Oats have traditionally been used as fodder for animals across the world. (Yes, that’s right!) They were cultivated in Scotland almost 2000 years ago and used for both animals and humans. As the British Empire grew, so did the cultivation of oats across the world. Today there are so many varieties available and the health benefits attributed to it have made it an essential monthly buy. We decided to look into the ones available so that you could add good nutrition for your family.
We picked 9 brands that are freely available and most used. We tested them for levels of Starch, Protein and Soluble Fiber, comparing the results against the standard national database to see their nutrition quotient.
With the highest levels of soluble fiber, (nearly double of most contenders) Quaker Oats emerged as our Top Pick. In addition to soluble fiber, Quaker Oats also showed healthy levels of starch and protein, making it a balanced winner across parameters.
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Table of Contents
Mishry Reviews: Healthiest Oats Brand To Buy
Top Pick: Quaker Oats
Quaker Oats scored highest in soluble fiber and starch. The starch content in Quaker Oats is also good, making it a sustained energy source that keeps you energized for longer.
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Why Quaker Oats Is Our Top Pick:
Our overall winner is Quaker Oats because it scored highest in soluble fiber and Starch.
Soluble fiber is the star nutrient in oats. With up to 85% of this being β Glucan, Quaker Oats with the highest amount scored as the top pick for adding the maximum health benefit to your meal.
The starch content in Quaker Oats is also good, making it a sustained energy source that keeps you energized for longer.
Long satiety prevents you from reaching out for those in-between meal snacks and a better sugar control which also reflects on better insulin modulation.
Mishry Reviews: Healthiest Oats Brand To Buy
The next two brands that scored on soluble fiber and starch were Eco Valley Hearty oats and True Elements. When a cereal gives you slow-digesting starch and resistant starch in good amounts, then the net total carbs available to the body also decreases. This means lower calorie availability.
Also Recommended: Eco Valley Hearty Oats
Eco Valley contained the second highest values of starch and third-highest levels of fiber in our review.
Also Recommended: True Elements Rolled Oats
True Elements Rolled Oats showed the second highest values of fiber and third- highest values of starch as per our review.
Our Review Process
Grown for centuries, oats hit the top of the must-have grains in the 80’s when scientific evidence showed its positive effect on controlling blood cholesterol and especially LDL or bad cholesterol. Oats are today grown in India in Punjab, Haryana and UP primarily.
We sought the expertise of Rupali Datta for this review, (Consultant Nutritionist, Fortis Escorts). Ms. Datta is a clinical nutritionist with nearly two decades of hands-on knowledge and background in the field of dietetics and nutrition. She helped us determine the parameters of the review and we developed the process in consultation with her.
We bought the Oats from store shelves and sent the sealed packets to FICCI- FRACS, a NABL accredited lab that follows strict norms of blind testing. The brands being tested are not known even by the lab assistants during the entire process. They maintain a chain of processes so that there is no chance of individual or personal bias in their results. They also maintain the records of their processes which can be audited.
For Oats, we chose all the nutrients that enhance its value as a food and based our winner on the highest amounts. Nutrient quantity may also be taken as an indicator of a better raw material as nutrition quotient is affected by agricultural practices, harvesting, and post-harvesting storage and processing.
Brands We Reviewed
Eco valley Oats (Buy On Amazon)
Patanjali Oats (Buy On Amazon)
True Elements Oats (Buy On Amazon)
Baggry’s Oats (Buy On Amazon)
Saffola Oats (Buy On Amazon)
GAIA Oats
Kellogg’s Oats (Buy On Amazon)
NutriOrg Rolled Oats (Buy On Amazon)
Quaker Oats (Buy On Amazon)
All these were rolled oats. They require a cooking time of 3-5 mins. Whole groats and steel-cut groats are used to make these. Rolled oats from whole groats require a longer cooking time while those made from steel-cut groats are faster to cook.
How We Picked Our Brands
We chose a list of bulk processed and some organic and boutique brands. Most of these are easily available. Our intention is to help you choose better from a list that you can shop easily and being bulk produced in a standard process, these brands have better labeling, longer shelf life and are easy to buy and use.
Who Is This Review For?
Oats are a very popular cereal and a healthy one at that. Its positive effect on cholesterol, diabetes, weight management is well documented, in addition, its starch works as a digestive enhancer too. Including oats in your meals is a good choice for health so we wanted you to make an informed choice and be aware of its benefits.
What Were We Looking For?
The parameters were set in consultation with Ms. Datta, and we chose to go with 3 parameters that would be most beneficial for the end-user. Here they are:
Starch: Oats are a rich source of carbs, the primary source of energy for our bodies. Carbs are of varying kinds from simple sugars to complex starches. While all starches are carbs, it is only a complex carb, that takes longer to digest, that is the healthier one. The starch in oats is about 60%. Starch is classified into- Rapidly digested starch (RDS), Slowly digested starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS).
Typically Oats contain:
7% RDS , fast digestion and conversion to glucose.
22% SDS, slow digestion and gradual absorption.
25% RS, not digested and helps feed good bacteria in the gut.
Oat starch is different, and better, from regular cereals and is therefore excellent for sugar control, satiety and sustained energy needs. The regular intake of Oats has significant benefits in overall health.
Proteins: Cereal grains aren’t chosen for their protein content but in the case of oats it is higher than other cereal grains. 80% of oats proteins are avenalin which is similar to legume proteins and rarely seen in other grains. It also contains more lysine than other cereal grains. It is also low in Gluten content, so while it may be a debatable point whether or not to include it in Celiac disease patients’ diet, for those of us on wheat and wheat products day in and out, Oats certainly provide relief from gluten overload.
Soluble Fiber: Actually it is the star nutrient in oats. Oats contain both soluble and insoluble fibers in a 50-50 ratio. Of the soluble fibers, 85% are β- Glucan. The range is 2.3-8.5% /100gm in quality oats. These are present in the oat bran and are an indicator of whole grains being used. 3gms of soluble oat β- Glucan is associated with a lowered risk of heart diseases, it is linked to lowered total and LDL (bad) Cholesterol, lowers BP, controls Diabetes, and improves insulin sensitivity.
Results Of Our Review
Starch content was the second and third highest in Eco Valley Oats and True Elements Oats
As far as protein is concerned, Baggry’s Oats had the highest proteins. So if you have a higher protein target then every bit counts. This coupled with the complex carbs works wonders.
Top Pick: Quaker Oats
Quaker Oats scored highest in soluble fiber. The starch content in Quaker Oats is also good, making it a sustained energy source that keeps you energized for longer.
Our overall winner is Quaker Oats because it scored highest in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is the star nutrient in oats, and Quaker Oats showed the highest amount of soluble fiber. The starch content in Quaker Oats is also good, making it a sustained energy source that keeps you energized for longer.
* If you do agree with our review, please give it a thumbs up! And, tell us which one is your favorite from this list. If you don’t, please tell us why!
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* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.
* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.
Team That Worked On This Review
