Cheap porridge -v- expensive stuff

Kim_kim

pumpkin89 said:

Welcome to the Forum   

In short, yes!  The main differences will be the size of the oats (generally, more expensive brands will have bigger oats and less "dust") and packaging (e.g. cardboard boxes rather than plastic bags).

Here is the nutritional information, per 100g, for three different brands at different price points.  The differences are minor - the type you buy has slightly higher carb content and hence a bit more energy (calories), and slightly lower fibre.  But it's still a very good source of fibre, especially if you include fruit in your toppings.

Aldi Everyday Essentials Porridge Oats

Energy            414kcal
Fat                  8.1g of which saturates 1.3g
Carbohydrate 71g of which sugars <0.5g
Fibre               7.2g
Protein           11g
Salt                <0.01g

Quaker Rolled Oats

Energy            374kcal
Fat                  8.0g of which saturates 1.5g
Carbohydrate 60g of which sugars 1.1g
Fibre               9.0g
Protein           11g
Salt                 0g

Waitrose Duchy Organic Jumbo Rolled Oats

Energy            367kcal
Fat                  8.4g of which saturates 1.3g
Carbohydrate 56.1g of which sugars 1.0g
Fibre               9.1g
Protein           12.1g
Salt                 0.0g

I would have expected them to be exactly the same, I’m really surprised at the calorie & nutritional differences. 

I prefer the ordinary oats to the large ones.  

Coffeekup

Rosa_Damascena said:

I like porridge but very rarely eat it as it doesn't like me! If I want my tummy to go from flat to second trimester in under 6 hours oats would be my go to for sure.

I know they are a nutritionally good food, but I can't be the only one that avoids it for this reason?

I'm no expert... But I have similar situations eating other foods like normal bread, weetabix and other products. Doctor's said to me I had ibs and to keep a diary of foods that flared up my gut and to eat more fibre, so I went and ate more fibre. Some fibres still had the same effects as you describe, a trip back to the doctor's said there is soluble fibre and insoluble "find out which ones upset you".
I just know which foods I can eat and cannot eat these days, usually the less processed the better, and if I do have processed food I keep if to a minimum.

EasyToAssemble01

Nutrition-wise, its exactly the same between value oats and the jumbo ones. It just comes down to preference and texture. And, of course, if organic food is important to you.

YellowCarBlueCar

Porridge is one of the few foods I pay the organic premium for, as porridge oats are usually sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) to kill then off and allow them to dry out before harvesting.  The levels of glyphosate in the food are of course still within the safe levels for human consumption, but to my mind, no weed killer in my food is better than a safe amount of weed killer.

MiserlyMartin

I like my porridge to be smooth and creamy. Aldi were doing a cheap packet of Scottish oats, which seem to be finer - so more smooth. They haven't stocked this for about 9 months. The cheap ones in Lidl/Aldi are very rough and big which does not make the sort of porridge I like. Tesco Scottish oats seems ok though but it is getting expensive. Porridge is one of the few things that is cheaper in Ireland, so if you are going there by car, take a load of packets back with you from Irish Lidl. 1.5 kg packet for €1.09 - about 96p. Useful advice for cross border workers in NI

thriftytracey

I like the instant ones in the sachets that you do in the microwave.  Last winter I bought Lidl own make and enjoy it with pureed apple (bramleys I cook myself) and a dollop of cream - yum.  I expect the instant oats have increased in price quite significantly, sigh.

PLRFD

I always make porridge In the microwave.

LunaLater

There was a question about the ones with no microwave instructions. This works for me.

40g of oats, 180ml of semi-skimmed milk put together into a bowl.

Heat for 1 minute on full in a 1000W microwave.

Take it out, stir it well (at this point I add a small teaspoon full of sugar. If you are Scottish I suppose that this is when the salt goes in.)

Return to the microwave and heat on full for 1 minute.

It’s as easy as the supposedly “microwave” ones.

thriftytracey

LunaLater said:

There was a question about the ones with no microwave instructions. This works for me.

40g of oats, 180ml of semi-skimmed milk put together into a bowl.

Heat for 1 minute on full in a 1000W microwave.

Take it out, stir it well (at this point I add a small teaspoon full of sugar. If you are Scottish I suppose that this is when the salt goes in.)

Return to the microwave and heat on full for 1 minute.

It’s as easy as the supposedly “microwave” ones.

That is interesting.  I will try that.  The oats in the sachets are very small.  Ordinary porridge oats are larger so will 180ml milk be enough?  Might it be too thick consistency?  Anyway I will try tomorrow!  I use granulated sweetener, I know it is not the same taste as sugar but my husband is a diabetic so I have got used to the taste now.

fatbelly

I will buy Lidl oats but currently Farm Foods are doing 1kg bags of Mornflake oats for I think 65p.

So I've stocked up