absorb water more quickly, decreasing cooking time.
That also means quick-cook oats are digested faster, leading to a higher glycaemic response than larger-flake oats. Glycaemic response refers to how quickly and how much a food raises your blood sugar levels after eating it.
One of the key benefits of oats is their ability to stabilise blood sugar levels. Although quick-cook oats likely do not offer the same benefit, they are better than many highly processed, extruded breakfast cereals.
However, quick-cook oat sachets typically contain sweeteners, such as sugar or honey, salt, spices, flavourings or fruit pieces. Granted, homemade rolled oats often have sugar and other flavourings or fruit added, but with homemade rolled oats you control how little or how much you add. With oat sachets, you get whatever the manufacturer creates. Check the nutrition information panel of oat sachets to determine how much sugar and salt they contain per serving.
Ultimately, the question of oat sachets’ nutritional status is better considered in the context of whatever alternative you might have chosen. If they replace potato chips as a convenient work snack, they likely offer relative nutritional gains. But if they replace a wholegrain roll filled with salad and lean meat, you may have taken a nutritional downgrade for your lunch.
Quick-cook oat sachets offer a fast and convenient snack or meal option that contains nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals – so don’t throw the quick-cook oats out entirely. In certain contexts, they could be a handy and more nutritious option than many other convenience foods on the market.
Email your nutrition questions to listenerlife@aremedia.co.nz
